The reality of Privilege and the oppression in the society

Every individual is a multi-faceted individual with many kinds of identities for instance, teachers, parents, artists and athletes among others. This is however not the identification that is used to categorize people in the society. Characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, race, religion and social economic status among others have been adopted which play a great role in creating the notion of privilege and oppression. Inequality based on social identity is wrong, a socially just world should ensure that all people, irrespective of their social characteristics can be appreciated and cherished accordingly.

Privilege and oppression

Individuals all over the domain are troubled about matter of justice. When social disparities are discussed, the emphasis is on how certain groups are underprivileged, differentiated against, oppressed and neglected.  There are other groups of people that are advantaged in that they receive prejudicial and an unjust benefits and freedoms. Oppression and privilege are two sides of inequality systems that are important to deal with in order to help achieve a greater equity. Privilege can be described as a special benefit or insusceptibility that is granted to a group of individuals (Anderson & Middleton, 2011). This freedom is built and regularized by the reputable frame works of the culture. The oppressed can be described a group of people that are viewed to be inferior, have less social power and they face discrimination and violence all because of the society’s definition on them. Narratives of privilege have been developed grounded on the power struggles of history whose impacts continue to endure today (Anderson & Middleton, 2011). Many people do not understand why they behave the way that they do to certain groups of people or in many cases they choose to ignore the reality of privilege.

Privileged groups include; male, white, racial freedom, privilege based on appeal, privilege based on physical aptitudes, mental health, sexual placement, gender, and privilege grounded on social status. The oppressed group includes; women especially Black women, the LGBTQ community, marginalized ethnic groups, people with low income, people with disability and the non-native born (Block & Galabuzi, 2011).  Privilege and oppression is an issue that holds a crucial phenomenon in the society. The privileged groups hold the power in the society and they create the framework of laws, values and institutions in the society. These constructions ensure that the rich continue to benefit in power while the oppressed groups have to adhere to these frameworks in order for them to gain their rights, resources and power.

Levels of oppression and privilege

The issue of social inequality is often assumed to be the actions of meanness or just discrimination on certain social groups. This is however not right, the system of inequality is more pervasive and institutionalized and operates on different levels including; individually, institutionally and culturally.

• The individual level includes what the individual believe about themselves and the way that they are treated in interpersonal situations by the other people around them. At this level, the people in the oppression groups are likely to encounter interpersonal bias or even violence. These people may be referred with certain titles and denoted to in offensive ways. They may be rejected from social connections and get disregarded in group situations; a good illustration of this group of people is the LGBTQ community who are often beaten up in societies that do not approve of them (Block & Galabuzi, 2011).
• The institutional level is in regard to the policies and the practices of various institutions that are in the society for instance, education, healthcare, the legal system, the military and banking among many others. The disadvantaged groups of people are limited from accessing resources, opportunities and even power. People of colour and the poor generally have less access to adequate and quality health care and they often attend poor funded schools that do have appropriate resource (Layder, 2005).
• The cultural level refers to the norms, values and the ideologies of the dominant culture which are expressed through the standards such as beauty, communication norms, the sex role, the recognized holidays and the qualities that are valued and recognized in the society. Disadvantage at this level occurs when the people do not conform to the dominant cultural norms, values and the ways of being which causes them to be viewed as being negatively marginalized (Layder, 2005).

History relation to current issue of inequality

Oppression and privileges are not elements that are simply unrelated one occurrences, this are things that are based on historical perspectives. It is difficult to understand what is happening in the society today without looking at how the past has contributed to shaping the present and how it continues to shape the future. In the United States, the black were enslaved and they were denied housing, bank loans, educative and healthcare, all which was readily provide for the whites (Aylward, 1999). These actions allowed the white people to buy the best homes in the best neighbourhoods that appreciated in value and provided intergenerational wealth and opportunities for the white people.  The blacks were shut out of these opportunities and this is the reason why they have significantly less wealth on average as compared to the white people (Block & Galabuzi, 2011). Black women in the past were always perceived to be weak and their roles include staying at home and looking after the children as the property of the men.

Even though women and especially Black women have worked hard to show that they are just as capable as the men, the society still hasn’t accepted to give the black women the same privileges as the men (Aylward, 1999). There is a relationship between the dynamics of being disadvantaged and advantaged, the people that are from privileged groups often benefit at the expense of the oppressed groups. The men have the advantages of getting hired and keeping their jobs because the women are denied the opportunities. The white people have more housing because people of colour are discriminated over when it comes to housing.

