Assignment 3

Estifanos Berhe
4/22/08
WMST250

WMST 250 – Assignment 3: The Analysis of Everyday Life

The characteristics in humans that signify power have fluctuated throughout history and time itself. It is also evident that it will continue to change and there are several factors that influence this change. These factors have been looked upon and tested countless times. Because of the numerous cases of oppression in history, it has forced society today to view its citizens in marked and unmarked categories; these areas are the root of where power is currently located. The marked category can be characterized as the category that is, as one can say “noticeable”. It is the category that is generally the subordinate to the specifics that make up the unmarked category. The unmarked category is seen as the one to be dominant and power, the one that is considered the “norm” in our society. Most people do not have the choice of being a part of an unmarked category and are usually forced into it. These categories include gender, race, religion, sexuality, class, ability, age, nationality and language. These are the barriers that have come into fruition throughout the course of time and are also the thorn in the side of equality. It has become clear that if one was to belong to the “unmarked” category, the dominant category, they are the ones that hold power in there lives. This has been shown throughout every institution that has been in place for decades. These categories have been created for us through a course of events in our history. In my life, I have come to learn that I fit under both marked and unmarked categories and this has greatly affected my life. Who I am as a person has been influenced by the institutions of power that have been put in place.

The first of the category that tends to signify power is gender. Gender has always influenced where power lies. It has only been a few decades since women have begun to truly be seen as equals. History has taught society that, for the most part, men are superior to women. There are some categories that allow you to choose which side you prefer to relate to (marked and unmarked). Although, gender is not one of those privileges; one cannot select their own sex prior to being born into this world. Therefore, I am technically forced to be in this category, the unmarked category, but would be a part of the male gender if I did have the privilege of choosing. If one was granted the choice of their gender, I am sure most people would decide to be a man, rather than a women since men have been portrayed to be the dominant figures. History has shown several that it is much easier to attain power and prosperity, if one was a man. Even though it is not fair, I am sure it has been easier for several men to succeed due to the fact that they were men in addition to their natural intellect. There have been several examples in life that have shown this. There is the standard example of two candidates, a woman and a man, applying for the same job, and are equally qualified but the man would most likely get hired. This is because some people see women to be a liability. Some people believe that women are naturally weaker than men; therefore it would be smarter to hire a man versus a woman. Several people want to someday get married and start a family. This is another case why women are discriminated against. If they do start a family, it would be the woman that has to carry the child, which would require her to miss work, possibly even quit her job. This is another example of why women are considered to be in the marked category and men are in the unmarked category. There could have been several cases in my life where being a male has helped me to reach my goals and I could have been completely and utterly oblivious to it. The only true way to understand the ramifications of gender inequality is to experience it first hand and that can only be accomplished through a woman’s perspective. In our government, the top positions are held by men, and it has been this way since this country was created. It is the same with our media; more men gain representation and fame over women. It has been shown throughout out several aspects of our society that women are oppressed by men in more areas than one.

The next category that affects where power lies is that of race and ethnicity. Oppression through race has been an everlasting issue not only in this country but in countries across the globe and this oppression has been dictated over and over through several past centuries. I am an African-American and am therefore considered to be in the marked category. For a very long time, this characteristic will continue to define who I am in the eyes of the people who belong to the unmarked racial category; white/Caucasian. Breaking away from idea is very difficult but is more possible now than any time before. It has been difficult being labeled into this marked category. This label was forced on my by the people who belong to the norm of this society; whites. There have been several instances where my race has affected areas of my everyday life. One can never really know if they had been a part of a racial injustice, they can only have their suspicions. This country was founded by what is called the unmarked category. It was founded by white males and there are several people who want to keep it that way. Again, in our government, the top positions are held by males who are white. In my everyday life, I know I will be judged against by one person or another because of my race, which is what always reminds me to prove myself in any situation. This has affected my life in that race is still an issue today even through racial discrimination legally does not exist. It does not surprise me that this is the case; we are only one generation removed to the civil rights movement and the famous supreme court case Brown v. Board of Education which overturned the case Plessey v. Ferguson of 1896 which yielded the phrase “separate but equal.” Change generally takes time to get use to and this is definitely one of those cases. It will take some time for racial discrimination to disappear. Some could argue that it will never disappear and eventually history will just repeat itself. Great change has taken place in the past decades, change that has benefited my life for the better but has shown that there are still quite a number of hurdles to jump. But we have already begun to see a glimmer of change. We presently have an African-American candidate running to become the future President of the United States; Senator Barack Obama. Currently, the senator is running against Senator Hillary Clinton, a white, female senator of New York, for the democratic presidential candidate seat. Both belong to marked and unmarked categories and their privileges in those categories oppress each other and also liberate and oppress myself. Senator Barack Obama is an African-American (marked) male (unmarked) whereas Senator Hillary Clinton is a white/Caucasian (unmarked) female (marked). These characteristics most certainly affect the voters they attract and their ability to win this race. Either way, we will find out which marked category is considered to be more oppressed. This greatly affects my life because if Senator Barack Obama is elected the democratic seat and is eventually elected President, it will be considered the greatest breakthrough against the racial barrier this country has ever seen.

