Recognizing Oppression

In class, we discussed what Freire meant in the first chapter of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed."  One aspect of the reading that was discussed was the lack of solidarity among those who are oppressed. Freire wrote, "...the oppressed are reluctant to resist, and totally lack confidence in themselves"(64.).

Asia stated that she was being harassed by a supervisor, yet no co-workers would come to her aid. She felt alone in a circumstance that she is not in control of and only hopes that the union rep can help. Thankfully the site is union because she cannot be fired for any petty reason. However, management's intent of making her quit or go on family leave early because she is pregnant is appalling.

I certainly have had a similar experience. I worked at Mystic Lake Casino for 7 years and was fired for being a political blogger. Of course, I was never told that this was explicitly why, nor ever in writing. At the time, without naming my employer, I had described in a blog a current "no talking" policy whereby employees could not speak to each other while at work. The draconian rule created the most hostile work environment I have ever endured, because it applied only in circumstances where supervisors chose to enforce it.

When I was fired, I received no assistance from co-workers when I sought to appeal it. However, this was in the first few months of what would be the recession in 2008. Therefore, only co-workers who were also fired within the first week offered to assist me, of which there were several.

What is ironic about this situation is that my employer was the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux  Community, a Native tribe living in dire poverty only a few decades ago. Yet, Freire also mentions the possibility of this circumstance when stating, "...the oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend to become oppressors, or 'sub-oppressors'"(45.). Essentially, our society has systemic issues that cannot be resolved simply by alternating the chairs of power. Instead of remaining disempowered by oppressors, Freire recommends that the oppressed use praxis to attain liberation, which is defined as,  "...reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it."(51.). 

After our discussion, we made human statues to represent something we took from the reading. The photo above is our group, where we decided to show horizontal violence or the oppressed vs. the oppressed. Above us were the oppressors who were using us like puppets, because it is in their interest that we use our anger, disillusionment, and frustration on each other rather than turn it on our oppressors. Freire had a great deal more to say about this situation, so I won't dwell on this topic.  However, I agree with him that we should find ways to redirect our actions against our oppressors at their points of greatest vulnerability.

In the feminist work group, we discussed what our project could be. What gained the most support was starting an after school program that could empower girls. We have not discussed in great detail what the curriculum will be. However, we feel there are enough members to be able to sustain the project a few times a week after school. This will likely evolve as we have more discussions in and outside of class. In the mean time, I ponder the many issues that women face in our society.

This last summer I found it ironic that Megyn Kelly of Fox News defended the Family Medical Leave Act. She even states that it is weak in that most of its benefits are unpaid. So, Asia has to endure not only a harsh work environment during her pregnancy but little or no income after. This is an injustice to families that need not be, yet it persists. I believe this is because our politicians have sold out to the oppressors. As a society, we really do have a lot more to work on.