Introduction
There are individuals with advantages due to belonging to a particular social group in society. Such individuals use these benefits to take advantage of the less fortunate. For example, people in power may use their position to deprive the less fortunate of rights. The subordinate group forms the minority within a team who lacks the right to express themselves. The following paper presents an overview of privileges and oppression within the subordinate and dominant groups.
Systemic Problem
Systemic unjust treatment occurs when policies of an area result in unequal reception of a particular social group. An example of social oppression is when a certain set is denied privileges and access to education that hinders their lives later. Oppression may occur on three levels but in several forms: interpersonal, which involves relationships and interactions between people within and across differences. An individual’s beliefs, language, and actions serve to perpetuate unequal treatment. The second level is institutional and, lastly, internalized; policies, rules, and procedures at the organizational level may perpetuate oppression. People tend to look at a situation and construct an interpretation and action, which hones their emphasis on manners by which any enabled type of abuse gains ground. Systemic oppression appears in monetary, political, and social establishments. Failure of society to perceive systemic oppression might neglect to fix its outcomes by recognizing discriminatory examples and deliberate activity to hinder disparity and make more equitable cycles.
The ultimate tragedy is not oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people, as per Martin Luther King. The phrase refers to an excellent necessity for individuals to use their platform and aid in standing up against discrimination against black people and their rights (Hanch, 2019). The bad people, in this case, are the Americans of color, a subordinate group, who are often stereotyped. Good people are the Whites with privileges and engage in racism against Blacks on most occasions.
During Martin Luther’s reign, liberal White children put their lives in extreme danger for Black freedom. Martin Luther King was “gravely disappointed with the White moderate (Hanch, 2019).” The Whites were “more devoted to order than to justice” and opted for “a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice” (Hanch, 2019). He referred to the other White individuals, frequently more seasoned, more moderate White individuals like those eight men, for the warmth and limpness of their obligation to racial compromise. This is essential in creating change within systems since the racists work with the subordinate group to eliminate discrimination and bias.
Forms of Oppression
Racism
Racism refers to individuals’ unfair treatment, dividing them into separate entities and disguising them as inferior or superior. The dominant group in America consists of Whites, who have several privileges. First, there is a positive relationship with the police where many White Americans do not see them as a source of danger; rather, they are a source of safety, contrary to black American views. Many Black and Latin Americans are not safe in the hands of the police. Secondly, White Americans have the honor of studying their race in school, making them feel special and superior. Thirdly, they have the honor of evading stereotypes related to their race. The Whites have participated in unspeakable atrocities throughout history against people of color.
However, violent stereotypes are commonly diverted to Blacks. The Whites have an advantage since they can walk into a shopping mall, and the employees would not bother looking at them. The workers believe the Whites would not steal something they cannot afford from the mall. Additionally, White parents do not worry about their school-going children if they will be sent home by teachers for school fees or would be bullied.
The subordinate group to racism forms Americans of color, such as Blacks and Indians. Half of Black Americans suggest that their race and ethnicity have made it hard for them to succeed in life since the state denies them a good education, conducive housing, and good work conditions. The Blacks are denied access to rooms to rent since whenever they find a vacant apartment, they are informed it is already booked while it is not. The majority state that the Whites have acted as if they were suspicious of them and thought they were not smart enough over the past year. A similar proportion state that they have been stopped and interrogated by the police for no reason. According to Hill et al. (2020), the killing of George Floyd, who was unarmed and had no criminal intent, was racial. A larger proportion of Americans are denied access to medical care due to concerns about unfair treatment. Finally, there is a growing concern about disparities in income where Black women report being victimized against the same pay and promotion chances, despite being in the same job group as their White colleagues.
Race was a term used to refer to members of a kinship. The expression has evolved rapidly, identifying people based on their physical traits and characteristics. The 13th Amendment of the Constitution led to the abolishment of slavery (Winston, 2020). Since then, regulations and strategies have been executed inclining toward and safeguarding position for white individuals by victimizing and denying potential chances to individuals of color. Working circumstances for Black Americans were overlooked in the Fair Labor Standard Act. The Deal’s Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938 led to better working circumstances for the White; however, Black specialists were absolved (England & Alcorn, 2018). Throughout the 20th century, government housing rules and practices have prevented Black families from potential chances to create home value and gather financial well-being. On the contrary, government intercession and venture have extended homeownership and fair housing for some White families.
