Even Today There is this expectation that we have to educate the people that oppress us. Whether if we’re educating these oppressors on race, gender, or even class; it is a major issue that needs to change. Audre Lorde explores these ideas in the Sister outsider chapter “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” Lorde discusses the idea of oppression through some of her personal experiences in order to show how people can attempt to make a change.
Lorde explains the impact that oppression has on several communities of people, and how it can affect them negatively. Lorde states “Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world” (p.115). A major question that could be asked is why are the people being oppressed expected to go out of their way to drain themselves in order to make everyone around them understand them? Why do they have to go through that effort? It isn’t realistic to just expect these oppressors to understand their mistakes automatically. The oppressed people might have to give their oppressors a little insight on why they are wrong, but it shouldn’t be entirely their responsibility. There is also the possibility that someone who is known as an oppressor might not want to change their ways, learn, or open their mind up to differences. Even though that might be hard to hear, we have to accept that we can’t always change oppressors minds.
There are also several other methods that could be considered when thinking about helping educate others. Today people don’t always have to take on the role of being an educator on others oppressive mistakes. In the digital age we live in today there are several different resources at our fingertips, and the concept of oppression is also discussed a lot more than it was in the past. Oppressed people can help educate others by finding valuable sources such as YouTube videos, podcasts, blog posts online, documentaries, or even books. These different sources are valuable to point someone in the right direction, but won’t have all the answers. The oppressors might still be confused or have questions after visiting these various sources. It is important to be open to answering their questions even if it is frustrating knowing some of these topics might seem like common knowledge to you. It is important because if their questions go unanswered, they might go in the opposite direction, and ignore what they have learned.
Ultimately there are three ways to handle the differences that we have. Lorde states “we have all been programmed to respond to human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that difference in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate”(115). These different ideas of how to deal with differences aren’t effective. Realistically we can’t just ignore these different ideas just because we don’t understand them. The only one to understand, and to conquer these issues is to face them head-on. We have to accept that as people that we are different, that we might not see eye to eye on all our differences, but we will make an effort to try to understand, and accept all people. Lorde says “Too often we pour the energy needed for recognizing and exploring difference into pretending those differences are insurmountable barriers, or that they do not exist at all. This results in a voluntary isolation, or false and treacherous connections” (115). It is ignorant to think that we are all the same, or that there are no differences in the world. The truth is there is plenty of differences around us, and we have to accept that. We don’t have to accept it all at once, but we should take time to digest these differences, and realize that we can do better. We can do better by equally putting in the effort to learn, and teach others how to not oppress the diverse people around us. If we all work together a lot more can be achieved in the end.
Discussion Questions
- Lorde discusses how she had to educate her teachers who dismissed her children’s culture at school. Has there ever been a time in your life where you had to educate someone on a difference, or have you ever witnessed someone educating someone on a difference that they had?
- Do you think social media has made it easier for people who aren’t going through the differences that were discussed in this chapter to ultimately educate themselves, and or accept others? Or what kind of impact do you think social media makes on the oppression of what society sees as different people?
Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider : Essays and Speeches. Trumansburg, NY :Crossing Press, 1984.
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Hi Katie! I wanted to focus on your second discussion question because I think that social media is very relevant to our’s and younger generations. Social media is rapidly becoming a source of communication, news outlets, and discussion boards. I think, as all discussions of social media, that there are good and bad effects. I think that if people are willing to explore outside of their own communities then social media can be a great way to educate people on other issues. However, if they are not willing to do that then they will more than likely stay polarized in their own communities and never experience any differences of opinions or issues. As Lorde states, “the oppressors maintain their position and evade responsibility for their own actions” (115). As long as people keep their heads in the sand and never look any closer at other communities and their problems, and are willing to do the hard work to fix it, nothing will ever change.
Hey Katie! I really enjoyed reading your post. Your second discussion question really intrigued me because of how relevant social media is in today’s society. I believe social media plays a major role in informing and educating people. Social media can be a fun outlet for people to express themselves and show who they really are. However, there are good and bad sides to it. Social media can educate people on certain topics but I believe that the person has to want to educate themselves and reach out of their comfort zone in order to truly understand what they are researching. If a person comes across a certain social media platform that they disagree with, it often leads to cyberbullying and hurtful judgements. However, I do believe it can also lead to positivity and eye-opening experiences for people who were uninformed prior to seeing what they originally viewed as different. Lorde said, “It is [rather] our refusal to recognize those differences, and to examine the distortions which result from our misnaming them and their effects upon human behavior and expectation” (115). Often times, people make up their minds on something and won’t change their opinion or try to educate themselves on others opinions. Social media can be an outlet that allows the oppressors to see that everyone is different and everyone expresses themselves in their own unique way. If the oppressors see that others accept people that aren’t like themselves, then they may be more likely too, as well.
