The isms of oppression
This morning I was listening to my son’s podcast on GiantPanda. This week he is interviewing the novelist Amber Smith whose more recent young adult novel is Something Like Gravity, a story about Chris and Maia. Maia has recently come out as transgender. Ms. Smith is herself is queer. As I listened I, once again, found myself thinking about the fact that although in some parts of the world there is not only tolerance but acceptance of those who have been traditionally thought of as less than or the other, many people remain fearful of those who are unlike them. Whether the difference is race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, nationality, or political beliefs many, if not most of us, continue to show a preference for those who are most like us. Recently research has shown that even when seeking medical care, we are more likely to listen and take the advice of those with whom we most identify. Some would argue that this phenomenon is, in part, related to our historic need to relate to and be concerned about our tribe. That may be true, but I also know that fear of the other continues to be taught to and internalized by many. Sadly, religious leaders are often the most powerful teachers of oppression. Recently I reported the statements of some Southern Baptists theologians who continue to teach that only the male voice is intended to preach “word of God”. Daily I hear direct or indirect expressions of racist, sexist, homophobic or nationalist beliefs. Although my informal and relatively small sample size is very unscientific, as a whole I am more likely to hear such expressions from males. Yet, I know (and love) many females who are equally selective in who they accept as equals.
It is easy for me to dismiss such expressions as ignorant, uneducated, or related to the undeveloped ego. To some extent my assumptions are correct. Study after study reveals that the more comfortable one is with oneself, the more likely one is open to knowing another and discovering that they have more in common than they have differences. Yet, I know very bright, seemingly mentally healthy individuals who continue to find “reasons” to justify oppression based on gender, race, sexual orientation race, and other perceived and experienced differences.
In fact, the United States has a president who continues to talk about women, immigrants, GLBT individuals, and people of various religions as if they are less than. There is justification for some white nationalist males who claim President Trump as one of his own. Yet, he would accurately argue that he has women, people of color and people of various religions working for him in high level positions. One might ask why anyone who appears to more closely resemble or identify with a group or tribe that the President regularly treats as less deserving of respect and basic rights would work for such a person. On the surface it is very confusing. Yet, the answer is very simple. We humans have a long history of creating or positing differences in order to convince ourselves that we are superior. The perceived need to feel superior is, of course, about the need to feel worthwhile; to not feel less then. Thus, we convince ourselves that in order not to feel less then we must be more than. We must have more titles, positions of power, prestige, money or possessions.
Once again, we must face the fact that oppression in any form is about power and power is about the need to prove our worth by being more than or better than. When we truly accept our own humanness, we are more able to relate to the humanness of others and to accept them as equals. If President Trump came to see me for counseling I would want to treat him as the sacred person that he is based solely on the fact that he is essentially no different than I. His worth s based solely on his humanness. It is not about his ability to make a deal, have money, possess political power, the alleged size of his genitals, the physical beauty of his wife, his talents as a bully, his loud tweets or any factors other than his basic humanness.
Until we fully accept that all forms of oppression are about power, we will not be able to design educational programs which will help children and adults be free to be themselves and, thus, negate the perceived need to oppress.
Unless and until our political candidates learn or internalize the truth of the dynamics of oppression they will continue to use their power to prove that they are more than. When candidates refer to the desire to “Make America great again. they are implying that we, as a nation, have to be more than rather than a partner with other nations. Even the use of the term America to refer to the United States is an example of an artificially inflated ego. The United States is one of the Americas not “America”.
Written July 27, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
This morning I was listening to my son’s podcast on GiantPanda. This week he is interviewing the novelist Amber Smith whose more recent young adult novel is Something Like Gravity, a story about Chris and Maia. Maia has recently come out as transgender. Ms. Smith is herself is queer. As I listened I, once again, found myself thinking about the fact that although in some parts of the world there is not only tolerance but acceptance of those who have been traditionally thought of as less than or the other, many people remain fearful of those who are unlike them. Whether the difference is race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, nationality, or political beliefs many, if not most of us, continue to show a preference for those who are most like us. Recently research has shown that even when seeking medical care, we are more likely to listen and take the advice of those with whom we most identify. Some would argue that this phenomenon is, in part, related to our historic need to relate to and be concerned about our tribe. That may be true, but I also know that fear of the other continues to be taught to and internalized by many. Sadly, religious leaders are often the most powerful teachers of oppression. Recently I reported the statements of some Southern Baptists theologians who continue to teach that only the male voice is intended to preach “word of God”. Daily I hear direct or indirect expressions of racist, sexist, homophobic or nationalist beliefs. Although my informal and relatively small sample size is very unscientific, as a whole I am more likely to hear such expressions from males. Yet, I know (and love) many females who are equally selective in who they accept as equals.
It is easy for me to dismiss such expressions as ignorant, uneducated, or related to the undeveloped ego. To some extent my assumptions are correct. Study after study reveals that the more comfortable one is with oneself, the more likely one is open to knowing another and discovering that they have more in common than they have differences. Yet, I know very bright, seemingly mentally healthy individuals who continue to find “reasons” to justify oppression based on gender, race, sexual orientation race, and other perceived and experienced differences.
In fact, the United States has a president who continues to talk about women, immigrants, GLBT individuals, and people of various religions as if they are less than. There is justification for some white nationalist males who claim President Trump as one of his own. Yet, he would accurately argue that he has women, people of color and people of various religions working for him in high level positions. One might ask why anyone who appears to more closely resemble or identify with a group or tribe that the President regularly treats as less deserving of respect and basic rights would work for such a person. On the surface it is very confusing. Yet, the answer is very simple. We humans have a long history of creating or positing differences in order to convince ourselves that we are superior. The perceived need to feel superior is, of course, about the need to feel worthwhile; to not feel less then. Thus, we convince ourselves that in order not to feel less then we must be more than. We must have more titles, positions of power, prestige, money or possessions.
Once again, we must face the fact that oppression in any form is about power and power is about the need to prove our worth by being more than or better than. When we truly accept our own humanness, we are more able to relate to the humanness of others and to accept them as equals. If President Trump came to see me for counseling I would want to treat him as the sacred person that he is based solely on the fact that he is essentially no different than I. His worth s based solely on his humanness. It is not about his ability to make a deal, have money, possess political power, the alleged size of his genitals, the physical beauty of his wife, his talents as a bully, his loud tweets or any factors other than his basic humanness.
Until we fully accept that all forms of oppression are about power, we will not be able to design educational programs which will help children and adults be free to be themselves and, thus, negate the perceived need to oppress.
Unless and until our political candidates learn or internalize the truth of the dynamics of oppression they will continue to use their power to prove that they are more than. When candidates refer to the desire to “Make America great again. they are implying that we, as a nation, have to be more than rather than a partner with other nations. Even the use of the term America to refer to the United States is an example of an artificially inflated ego. The United States is one of the Americas not “America”.
Written July 27, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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