The relationship that exists between the oppressors and the oppressed is one that damages both sides. The powerful, in judging others, allow themselves to be criticized for their behavior which often causes them to be persecuted as well. The piece Black Men in Public Spaces talks about the relationship between black men and the white men oppressing them. This situation hurts whites as well as blacks. White people are often criticized for being racist or intolerant. We may be the ones with power, but we are never the less oppressing ourselves in subtle ways when we attack other groups. Another example of the damaging effects of this relationship for both sides can be seen in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The piece discusses how whites stereotype Native Americans and are generally not accepting of their culture. An example of this is when Alexie's teacher expects him to cut his hair. Because of the damage they do to Native Americans, whites open themselves up to criticism. Native Americans and others can sometimes persecute whites because of the actions of only a portion of us. An example of this relationship between whites and Native Americans can be seen today with the controversy of the Washington Redskins.
South Park pokes fun at this issue:
The whites that want to keep the name, and the Native Americans who advocate for change both feel that the other side is oppressing them.
Allow me to play you out...
(a song about an oppressive relationship, where both sides seem to be hurt)
When
Dimmesdale dies in the conclusion of The Scarlet Letter, he confesses to his
sin publicly. His reasoning is that he can convince others of the flaws in
Puritan thinking by showing that even he is capable of sin. But this is not
what happens, many of the Puritans misinterpret his message and think he is
making a commentary on how everyone is capable of sin. In other words they
don't believe that Dimmesdale actually committed the act he plainly admits to.
As the book concludes, the Puritans have not learned their lesson, and the
morality of Puritan society remains largely unaffected by the events of the
novel. This can be seen as representing a larger theme about society: how
resistant it is to change. After seeing the struggles that Hester encounters
throughout the novel, most readers will be forced to at least consider their
views regarding sin and how punishment for it should be carried out. But as a
whole, society remains unsympathetic to Hester at the end of the book. In order
for a change to be effected in society, many people have to be convinced. There
are many who would never be willing to change their mind no matter how
convincing the evidence may be. As with any issue, society takes a long time to
change their ways regarding sin and punishment. It takes decades for society to
shift it’s morals, but it should give us confidence that these changes do
happen.
During class discussion about Deborah' Tannen's piece, some people, particularly some of the boys, thought that the piece lacked a male perspective. If I remember correctly the thought seemed to be this: though women are always marked (and men are not) from the perspective of other women, this is not true from the perspective of men. I just wanted to contribute that as a boy, I feel that Tannen does accurately portray the way that I mark women and not necessarily men. It seems either I am more backwards and sexist than my male peers, or that I am more able to recognize when I mark women than they are. Putting it bluntly like that makes it seem like I think I am in the right, but I can't say with any confidence that I believe the latter more than the former. Boys have the option to wear unmarked hairstyles, which I never notice. If a girl always wears simple hairstyles however, that says something about her. It's a bit of a contradiction, how am I able to hold men and women to a double standard if I am able to recognize how unfair my actions are? I like to think that I don't judge women for their appearance any more than I would for a man, but I'm sure that's not always true. Regardless on whether they impact my overall opinions of a girl, the distinctions between different styles still exist in my head. In the end, it seems to me that men judge women in the same way that women judge women, which is to say unfairly.
