Race, Class, Gender, and Oppression

1. U.S. History Race, Class, Gender, and Oppression

2. Food for Thought • “Oppression can only survive through silence.” • “He who allows oppression shares the crime.”

3. What is oppression? • Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. • Oppression may be extreme and violent or… • Genocide (Holocaust, Rwanda, etc.) • It may be “civilized” or “structural”… oppression is a part of everyday life and built into the laws of a society. • Jim Crow, Apartheid in South Africa • A group that shares similar characteristics may be oppressed by a more powerful group that does not share those characteristics. • Race, class, gender, sexual orientation

4. How does it relate to U.S. History? • Throughout the history of the United States, people have been oppressed for a variety of reasons. • We will focus primarily on race, class, and gender, specifically the struggle of African Americans, the working class, and women. • We will focus on the reaction of the oppressed to oppression.

5. How/ why does oppression happen? • Oppression occurs when one group feels superior to another group of people. • Feelings of superiority are not scientific; instead based on fear of the other. • Ethnocentrism (my culture is better than yours) • Classism (rich are better than poor) • Racism (white is better than black/ brown) • Sexism (male is better than female/ straight is better than homosexual) • The goal is to keep the oppressed group down and to prevent equality.

6. Race • The categorization of people into groups based on inheritable characteristics (skin color, cranial structure, facial features, or hair texture) • According to most scientists, the popular idea of "race" is a social construct without base in scientific fact • Humans are 99.5% genetically similar, regardless of race. • The classification of people by race can lead to feelings of superiority (racism) and can lead to oppression. • We just finished discussing the oppression of African Americans based on race.

7. Social Class • Class refers to the different levels of in a society. • Class is primarily based on wealth. • Education, career, social status also. • In general, more wealth = more power • There are many different class models, but most generally follow an upper, middle, lower class format. • The more powerful class, or ruling class, can use oppression to maintain its superior status in society. • Rich vs. Poor • Management vs. Workers

8. Example of American Class System • Upper-upper class. "Old money." People who have been born into and raised with wealth; mostly consists of old "noble" or prestigious families (The Bush Family…millions/ billions) • Lower-upper class. "New money." Individuals who have become rich within their own lifetimes (e.g., entrepreneurs, movie stars, top athletes, as well as some prominent professionals). (Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, celebs….millions/ billions) • Upper-middle class. Professionals with a college education, and more often with postgraduate degrees like MBAs, Ph.D.s, MDs, JDs, MSs, etc. (e.g., doctors, dentists, lawyers, bankers, corporate executives, head teachers, university professors, scientists, pharmacists, airline pilots, ship captains, actuaries, high level civil servants, politicians, and military officers, architects, artists, writers, poets, and musicians….up to $250,000) • Lower-middle class. Lower-paid white collar workers, but not manual laborers. Often hold Associates or Bachelor degrees. (e.g., police officers, fire fighters, primary and high school teachers, engineers, accountants, nurses, municipal office workers and low to mid-level civil servants, sales representatives, non-management office workers, clergy, technicians, small business owners….up to $75,000) • Upper-lower class. Blue-collar workers and manual laborers. Also known as the "working class.“ up to $50,000 • Lower-lower class. The homeless and permanently unemployed, as well as the "working poor.“ income below poverty line, reliance on welfare.

9. Gender/ Sexual Orientation • Sex typically refers to a persons biological sex (male or female) • Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and activities that a society considers acceptable for men and women. • Gender Identity- the gender that a person identifies themselves as. • The idea of gender differs across societies, but it has been used to oppress, specifically against women.