Many faces of oppression still exist in America today that continuously go unnoticed. The five faces of oppression that we focused on in our readings for this week were exploitation, marginalization, violence, powerlessness, and cultural imperialism. The main ones which I feel have impacted society in America are violence, marginalization, and powerlessness. As I have learned oppression is defined as the exercise of tyranny by a ruling group, but it can create injustice in other circumstances. This could mean treating them in a dehumanizing manner, denying people language, education, and other opportunities that might make them become fully human in both mind and body.
Examples of oppression are always present in our society but go unnoticed every day. An example of violence could be something in relation to the black hate crimes occurring. Over the summer multiple African Americans were killed. Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, to name a few, all experienced violence in the worst way possible. They were all wrongfully killed because of the color of their skin. This can be seen as an attack on a group of people and make them feel devalued. An example of marginalization today could be excluding a minority group from something. On the library database I read earlier this week, African Americans and Latinos were specifically affected by the now enforced dress codes in Georgia. Of course, the other races were able to adjust properly but for others, there were multiple issues that caused them not to be able to adjust. With powerlessness, I think this is more so a feeling. With all the killings and injustices that Americans are currently facing it only feels as though the ruling class or dominant society has power. Our system is completely different from an autocratic government, but it does feel as though the power of us regular citizens is gone. We are continuously fighting every day for the power we deserve but will never be given.
