Both articles read for today, “Patriarchy, the System” by Allan Johnson, and “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye, express both the causes of and the issues with oppression of women in today’s society. The first article, by Marilyn Frye, uses a great example of the bird cage to represent how people view oppression. She says that when observing a bird cage microscopically you see only one bar and assume that the bird can fly around it when necessary. However, when you take a step back, and observe the scene macroscopically, you can see the entire cage and you realize that the bird really is trapped. I agree with her perceptions of oppressions, in that people question the wrong causes and symptoms of oppression, but no one ever takes the time to observe the scene macroscopically and try to change the bigger picture.
This article is definitely linked to Allan Johnson’s article when talking about the macroscopic issues in today’s society. People blame other people for bad behavior, but they never think to question the society that raised and educated those people. Speaking specifically on patriarchy, people automatically assume men oppressing women, and decide to take the “path of least resistance in life”. I agree with an observation that Johnson made, “When a man hears other men tell sexist jokes for example, there are many things he could do, but they vary in how much social resistance they’re likely to provoke. . … The path of least resistance is to go alone, and unless he’s willing to deal with greater resistance, that’s the choice he’s most likely to make.” This transitions very well into real life, where many men simply go along with the crowd when judging other women or telling jokes, when many of them don’t even agree with what is being said. I think that that is one of the many things that our society will have to overcome if we want to overcome patriarchy and live in an equal world. People need to be able to stand up for themselves and say what they believe without the fear of social resistance.
Going back to Frye’s article, I also see the catch-22 issue that she describes. She says that women have two basic options: they can either be sexually active and be viewed as a slut or a whore, or they can be sexually abstinence and be viewed as being prude or a lesbian. This catch-22 is very realistic and represents oppression of women every day. Going back to the birdcage example, women are very much similar to the bird. Through many actions and beliefs in society, we are literally caged in from all sides, and are restricted in everything we do.
These thoughts relate back to Neuborne’s article on programming. Somehow in our society is has been programmed into men’s minds that they need to have control over everything. Just the same, women’s minds have been programmed to say that women need help from men, that we are defenseless and need to be protected. Related to Johnson’s article, we need to question the deeper meanings in society, and change the way that our social system works in order to achieve equality. A complete overhaul of our system needs to take place, or else nothing will be accomplished.
1 comment:
Samantha,
You’ve hit on one of the major concerns of many contemporary feminists: we tend to look at specific instances in which women are disadvantaged, and try to change those without necessarily taking the time to understand the extent to which a whole variety of issues are inherently connected. You’re right: both Frye and Johnson are talking about moving from a micro- view to a macroscopic view. Nice connection between these readings and the Neuborne, too!
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