Marginalization definitely still is very present in the United states to me. It is defined as “a treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant. She states that marginalization can be seen very well in the form of racial oppression and that it is the most dangerous form of oppression, which I agree with really when it involves people of color. For example, in the workplace people of color are not always treated at the same standard as their white co-workers. From my own experience in the workplace, I’ve had managers and supervisors that would bluntly ignore me in a group setting, only discuss things with my white coworkers, and not even greet me when coming into a room but would greet my white peers. This is one example of marginalization and how it is a form of oppression because it is overall a form of mistreatment that overall has no meaning behind it. When she discusses powerlessness, I thought it was very important on how she started that discussion by overall stating that a lot of people who have power now are due to what others have done or are doing for them. This is important when discussing oppression because it shows how certain people don’t really ever get the chance to take that power role due to things like generational power which causes the people who are not in power to fall in a powerless position. She describes it as a privilege that is seen daily in the United States and even across the world. For example, in the United States today if someone has an idea or something else they would like to present and or get out in the world, in order for them to do that they would need power or at least know someone with power because them by themselves would lack the amount of power needed to make big decisions in the corporate world which is a form of oppression because it limits what certain people can do. Iris defines cultural imperialism as “something that involves the universalization of the dominant groups’ experience and culture, and its establishment as the norm”. I think this is very important when discussing the different types of oppression because in the United States it is very present in the form of making the dominant group or race feel comfortable even if that causes harm or discomfort to the other races. An example that I see everyday in Chicago is the gentrification that is happening in black communities in Chicago specifically near the lakefront where they are increasing rent to a price that is not reasonable for the people who live there which forces them to have to leave, and then rebuilding homes and apartments to look more modern and more comfortable to the majority race which is white to be able to move in and have the view and live by the lakefront. Violence is also a form of oppression and this can also be seen in Chicago daily. This is because you see more police officers and things for protection in white communities in Chicago and these resources are lacking in communities of people of color. This is a form of oppression because they are being treated as lesser value compared to other communities. These are just a few examples that I have personally experienced and witnessed of some of the forms of oppression and I know there are many more examples that can be seen in America today.
