Unpacking the Five Faces of Oppression: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract

Summary of five faces of oppression Iris Marion Young, the author of 'Five Faces of Oppression has clearly stated that five specific factors of oppression tend to affect people in their day-to-day lives. The five faces of oppression discussed herein are exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. Young has in each face and explained why each is a form of oppression and further detailed why each of the faces is oppression. To begin with, the author started with exploitation. She explains that it uses forced labor of a specific group of people to benefit another group. Exploited people in the workplace are usually perceived to be less human. On the other hand, marginalization is the exclusion of people considered to be of a third world. Such may include the elderly, the disabled, and the unemployed or even people from a particular ethnic origin. On the other hand, marginalized people are perceived to lack characteristics that make them less fit for a specific society. The third face that the author has discussed is powerlessness which the author says is based on the concept of how people in power take advantage of those not in control. In other words, those in power tend to benefit from the labors and aspirations of others without feelings of remorse or guilt. The powerless are placed in a situation that they cannot make individual decisions and can only take orders from those in power. The vulnerable are usually subjected to disrespectful treatment because they are taken to be of lower status by those in power. In 'Five Faces of Oppression, cultural imperialism is discussed in the context of where the culture of the ruling class and making it the norm in a particular society. Those in power dictate how their subjects live, communicate and interact. Finally, violence is discussed as the last face as the most visible form of oppression. Violence is usually designed to create fear, humiliate people, damage their properties and their self-esteem, and finally destroy them. Narrative 1: Marginalization As far as the five faces of oppression are concerned, marginalization is the exclusion of a particular class of people by the essence that they lack something that others do not have. The elderly could be viewed as lacking energy and the workforce to do chores; the unemployment could be seen as lacking the capacity to live meaningful lives. Similarly, the disabled as well could be marginalized for apparent reasons. This particular narration will focus on the marginalization of women, emphasizing those in topmost positions in organizations and the government. On the same, marginalization of the people of color since time immemorial will also be looked upon. One may ask a question. Why is it that there has never been a female president in the United States of America? Does it mean that there has never been a suitable female personality in all those years who could rule and govern the United States of America? For a long time, the United States of America has been segregated into different groups, namely the blacks, whites, Latinos, and the Indians. For a long time, the whites were considered the majority, while the other groups were supposed to be the minority groups. Since slavery, the blacks were marginalized and were called the Negros. With changing times, the term negro was dropped, and the black people living in the united states were referred to as African Americans. The blacks were denied fundamental rights in earlier governments like voting, owning property, and even mingling and relating with whites. In some instances, there has been uproar on the issue of African Americans being mistreated and mishandled in recent times. Such marginalization that the blacks could not dine, worship, and even school with the whites. Unfortunately, regardless of the blacks being marginalized in the United States, women have also been on the receiving end. When Hillary Clinton declared interest in vying for the topmost position in America, it brought a heated debate whereby many were unsure of the next move. In the majority of the United States, she could not get many into the conviction that a female president could lead the superpower. America has forever been ruled by men meaning that masculinity has been in power ever since. On the contrary, American citizens decided to try and vote for Madam Hillary Clinton, but everybody knows what happened in the long run. The Electoral College voted against her favor. Such is the marginalization that has been there not only in government institutions but also in the private sector. Women are seen as being lesser than men as far as governance is concerned. Women have been confined in the kitchen and household chores for a long time, while men have been deemed, breadwinners. Society would rather have a male chief officer for such reasons, considering that men are believed to be the chosen leaders starting from the homes and families. But this is not necessarily true in that there have been women who have stood out from the crowd and prove that women are equal to men, but not their inferiors. In conclusion, the marginalization addressed in the five faces of oppression clearly defines that people of color and gender inequalities in the world are a form of oppression that tends to demean the people it is addressed to. Such would be eliminated if, for instance, America's constitution were to follow the latter in the essence that all people are created equal. But as long as masculinity and race govern the people, it would take long to realize equality in all aspects. Narration 2: Cultural Imperialism Cultural imperialism comes about when the culture of those in power is imposed on its subjects. Upon imposition, the culture becomes the way of life. When this happens, the ruling class experiences superiority since their culture supersedes those of their subjects. The narration on cultural imperialism aims to give an example of how it is a form of oppression. In many instances,...