In regards to Johnson’s question, “What can we do?” I think it’s most important for us to stop pretending like oppression isn’t an issue in our society. Those of us who are more privileged and less affected by the various forms of oppression need to acknowledge the fact that by not speaking up, we are allowing oppression to remain in our society. We need to take responsibility by raising awareness through educating ourselves and others of how oppression happens and what we can do to eliminate it. This doesn’t necessarily mean each of us doing something drastic, but if we each made an honest effort to point out situations where oppression exists, and modify them, we could change the way our system works. This would help make oppression more obvious, eventually making it less tolerable. For example, a simple change we could make is modifying the way we talk. It seems like my generation loves the phrase “that’s so gay.” Even though this phrase is rarely used to describe something actually homosexual, it’s used to describe something unfavorable, which in turn oppresses homosexuals. I’m going to make an honest effort to not use this phrase and encourage my friends not to use it either. I’m also going to speak up about sexist or racist jokes as well as explain to those around me the concept of how privilege is invisible to those who have it. Not only will this make oppression more evident, but also it will make those with privilege more appreciative of what they have.
I agree with you, an honest effort is what is needed. If we could all start to understand honesty more we would understand that working together, in a coalition, is the best way.
ReplyDeleteAnd changing how we talk is great way to start. It is hard to change what we have been socialized to do but it does start with language.