What social institutions oppress or limit oppression, and how are
they perpetuated?
Over the year we have talked about news stories from all over the world. A lot of what we have seen has given us a new perspective on how people in other places live, and what their lives are like. There are forms of oppression in every person's life, I think. The degree of oppression, and the presence of institutions that limit oppression, depend on where this person lives. In this class we have seen many different types of oppression: familial, cultural, social, and governmental. There are also institutions the try to limit oppression. They are all perpetuated in different ways, some by an outside group or force, and some by the people themselves.
Familial oppression is directed mostly at women, in my opinion. Women in many cultures are completely subject to the man's will. They are not allowed to make their own choices, or live their lives how they would like. This sort of oppression has been around for a while, as I saw in the book The Red Tent. The Red Tent was set in biblical times, and in the story, the women were married off to men not of their choosing, not allowed in men's conversations, and basically forced to obey their man's every whim. This sort of oppression was also seen in the movie Water. The little girl was forced into a sort of nunnery when her husband died; virtually eliminating any choice she had in the direction of her life. She had no choice in the matter; her father's (the male's) word was final. This could also be seen as an instance of cultural oppression, as it was part of the culture to lock away widows.
Cultural oppression is closely related to familial oppression, but it is also a category all its own. There are many instances of cultural oppression that we've seen this year, but a few that stand out in my mind are related to Rwanda and Wide as the Waters. The genocide of Rwanda was fueled by hatred between two tribes: the Hutus and the Tutsis. The culture during this time was oppressive to the Tutsis. It was in the Hutu culture to hate the Tutsis, and to oppress them in any way they can. This eventually escalated to the mass killing we saw in the documentary. In Wide as the Waters, people are oppressed by the church culture of the times. The culture of the time was inescapably linked to the Church's teachings, which severely limited the freedoms of speech and religion. People were not allowed to voice ideas and opinion of their own that differed from the Church's.
While the Church oppressed the people during this time, it also embodied the religion that led to the reformation and beginnings of the democratic spirit. With the advent of the English Bible, people were more able to decide for themselves about the Church doctrine, and were freer to change their views. Obviously this dissent was not welcomed by the Catholic Church, but it prospered even under their oppression. This social institution of religion and the freedom to choose it limited the oppression of the time, and lessened the Church's power.
Education is something that can both limit oppression, and oppress, in my opinion. For the most part, being educated is something that limits your oppression, and gives you the freedom of having the knowledge to make your own decisions. I think it's one of the greatest things to limit oppression. However I also think that the institution of schooling, when used wrong, can oppress. The TED talk by Dan Dennett discussed teaching religions in school. Should they be taught? And if they are taught, how extensively should each religion be covered? I thought that he made an interesting point, in that we are not necessarily allowed to learn whatever we want in school. I think that an argument could be made that the school oppresses the students by telling them exactly what they are to learn. I think that this would be more prevalent in schools not in the United States. If you looked at Libya, for example, under Gaddafi people were not allowed to teach or learn how to speak any Latin-based languages. The schools there were much more oppressive then the schools we have here. Over all, having the education we have here is something that liberates us, instead of confines us.
The last form of oppression I wanted to talk about was oppression by the Government, and how the Government can also limit oppression. Government is necessary, I believe, to have an ordered society. It is needed to make sure progress can happen. When the government goes too far, and starts to harm it's people, that is when it becomes oppressive. We saw oppressive governments all over the world this year, but the concentration was on the Arab Spring. The governments of these countries were oppressive, and we saw the revolutions against them. Gaddafi in Libya, was an oppressive man, who outlawed silly things like bicycling, but also more serious infringements, like what people could write or say, and what they could learn. In Syria, another oppressive government, you see much of the same. The people are calling for democracy, but they are ignored by a corrupt government. Their discontent with the oppression has exploded into fighting in the area. However oppressive these governments seem, government can also limit the oppression of its people. Maybe I'm biased, but I think that our country is the best example of this. We are allowed to speak and act freely, as long as we are not seriously harming another.
The institutions that oppress or limit oppression are varied, and how they are perpetuated differs. The different facets of oppression include cultural, familial, governmental, educational, and religious categories. They are seen all over the world, and affect each part to a different degree. They are both perpetuated by the person and the group. Cultural oppression is more perpetuated by the group as a whole, while familial or perhaps educational are perpetuated more like a small group, or by an individual. Over the course of this year we saw all the types of oppression, and used them to gain a different perspective on how other places in the world work.