Oppression

Oppression signifies an authority over another group, disengaging that particular group from the rest of society. “The term oppression encapsulates the fusion of institutional and systemic discrimination, personal bias, bigotry, and social prejudice in a complex web of relationships and structures that shade most aspects of life in our society” (Bell, 1997). In one way or another every individual experiences some form of oppression, whether it be through race, sex, gender, religion, age, wealth and/or sexual orientation. These cultural minorities experience inequality where a dominant culture casts its authority and power through exercises of unjust and cruel methods; these methods have been experienced through the Women’s Movement, the Civil Rights Movement and now the Gay Liberation Movement. The culture war(s) in American usage is a metaphor used to claim that political conflict is based on sets of conflicting cultural values. The term frequently implies a conflict between those values considered traditional or conservative and those considered progressive or liberal. Conflicting views is what creates this divvied between social groups and thus creating different experiences of oppression. The center of power where oppression generates dictates which social groups obtain more power over the other social groups. It’s this form of power that enables oppression and continues to enable it in the years to come; ones cultural capital determines what is obtained due to the center of power. “Political moments for equality over the past few decades have succeeded in challenging some of the most glaring abuses of power” (Bell, 1997).

Women for decades have been oppressed by male dominance and superiority. Throughout the Women’s Movem...

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