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For other uses, see Oppression (disambiguation).

Oppression is the act of using power to empower and/or privilege a group at the expense of disempowering, marginalizing, silencing, and subordinating another. Note: Oppression does not need established organizational support; it can be rendered on a much smaller individual scale. It is particularly closely associated with nationalism and derived social systems, wherein identity is built by antagonism to the other. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation The term itself derives from the idea of being "weighted down. "


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Systematic oppression

The most famous type of oppression in society is the legal system. Anarchists argue that police and law itself is oppression. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Although legal systems control behavior, they are not considered oppression because they are for the common good (see utilitarianism). Behavior or behaviour (see spelling differences) refers to the actions or Reactions of an object or Organism, usually Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall Utility, that is its contribution to happiness The term oppression is primarily used to describe how a certain group is being subordinated by unjust use of force, authority, or societal norms. JUSTICE is a Human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. In Physics, a force is whatever can cause an object with Mass to Accelerate. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium Social norms have been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values beliefs attitudes and behaviors When this is institutionalized formally or informally in a society, it is referred to as "systematic oppression". Oppression is most commonly felt and expressed by a widespread, if unconscious, assumption that a certain group of people are inferior. Oppression is rarely limited solely to government action. Individuals can be victims of oppression, and in this case have no group membership to share their burden of being ostracized.

In psychology, racism, sexism and other prejudices are often studied as individual beliefs which, although not necessarily oppressive in themselves, can lead to oppression if they are acted on, or codified into law or other systems. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and By comparison, in sociology, these prejudices are often studied as being institutionalized systems of oppression in some societies. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" In sociology, the tools of oppression include a progression of denigration, dehumanization, and demonization; which often generate scapegoating, which is used to justify aggression against targeted groups and individuals. Dehumanization is a process by which members of a group of people assert the "inferiority" of another group through subtle or overt acts or statements Demonization is the reinterpretation of polytheistic deities as Demons by other religions generally monotheistic and Henotheistic ones scapegoat was a Goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism during the times In Psychology and other social and Behavioral sciences aggression refers to behavior that is intended to cause harm

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the concept of Human Rights in general were designed to challenge oppression by giving a clear articulation of what limits should be placed on the power of any entity to unfairly control an individual or group of people. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ( 10 December 1948 at Palais Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled

When oppression is systematized through coercion, threats of violence, or violence by government agencies or non-government paramilitiaries with a political motive, it is often called Political repression. Political repression is the Persecution of an individual or group for political reasons particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part More subtle forms of political oppression/repression can be produced by blacklisting or individualized investigations such as happened during McCarthyism in the United States. McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s

Transnational systems of oppression include colonialism, imperialism, and totalitarianism, and can generate a resistance movement to challenge the oppressive status quo. See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups dedicated to fighting an Invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation

Oppression is noted by living with constant fear.

Hierarchy of oppression

A hierarchy of oppression is a ranking (hierarchy) of relative oppression according to arbitrariness and cruelty, or according to the perceived negative effects on oppressed communities. @@@ main@@@ - title Hierarchy@@@ keywords structure; sociology; information@@@ review@@@ - Hierarchies of oppression may be seen by human rights advocates as problematic, though hierarchies of oppression are often widespread even when unstated or unconscious.

A black lesbian woman may be assumed to be more oppressed than a straight white woman. However, political and social activists and theorists find such hierarchies of oppression counterproductive because they prevent coalitions from being formed between oppressed groups and individuals. A coalition is an alliance among individuals during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own Self-interest. [1] A hierarchy of oppression may constitute a hierarchy of victimization and also a hierarchy of guilt. ---- Guilt is the Fact, state or Verdict (by a Court or other Tribunal) of an Offence, Crime, Violation Under a hierarchy of oppression a black lesbian group may not form a coalition with a predominantly straight white feminist group, both because of the hierarchical differences of need, and the perceived differences of oppression. Hierarchies of oppression may create a competition between oppressed groups, with the most oppressed as the winners. [2]

Note: Hierarchy has multiple definitions; some structures which can be defined as hierarchial, such as a representative democracy or a republic, may not necessarily be seen as oppressive, since the upper ranks are representatives and may be prevented from acting in a repressive way by the ability to recall them or vote them out. The 'imperfectness' of representative democracy however, particularly in the face of dominant interest groups and a media that imperfectly conveys information, means that the oppressiveness or not of a democratic government can be perceived very differently by different people.

Internalized oppression

In sociology and psychology, internalized oppression is the manner in which an oppressed group comes to use against itself the methods of the oppressor. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and For example, sometimes members of marginalized groups hold an oppressive view toward their own group, or start to believe in negative stereotypes of themselves.

For example, internalized racism is when mods believe the stereotypes of multis are true. Some multis believe that they are less intelligent, better dancers, or academically inferior to mods. Any social group can internalize prejudice.

Indirect oppression

Indirect oppression is oppression that is effected by psychological attack, situational constraints or other indirect means. It has been a popular tactic practiced in single power, power monopoly or other authoritarian or totalitarian regimes.

Resistance

Several movements have arisen that specifically aim to oppose, analyse and counter oppression in general; examples include Liberation Theology in the Catholic world, and Re-evaluation Counselling in the psychotherapuetic arena. Liberation theology is a school of Theology within Christianity, particularly in the Roman Catholic Re-evaluation Counseling, or RC is the best-known and largest organization for Co-Counseling.

See also

References

  1. ^ Audre Lorde "There is no hierarchy of oppressions. Wage slavery is a term first coined by the Lowell Mill Girls in 1836 though articulated as a concept at least as early as Cicero and elaborated by subsequent thinkers Oppression is the act of using power to empower and/or privilege a group at the expense of disempowering marginalizing silencing and subordinating another group Intersectionality is a theory which seeks to examine the ways in which various socially and culturally constructed categories interact on multiple levels Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union Political repression is the Persecution of an individual or group for political reasons particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part Police brutality is the world wide use of excessive force usually physical but potentially also in the form verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private VALIS is a 1981 Science fiction novel by Philip K Dick. The title is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, @@@ main@@@ - title Hierarchy@@@ keywords structure; sociology; information@@@ review@@@ - Anti-oppressive practice is a Social work practice theory It seeks to acknowledge Oppression in societies economies cultures & groups and aiming social work to " Homophobia and Education. New York: Council on Interracial Books for Children. 1983
  2. ^ [1] How Does Homophobia Hurt Us All? Warren J. Blumenfeld

External links

Bibliography

Dictionary

oppression

-noun

  1. The act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed.
  2. A feeling of being oppressed.
  3. The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
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