A harsh history has limited education access for black people. The federal, state and local housing rules and procedures also caused disparities in housing. In 1847, the Virginia Criminal Code precluded educating enslaved and free individuals of color (Choi, 2019). The state absolved the Black students from going to Southern universities due to lawful isolation and restricted admittance to schools from the north due to quota models. In the mid-19th century, the scientific community legitimized society’s racist views stating Africans and their descendants were inferior. Racism has continued to root because children are born and raised with a racial view.
Racial discrimination can end with the collective responsibilities of the Whites and the Blacks. First, people need to acknowledge racism, its form, and its detrimental effects. Failure to identify racism would make it continue to thrive. Secondly, racism can be stopped by people after overturning racist laws. Rules and procedures stipulated by organizations and the state result in unequal treatment. Therefore, to counter racism, institutions should abolish these rules, and people need to learn love and acceptance. Racism is a stereotype an individual has towards a subordinate group (Blazina & Drew, 2021. To counter this vice, people should commit to being anti-racist and denying all its forms. Since the police are among the influential racist group, the state should re-locate and re-invest in this department. Re-assigning non-violent crimes to entities that are well equipped to handle such will boost efficiency and resolve violent crimes. The other strategy is implementing accountability and transparency in law enforcement. Creating a national registry will allow an officer to be terminated for misconduct.
Sexism
Sexism is a stereotyped society holds against women on a sexual basis. It has a component known as paternalism which reflects views of women as underdeveloped adults. The dominant group includes men whom society justifies as being authoritative. Men are socially constructed to protect, monitor, and make decisions on women’s behalf. Therefore, society views women as helpless individuals who need to depend on the male gender for everything. Society believes families are hurt when women work, and they should stick to their societal roles.
The group that receives unfair gender treatment is composed of women. According to Blazina & Drew (2021), women make up a quarter of all members of the 117th congress. The proportion is evident that society socially constructs women, denying them the right to rule. Most people believe women cannot make good leaders since it is a man’s role to lead; thus, society stigmatizes women for all sorts of things. For instance, menstruation is surrounded by a stigma that makes it difficult for women to get on with their daily lives. The most vital moment for a mother to be with her baby is right after birth. Most women cannot do this in America because paid maternal leave is almost nonexistent.
In the early years, societies were not male-dominated; hence cases of gender inequality were rare. For instance, chimpanzees are not surrogates for human ancestors, but their social structures depict male dominance since most groups are patriarchal. Male chimpanzees are vicious towards females since they forcefully copulate with females, taking their food and killing them for spending time away from the team. Similarly, men spend their early lives in groups they are born into, while females leave in adolescence (Blazina & Drew, 2021). Consequentially, men are more related to each other than women. At the point when ladies move to live with their spouses, men will generally have more control, honors, and power.
A policy change would address sexism, for example, introducing paid leaves for expectant mothers making them feel relieved. Some people view women as ‘vessels’ for carrying babies, making them feel stigmatized. The introduction of paid leaves would come in handy and provide the much-required support. Another way of challenging this form of oppression is by ensuring that girls have access to menstrual health facilities. Society needs to understand menstruation is a normal biological process in women. Therefore, menstrual hygiene management is essential for girls to carry on with their lives since poor women with ineffective menstrual health would stay away from their duties. Society needs to be enlightened and discard beliefs of gender roles making men and women carry duties equally.
Conclusion
Oppression results from the privileges a dominant group has over the subordinate group. The dominant group has the power to influence and justify the action of the members as being right even though they are wrong. However, giving people unfair treatment can be prevented since it is a social construct. Creating awareness among community members on the forms of oppression and its harmful effects is crucial to challenging the sickening situation.
References
Blazina, C., & Drew, D. (2021). A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress.Pew Research Center. Web.
Choi, C. H. (2019). “A matter of building bridges”: Photography and African American Education, 1957–1972 [Columbia University].
England, K., & Alcorn, C. (2018). Growing care gaps, shrinking state? Home care workers and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 11(3), 443-457.
Hanch, K. (2019). Martin Luther King Jr.’s white moderates and moderate Baptists: Moderateness as betrayal of the gospel. Review & Expositor, 116(2), 193-203.
Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Triebert, C., Jordan, D., Willis, H., & Stein, R. (2020). How George Floyd was killed in police custody.The New York Times. Web.