Power and oppression are also stipulated by different religious views and orientations. Christians/Protestants are ones in this society that are considered the privileged and dominant religion. Others religious beliefs are considered to be beneath that of Christianity. I belong to the marked category since my family and I follow Catholicism. But I have never truly felt oppressed because of my religion. I have never considered myself to be extremely religious, and though my religion influences my decisions to some extent, I feel others of different religious orientation are more oppressed than I am. Religion is most likely the oldest category of oppression in history. There have been several cases of discrimination and oppression regarding religion as the basis. Again, there are other religions that would be more affected by they “unmarked’ religion of Christianity; ones like Judaism and Buddhism for instance. Catholicism is a branch off of Christianity; therefore it is closer to it than any other religion. This would be difficult for others since religion is a very sensitive issue amongst people. But personally, I am Catholic because my parents raised me that way and I believe in it, but not necessary all of it. Throughout my life, I have had different thoughts and ideologies enter my mind that has questioned my religious beliefs. These thoughts were brought on through the education program instituted by this nation, through peers with different religious backgrounds, through the manner in which the government is run (separate church and state), and several other factors. I am considered part of the marked category of religion because I generally identify with Catholicism.

Following this would be sexuality; the sexual orientation of a person greatly influences their privileges and oppressions. Many feel that there are only two sexual orientations; heterosexuality and homosexuality. But there are other areas of gray that are important to consider as well. There is homosexuality which branches to gays (men) and lesbians (women). Society also needs to consider bisexuality as well as the trans-gendered. All of these sub-categories fall under the marked category. My sexual orientation is heterosexuality which is the unmarked category; this is the category which is considered the normal and which most people should be able to associate with. I know full and well that my sexuality has enabled me to gain power in my life. It has enabled me to create friends, and bonds with several people and I consider this to be a form of power. I feel that people who are homosexual or bisexual may have more of a difficult time achieving these same things I have been able to achieve since their sexuality is not accepted by everyone. This will create a problem until it is widely accepted, but I feel that this will be somewhat complicated since it conflicts with different religious views. This issue of sexuality only became prevalent in the past few decades. By being labeled as the dominant sexuality, it is in a way hurting and oppressing the marked categories. This exists even if it is not intentional; I have nothing against a person’s sexual orientation and I feel that it is their decision to make. Logically, since I feel this way, I am not oppressing others of different sexual orientations since I side with them in their decision to do so. Unfortunately, it has become clear that the system does not work this way. There are structures that have been put in place, structures that label citizens of society into categories (for example, marked/unmarked categories). Therefore, my sexuality will continue to subjugate those who are not heterosexual simply because of the existence of the group I identify with.

Another aspect of life which determines power or oppression is that of class status. In our society, today I feel that wealth and power go hand in hand; if one is attained the other will soon follow. The dominant group is considered to be the middle to upper class and the subordinate group is considered to be the poor/working class. I identify with the later, the marked group of the working class. My parents are immigrants from another country. They knew little English prior to moving to the U.S. and have learned as they have lived here. They have had low paying jobs to provide for us and give us an opportunity to live a more prosperous life. The majority of the people in the country would most likely relate to working class rather than the middle class. Although, it is clear that the power is held in the palm of the middle class. With this clear distinction, the people who identify themselves with the unmarked group have their privileges due to the fact that the working class is being oppressed. It has been established that these labels are what fuel this type of thought; the thought that one needs to strive to become part of the “norms” of this country in order to attain power and become truly prosperous and successful.

