The oppressive systems are built into our society through the cultural values and habits we support to subjugate some people or a group of people. These systems have many forms, but they all have the same structures. In the focus of California’s history, an oppressive regime formed around race, class, and gender group because of migration. Consequently, the people with high positions in society thought of themselves as superior, and as a result, they propagated oppression to other groups. Eventually, the oppressive system gained mileage.
In the world, we have so many people of different cultures in many different countries, yet they have not adopted ways to live peacefully in their land. In 1492 the Californian indigenous people co-existed peacefully with one another. Later, people from the Western culture started streaming into the land; during this time, the Western culture of materialism and Christian mindset started to be pressed into the Native Americans in California. This, lightly, as a result of the oppressive system, was a disregard for indigenous people’s rights and culture.
Institutionalized oppression often produces inequality in dealing with people of a certain group. This is certainly established by laws and customs, which enhance oppressive practices and eventually empower people with tyrannical intentions to practice oppression freely. Consequently, people of different races and those of the genders that are considered inferior find themselves in trouble because the propagators of oppression strongly backed up by the systems. The oppressor considers it privilege over the oppressed people group.
Firstly, racial oppression is unjust restraints imposed on a specific race because of the color of their skin. Racial oppression takes many forms which are socially supported by those who practice the vice. Just because of the color of your skin they could be exploited or mistreated by the oppressor with no escape to fight for their rights. The very common form of racial oppression is geographical displacement, which greatly affected the Native Americans. These indigenous people were relocated to Indian reservations or even killed during the fight for the land. Others, like Africans, were made to work on the plantation without pay, and they were not allowed to leave the workplace. Discrimination was another form of racial oppression. However, it was not legally backed, and it took place every day in social dealings. One could not be promoted or hired for a job because of their race.
Secondly, classism oppression is prejudice based on ranking in society. Though the class is unspoken ranking on the basis of income, education, power, wealth, or status, it is evident. A class is constructed by many people who share a common economic or social position based on their wealth, power, education, skills, political affiliation, or position status. The oppression of the poor and the working class has led to the deprivation of their basic needs and, as a result, has made these people groups feel inferior to the upper-class people. Although class oppression is common across the world and not only in California, sometimes it seems invisible. However, it is a source of suffering for many people.
Thirdly, men are valued more than women in most cultures. This favoritism has been a source of turmoil for many women in our society. There are too many women who have suffered at the hands of men who have physically harmed them. There are very few places where both women and men have equal rights. Femininity has been looked down upon by some stereotypes that perpetuate this lost ideology because it has caused many women’s societal status and opportunities to be affected greatly.
In conclusion, through all these forms of oppression, people develop resistant behavior to stand for their rights. This is more of a moral obligation to fight for equality – for women and rights. Any society that treats its women like second-class citizens is doomed to fail and lag behind in economic development. The evident struggle for liberation from various forms of oppression is seen. In the late 20th century, many liberation movements were staged to enable mass criticism of institutionalized oppression, which was enforced over time. Although the patterns of oppression still find a way to group, nowadays, many people are sensitive to their rights. Also in many societies, racial oppression has lessened.
Bibliography
Cheney, Carol, LaFrance, Jeannie, Quinteros; Institutionalized Oppression Definitions. 2006.
www.merriam-webster.com.
Archived from the original on 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2017-04-24
http://www.creativeconflictresolution.org/jc/maps-1/systems-of-oppression.html
https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=jpmsp
