Understanding Oppression & Social Equality Flashcards
To learn key/relevant perspectives, theories and definitions that relate to the course.
Social Construction of Reality
Belief - The way we present ourselves is shaped by the interactions of past relations and social interactions with others
Stereotypes
May have some basis in fact but has been grossly overgeneralized and applied to a segment of the population or situation
Stereotypes are used to ….
- Describe people or groups
- Assign a limited number of characteristics
- Ignore individual characteristics
Stereotypes seem…
- Harmless
- Relate images to our own beliefs and values
Power
- The ability to get your own way – even with adversity
Power and Stereotypes
- People who hold power are able to label, stereotype and discriminate against weaker individuals or groups
- It doesn’t matter if the weakness is real
5 Levels of Leadership
- Respect
- Reproduce
- Results
- Relationships
- Rights
5 levels of Leadership – Respect
People follow because of who you are
5 levels of Leadership – Reproduce
People follow because of what you have
5 levels of Leadership – Results
People follow because of what you have done for the organization
5 levels of Leadership – Relationships
People follow because they want to
5 levels of Leadership – Rights
People follow because the have to
Prejudice
- Happens before discriminatory behaviour
- A negative feeling based on faulty and inflexible generalization
- May be felt or expressed
- Directed toward a group or individual based on physical, cultural or social characteristics
In groups
- Things that are like us
Out groups
- Things that are not like us
Eyssel and Kuchenbrandt 2012
- Research study of 78 German students – showed students had a preference for German Made robot rather than Turkish made robot.
Ethnocentrism
- The tendency to regard one’s own culture/group as the standard or superior to all other groups
- Ex. Dr. Seuss’s story of the Sneetches
How to reduce Ethnocentrism
- Increasing the contact between in-group & out-group members can reduce prejudices of all types (sexual orientation, race, age, etc).
Discrimination
- Unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on their characteristics or behaviours
- Involves actions or practices of dominant group members that have harmful impact on members of a subordinate group
Oppression
- Describes policies, practices, norms and traditions that systemically exploit one group at the expense of another
- Ex. Women suffrage movement – right to vote “Famous Five”
Five Faces of Oppression
- Exploitation
- Marginalization
- Powerlessness
- Cultural Imperialism
- Violence
Five Faces of Oppression – Exploitation
- Unfair use of peoples time or labour without fair compensation
Five Faces of Oppression – Marginalization
- Act of exclusion that forces minority groups to the fringes of society, most commonly based on race
Five Faces of Oppression – Powerlessness
- Occurs when dominant groups leave the subordinate groups with no access to the rights and privileges enjoyed by the powerful
Five Faces of Oppression – Cultural Imperialism
- When the dominant group has made its beliefs and values the norms of society
Five Faces of Oppression – Violence
- Most insidious form of oppression, instilling fear in some groups
Internalized Oppression
- Occurs when targeted people or groups begin to believe the negative stereotypes and misinformation the larger society communicate
“Ism” Prism
- When you shine light through a prism, it retracts and comes out in different forms (think rainbow colours).
- Injustices can be seen as rays of light through the lens of a prism, we see them retract into a set of “isms” that are comparable with discrimination
Ableism
- A set of attitudes and behaviours that allocate Inferior status and value to individuals who have developmental, emotional, physical or psychiatric disabilities
Ageism
- Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age
Classism
Systematic oppression of dominant class groups on subordinate classes in order to gain advantage and strengthen their own position
Heterosexism
Belief in the natural superiority of heterosexuality as a way of life and therefore its logical right to dominance