Socialization

Socialization has a great effect on oppression and it helps maintain this societal system. The members of the society have learned about their own social groups, the ideology and the values and the norms of the dominant society. Though overt messages from communities, families, communities, the media and many other social institutions; members of various social groups have come to understand their place in the society (Block & Galabuzi, 2011). Various societies have come to learn their roles; they understand how they are supposed to act and what is considered to be appropriate for depending on their social identities. The society learns the dominant world view which ensures that they are reinforced depending on whether they conform to the dominant cultural beliefs and behaviours. A good illustration of this is how the boys are taught to play with car toys and if they play with dolls or try to pursue careers that are associated with women, they are teased and despised for not being real men and in worse cases are assumed to be gay (Layder, 2006). The society has made some cultural condition that makes the current reality of social identities and inequality to seem normal and right.

Intersectionality

Identities of people based on societal groups are further made difficult by the respect that no one is affected or defined by a single social trait. People fit in many social distinctiveness groups and even if people share one social trait, their other social characteristics may contrast (Anderson & Middleton, 2011). This whole concept affects the experiences of the social identity that they have in common. A good illustration of this is the fact that all women are the same in the sense that they experience womanhood in the same way. There is however the realities that depend on where the woman is black or white, rich or poor, gay or straight and this is what is called intersectionality (Collins, 2002). The social categories do not operate in isolation but rather mutually shape each other. Every individual has numerous social personalities and most people are a portion of both the governing and the subordinated groups. This connection of different social characteristics with diverse social positions upsets an individual advantage or disadvantage degree. All women encounter the issue of sexism but their experiences differ depending on their race where a black woman is likely to experience sexism in a more intense manner as compared to a white woman all because of the fact that her race is also marginalized (Collins, 2002). Black women have over the years been discriminated for their skin colours leading them to be denied access to a good education and education. There is a great wage gap when it comes to Black women, the wage gap discrimination acts do not bother to help and this is clearly reflected in the poverty and income median rates.  Black women do not have the chance to accumulate wealth to help their families and this is what makes them economically unstable as compared to the white women.

Effects of inequality

Oppression holds people back by making them feel inferior; it undermines their confidence limiting them of their capabilities. Oppression and privilege has led the society to believe that the privileged groups are superior thus giving them the roles of establishing the societal norms and standards by which the groups are judged (Layder, 2005). They have greater institutional powers and controls that allow them to set the laws, policies and the practices that impact the society (. The fact that they are seen to be better than the others it is viewed to be normal and natural for them to be in positions of power. Being part of the dominant or the subordinate groups affects every day’s reality of the society (Layder, 2006). The people in marginalized groups continue to face barriers and mistreatments while the people in the privileged groups continue to receive privileges and unearned advantages that often not made available for the other groups. For instance the oppressed groups continue to worry about having enough money basic needs while the privileged groups get to live in nice homes with more than enough money (Layder, 2006). While the oppressed cannot afford school fees, the privileged travel internationally to go to the best schools. The members of the privileged groups receive privileges even when they do not need them all because they are believed to be better deserving in the society than the others.

Conclusion

The society should be led by equality, this is a social justice that ensures that every person have equitable access to resources and opportunities which would enable them to fulfil their potential.  This is however not happening the society today that instead of embracing and appreciating social differences prefers to rank various groups into a hierarchy where some social identities are viewed to be better than others. The society needs to change its rational on what is normal and right and create room for diversity of culture in order to enhance equity.

References

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            York : Routeledge.

Aylward, C. (1999). Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness And The Politics

            Of Empowerment. Part 1, Pp. 1-19.

Block, S & Galabuzi, G-E. (2011). Canadian Critical Race Theory: Racism And The Law.

            Halifax: Fernwood Press (Pp. 19-49).

Layder, D. (2006). Postmodern Approaches In Practice. In, Social Work Theories In Context:

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Layder, D. (2005). Understanding Social Theory, Chapter 6, Foucault And The Postmodern

            Turn. (P.P. 94-113) London: Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications..

Anderson, S. K., & Middleton, V. A. (2011). Explorations In Diversity: Examining Privilege

            And Oppression In A Multicultural Society. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.