Main Post for 9/21/10

Marilyn Frye’s “Oppression” was a fascinating read for me. In this article she try’s to describe what oppression is. She does this because a lot of people claim to be oppressed however they are nowhere near it. She claims that people use oppression in the wrong context; “It is treated as though it’s a scope includes any and all human experience of limitation or suffering, no matter the cause, degree of consequence (Frye 1).” And she also claims that once oppression is used you can’t take it back or you’re labeled as being “insensitive”. This is a very true statement; people who deny there being oppression are looked as being harsh and sometimes mean. Especially women because being sensitive are one of our only traits. Not all people going through hardships are oppressed. Oppression includes force, “something pressed is something caught between or among forces and barriers…that jointly restrain, restrict or prevent the thing’s motion or mobility (1).” Women have clearly been oppressed, yes it may not be as obvious today, and yes we are not the only ones oppressed, but men have restricted what we can and cannot do. I thought another great point Marilyn Frye makes is how oppressed people have to act happy and cheerful, this creates a bad situation because now they are forced to act a certain way but people are unaware of the treatment because they have a smiling face. But if we don’t oblige then were seen as bitter and angry females. Frye’s commentary about the no win situation when it comes to women’s sex lives is something that I think really sucks for women out there: if you have sex you’re a slut and if you don’t your prude or uptight. It’s no fair that we can’t enjoy a sex life like any male. Marilyn Frye also brings up another key point about spotting oppression and how difficult it is. She compares it to looking at a bird cage if you just look at each wire you won’t understand why the bird doesn’t just fly away, but you if you step and look at the whole cage you understand why it can’t. She says that when a man opens a door for you the bigger picture is that he thinks were incapable. Now while that’s a little over the top, obviously we can open doors by ourselves, I understand what she is getting at. We have to look at the larger picture in order to identify oppression so that we can stop it.

Allan Johnson’s article on Patriarchy starts off with him talking about how men get really defensive when it comes to being criticized for oppressing women. Some of these men do believe in it and don’t want to give up that male privilege that they have been accustomed too, I don’t blame them in their eyes they probably think why give up something that works and that I’m comfortable with. Johnson has a real problem with the system and wants to identify what it is. “The system serves as a vague, unarticulated catch all, a dumping ground for social problems, a scapegoat that can never be held to account ant that, for all the power with think it has, cant talk back or actually do anything (Johnson 28).” He has a point here, people do blame the system but what exactly is the system and how can we change it? His major theme through out this whole article is that instead of looking at the individual we should look at the society that’s making these problems. He claims that society gives a sense of personal identity through socialization and that in addition to socialization we are shaped by the path of least resistence. Pretty self explanatory we do things that generate the least resistence. You see this everywhere, kids not standing up to bullies because they don’t want to start any trouble. People just follow what ever is easiest. Johnson explains thought that when people step off this path is when real change can happen. I believe this to some extent, I think bringing about change is a lot harder than everyone thinks because if it were so easy then the world would be constantly changing, but if more and more people did step up then change would definitely be more possible. Johnson has a whole section devoted to patriarchy and I was eager to read it because to be completely honest I had never even heard the word before. “Patriarchy’s defining elements are its male-dominated, male-identified, male-centered, and control-obsessed character… patriarchy is based in part on a set of symbols and ideas that make up a culture embodied by everything from the content of everyday conversation to literature and film (38).” I got the sense that patriarchy is all about having all the power and dominating life. I also wondered does this really exist today. I mean I know men and women aren’t equal yet but it’s not as bad as the definition says it is. Maybe its because I have never been in the real world but I don’t feel less important as a man and I don’t feel like an object in a man’s world. I go to great school and play basketball just like the boys. Maybe I’ll differently when I try to get a job.