In class on Wednesday, We got into a pretty big discussion over this topic. In oder to be oppressed you have to be a member of a minority group.
But, you can also be a member of a dominant group, too.
Like me for example- A white (dominant) female (subordinate).
So can a white man be oppressed?
This sparked some good conversation amongst the entire class. We decided yes. Why? Because a white man may also be homosexual, or might have a disability. And even if neither of these are true- with age, all of us will be oppressed thru either disability or just agism or whatever.
But what about ugliness as oppression?
Economics professor Dan Hamermesh researches the "ugly bias."
So what do you think? Should we also protect the ugly? are ugly people oppressed?
I thought that the conversation this Wednesday was pretty interesting too. I too believe a person in a dominant group can also be oppressed because some people might hold characteristics of their life that holds them to be part of a subordinate group. The oppression of the "ugly", (and I say that in quotation because personally I don't think anyone is ugly that word just really bothers me)is that I have seen it happen. In my spychology class I think we discussed a part where even babies prefer "attractive" faces rather than ugly faces, and I'm just like really!? Another example, I work as a hairstylist and one night I was working with one of my co-workers and he is a guy, well it was his turn to do a haircut but the man who signed up on the list said " I would like her to cut my hair she is prettier than you..." that in all made me feel very bad! I mean really?! I do see how society has separated this group of people to set them in another of the oppressed groups.
ReplyDeleteI do think ugliness can be an oppression.How pretty someone is or not determines a lot of things. Like Veronica mentioned studies show babies even preferring pretty faces..how do they know? Children/babies know no difference they are so pure at heart and are only taught by society of what it means to be pretty of ugly. How one should look is displayed everywhere! How skinny and what pretty look like is shown on tv,and marketing. Its sad that because of this that so many children are bullied because of this. My daughter is always talking about how some girls talk about other girls just because a little girl does not fit their idea of what pretty is or how slim someone should be. What we teach our next generations is vital, and as for me, I always teach my daughter that it is not what someone looks like but yet the condition of their heart what counts.
ReplyDeleteI would agree and say that people who are ugly (although I hate to use that word) are, or can be oppressed. However, the definition of 'ugly' changes from person to person, so it seems like it would be a very difficult thing to measure.
ReplyDeleteThis also reminds me of prejudice against people who are overweight. I remember watching a documentary in a sociology class several semesters ago about this. It was intersting to watch because one story in particular was on a man who went in for a job interview, but was turned down because another man was considered 'more physically able.' Even though this man had more experience, I guess the employer found their difference in size to be more important.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/11/28/should-legislation-protect-obese-people