Introduction
Intersectionality is the idea that all manifestations of oppression are intertwined. Race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gender are interconnected in creating overlapping and interdependent systems of prejudice. Through intersectionality, everyone has their own distinctive experiences of chauvinism and subjugation, and they must consider everything and anything that can marginalise them. In exploring the concept of intersectionality, one needs to identify one’s social roles and how such aspects impact one’s potential to be an ally for the marginalised groups.
Social Roles and Their Impacts on Marginalization Allyship
A single crucial social determinant of my conduct is my social roles. I am a female Caucasian parent who is regarded as cisgender. Each of the portrayals above has a pattern of deportment assumed by a person within every specific group (DiAngelo, 2022). By explanation, people who understand the American culture know what behavior is expected of a person in any social role.
In American society, there exist imaginary and real specific gains and privileges that people obtain in view of the social groups to which they are perceived to belong. The social role of being cisgender is a privileged one since the benefits are unearned. A social role that exhibits high privilege is being white or having Caucasian ancestry (DiAngelo, 2022).
The parental role is advantageous as I also receive advance payments to help me raise my children. White females are ranked highly in terms of social status compared to African-American females (Lhamon, 2019). Nonetheless, my gender is an oppressed and unprivileged role compared to other social roles I evince.
The social roles I possess impact my ability to be an ally for marginalized communities. My role as a woman assists me in understanding marginalization and oppressive systems. The conception of gender prejudice emanates from the experiences of systemic discrimination that has characterized American society in its treatment of women since I was a child (Lhamon, 2019). In addition, being cisgender has provided a clear perspective of how we, the cis, view the transgender.
A common viewpoint of cisgender people about transgender individuals is that they are misfits in society and, as such, they deserve harsh treatment because of their sexual orientation (Casey et al., 2019). Moreover, as a parent, I understand the agony of children trying to cope in a challenging environment, more so the racially stratified society in America. Therefore, with an understanding of a marginalized woman’s pain in a male-dominated society, coupled with the anguish I witnessed among some transgender individuals facing prejudice from me long ago, I have empathy towards the oppressed.
One social role prevents me from being an ally to the marginalized groups in my society. A good example of one such role is the identity as a Caucasian or a white, as is commonly known. Since most African-Americans perceive the whites as the perpetrators of racial discrimination, it is difficult for a Caucasian such as myself to be associated with the just cause of fighting the injustice (DiAngelo, 2022). Furthermore, the privileges of being white in American society blind Caucasians from seeing racism for what it is and disrupting the vice.
Conclusion
In summary, it is important to correctly recognize one’s social roles and how they impact one’s fight against marginalization. Parenting, gender identity, race, and sexual orientation are among the important considerations in effecting social justice. These social roles are key in understanding the plight of marginalized communities. However, without putting significance on the social roles, one is inclined to ignore the existence of racism and all types of discrimination.
References
Casey, L., Reisner, S., Findling, M., Blendon, R., Benson, J., Sayde, J., & Miller, C. (2019). Inequity in the US: Experiences of LGBTQ Americans. Health Services Research, 54, 1454-1466. Web.
DiAngelo, R. (2022). Caucasian weakness: Reason for the difficulty in discerning bigotry by Caucasians (redesigned for immature adults). Beacon Press.
Lhamon, C. (2019). Bias on the grounds of gender status must end. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(11), 1131. Web.