The Four "I" of Oppression

 The Four "I" of Oppression 

Definitions: 

Oppression - the systematic subjugation of a social group by another social group with access to institutional or systemic power. Individuals belonging to the dominant group have access to privilege and benefit at the expense of individuals in the subordinate group. It can manifest itself in four overlapping and interdependent ways: Ideoligical, Interpersonal, Institutional, Internalized (TREC). 

mi·cro·ag·gres·sion

noun

1. a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentionaldiscrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

   "students posed with dry-erase boards documenting their experiences with microaggressions on campus"

   • indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.

     "they are not subject to daily acts of microaggression"

According to Malbroux, two primary modes of socialization are gender and race, both of these shape who we are before we are even born. A great example she gives is how we plan the color of a baby's nursery before birth, if the baby is a girl, well then the room must be pink or if we have a boy well then of course we will paint it  blue with trucks. Ideolgy is our inner thoughts on how we perceive someone based on what we have been told. One who steps out of these standard behaviors is something other than "normal". Because society truly believes that a girl should be pretty and wear pink, whereas boys should be manly and not cry. It has been instilled in us that men are stronger, braver, better at math science and technology and that these professions should be held by men. If we think of something, anything, a football professional, CEO, teacher, nurse, in our heads we form a picture of what that person looks like, and to me that is what ideological racism is. 

Institutional oppression is how institutions reinforce and manifest ideological racism, this can be seen in education, housing, healthcare, state funding, and laws to name a few, but really it is in all aspects of our lives. An example Malbroux gives is how neighborhoods are comprised and designed, which can be a form of segregation excluding people of color. Another example describes how state funding, when based on property values and taxes, is unequal and a lot less funding goes to those schools who are predominately black or hispanic. In another article in Health magazine, they wrote that black women are four times more likely than white women to experience a pregnancy related death. Research found that inadequate access to prenatal health care contributed to rise in maternal mortality.  

Interpersonal oppression is one that we may all have felt before. If you have ever felt like you were being treated differently because of an aspect of who you are then you have experienced this form of oppression. In Johnson's writing, he mentioned how a teacher may call on a boy student over a girl because we live in a society that privileges maleness. Now I have never noticed this myself but I am interested to see if it's true. Malbroux gives an example that I am sure many can relate to, it is feeling excluded at a lunch table. Now I have witnessed a few times at the school I work at, a student will comes to the nurse's office and ask to eat lunch with me because they don't have someone to sit with. School can be a difficult place for kids and this form of oppression can be seen everyday in this environment and it is certainly sad to watch. For me, I hope that as the school nurse, I can be that safe place for student who feel that internalized oppression of being "less than" the others.  

This author Luna Malbroux argues that just because you treat everyone equal doesn't mean that racism doesn't exist. Racism is found in almost every aspect of todays world and it impacts everyone in it. We should all be more cognizant of the systems of racism like agism, ablism, sexism and how they impact people all around us. 

In the news today
An interview with Brittany Watts, an Ohio women finally acquitted of felony charge after a miscarriage at home. What I would like you to pay attention to is the fact that this women went to the hospital 2 times in the previous days leading up to the miscarriage after being told from her OBGYN that her pregnancy was non-viable, she sat each time for 8-11 hours without being seen or explained to. Honestly, you can't help but ask yourself, is this because of the color of her skin? I can't imagine myself walking into Women & Infants, being told the baby has a faint heart beat, but won't make it, but please just sit in the waiting room for 10 hours until the doctor can see you.