Many must also consider able-bodiedness as a form of power or oppression. The standard and norm of society is to be physically able and the subordinate group tends to gather the disabled and/or the physically challenged. I fall into the category of the unmarked group; the physically able. This part would definitely affect one’s everyday life. If one is to attain power, one crucial step is that they must appear physically powerful, or at least physically able. I feel that with all the emphasis on strength and vigor that is emphasized in our society, through education and the media, it would be very difficult to be beneath a person who is not physically able. And again, with this fact, it makes it very difficult for those who are disabled or physically challenged to rise up and gain power. I feel that being physically able has helped me and will continue to help me in my everyday life. It is very important to understand that this factor has a crucial affect in how one lives their life; like gender and race, one cannot select their able-bodiedness. I know that my life would be a completely different experience if I had been physically-challenged; I am sure that most people would agree with this fact. In this society, if you are disabled, that is a sign of weakness, far from power. And this is again, due to the systematic structure that has grown in our society. Another dimension of difference that greatly affects the ability to gain power is age. I feel that able-bodiedness and age can be applied to one another. The group that is seen as the dominant and privileged are those that are considered young adults, whereas children and the elderly are seen to be subordinate to them. Generally, young adults are considered able and the elderly are considered to be not as able-bodied. In this category, I fall into the dominant group. The elderly are seen as wise, but unfortunately weak. I feel as though, I have just entered the realm of young adulthood but it has provided a sense of empowerment; unlike children and the elderly, as an adult one is providing for themselves which shows strength.

Another aspect in the matrix of domination that divides people is nationality and language. This is a very big issue especially with the past current events. I am not a citizen of the United States and am in fact a permanent resident here. I was born in the country Eritrea, located in east portion of Africa. I came to this country with my family when I was five years old. Therefore, I do not fit the structured mold of the people who are considered privileged; people who are U.S. citizens. This greatly impacts my everyday life because there are some aspects that are completely unavoidable. I am currently an engineering student at this University, but since I am not a citizen, there are a lot of companies that would not hire me, even though I have the credentials. This has happened on a couple of different occasions and will most likely continue to happen in the future. One opportunity that is not available to me is that if I wanted to, I would never be able to run for the President of the United States. In order to be eligible to run for President, a candidate must be born in this nation. Unfortunately, this clause eliminates me from consideration. This is a key example how people in society will strive to become what is accepted and what is considered normal. Since I experienced these setbacks, it has allowed me to consider applying for my citizenship on the simple fact that it would offer more opportunities, which I recognize to be a form of power. Again, the dominant group retains their privileges because there are those who are considered below them that are being oppressed. In addition to this, another aspect that correlates to nationality is language. My first language is not English, it is the language spoken in my country; Tigrinya. Although, since I came to the U.S. at such a young age, I was able to become fluent in English within two years of my education. This is one area of my life which I am unsure how to label myself (marked/unmarked). The dominant group is categorized as those who speak Standard English and the subordinate group are those who speak other languages. Since I do not have an accent when I speak, many people would not know that I can speak another language. Therefore, to some extent I feel I have the choice to associate with either group. Personally, I would choose to relate to the unmarked group, those that speak Standard English, simply because that is the group that is privileged and associated with power. I would not want another aspect of my character to be oppressed, and thus, my instincts would tell me to join a group that is accepted rather than not accepted.

In conclusion, it is important to understand that these methodical structures of power affect everyone in different ways. Analyzing my life with respect to the matrix of domination has broadened my perspective on how great of an affect they have on me. It is amazing how many things people take for granted in their lives. I relate to both the marked and unmarked categories in relation to the different socio-economic factors. When I step back and look at the different categories, it is pretty much divided relatively evenly. We need to strive to ignore these factors and judge a person based on their character and intelligence. The one key fact about the matrix of domination is that the dominant group only prospers because the subordinate group exists; if it did not, there would be no distinction between the powerful and the oppressed. Thus, the establishment of these structures and the continued enlightenment of their existence is what is perpetuating the line between the men and women, the white and black, the rich and poor and the dominant and subordinate. These systematic constructs are ever-changing and the true question is whether or not we, as a society, will continue to put them in place.