Hi Katie. I really enjoyed reading this blog post and wanted to talk about social media and the impact it has on oppression. I think social media is a big way to promote many feminist ideas and celebrate the differences between everyone. The media is fairly new and our parents didn’t get to grow up using it, but as Lorde talked about in this chapter, the past is important. She questions why it is forgotten because we continue to repeat the same issues over and over. With social media being as popular as it is, it really only provides up-to-date information or the latest news. In a way, I feel like it has made it slightly harder for individuals to educate themselves because of stereotyping and view points made by oppressors, but it can be a good resource to start with. Lorde says, “Refusing to recognize difference makes it impossible to see the different problems and pitfalls facing us as women” (118). This is a very powerful quote and I think using social media could be something great if we all begin to accept and honor all differences the people have to offer.
In the last Presidential election, I made the mistake of having a political conversation with my estranged father. He brought up Latin Americans crossing the border and taking away jobs from us white Americans. I remember how his derogatory and ignorant comments broke my heart. I attempted in my rising sadness and anger to educate or broaden his awareness of how this country was founded on the principles that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence). That even though we may be of different ethnic races or even cultural standpoints we are all equal We all have that right to seek a job or better our life. I mean, I don’t understand the difference between us and them. We as a country are a country of people fleeing persecution or oppression by the British Crown and to better our lives. These Latin Americans are doing the same but it’s just a different time period. I tried in many failed attempts to remind him how we even as a country have a statue that has a name of “Mother of Exiles” and that she calls out to the world “Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,”(10-11). My arguments never seemed to make a difference to him.
My resources for quotes:
“Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives, http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.
Lazarus, Emma. “Statue of Liberty Poem.” Lady Torch, 2014, http://www.ladytorch.com/statue-of-liberty-poem.html.
Hi there Katie! I really enjoyed your response as it was quite thoughtful and brought up many intriguing points. I particularly favored the line you wrote, “It is ignorant to think that we are all the same, or that there are no differences in the world.” I agree with this entirely, and also worry that the oppressed lose their voices when it comes to educating those who are doing the oppressing, even though they themselves are expected to do the educating. In Audre Lorde’s essay she notes that, “Racism and homophobia are real conditions of all our lives in this place and time” (113). This specific quote related to your response as it dotes on the struggles that the oppressed face. Even though they must endure racism and homophobia, they are still expected to remain strong but even to go beyond this and educate the people that are doing the oppressing. It is quite frustrating that we still face such oppression in today’s society, however, I do agree that it may be slightly more simple using modern technology to educate those who remain ignorant. Communication is much easier, and hopefully those who do not have a voice are able to access it through social media or other platforms. Accepting that people are different is essential to the change that is crucial to our society. Your response encompassed this, as well as even provided solutions for today’s struggles. Thank you for such a thoughtful response!
Hi Katie- excellent blog post. Your questions are very reflective on the topic. Social media plays a pivotal role in how we view others and even ourselves. There’s this mental turmoil that people sometimes experience – especially now due to social media – known as “imposter syndrom” where people feel that they are falsely portraying themselves. I don’t exactly know if I’m applying it correctly to the situation that Lorde excellently discusses, however this concept came to mind upon reading the quote: “I find I am constantly being encouraged to pluck out some aspect of myself and present this as the meaningful whole, eclipsing or denying the other parts of self. But this is a destructive and fragmenting way to live. My fullest concentration of energy is available to me only when I integrate all of the parts of who I am, openly, allowing power from particular sources of my living to flow back and forth freely through all my different selves, without the restrictions of externally imposed definition” (120-121). Although a lengthy quote, this resembles much of what social media influencers post on their Instagram captions. And I mean no disrespect by that, or to undermine the severity of this topic. I follow multiple life and wellness coaches and activists online, whom lead by example (I hired a life coach through Instagram, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for self-improvement). They post about important matters like this. Social media can at times be very toxic, and unfortunately people will only choose to see what they want to (so in terms of movements and activism, few of the people who should see it, will) however it can be used as a powerful tool in this day and age. We gain insight through photos, videos and vlogs, and especially these more-or-less journal entries in captions and comments to better understand people who are different than us. A few months ago, I would proudly have called myself a feminist. I was doing activism, standing up for people when I felt I could, and yet I still had thoughts that I had to reprogram that were limiting beliefs. I pinned women against other women and it wasn’t until finding women who used their voice on these platforms that I realized how naive I was, and how I didn’t fully understand just what it meant to be a feminist and an activist. We must learn how to accept ourselves first before we can accept others, and finding people who lead by example (through social media, books, activism) are the best way to instill that. I hope this tangent wasn’t too far off and that it answered your question!
Hey Katie! I really enjoyed your thoughts in this blog post, I wanted to focus on your second question. This generation and society is ruled by social media, everything anyone does is immediately uploaded and posted, everyone’s thoughts and ideas are put online for the world to see. I think it is both a good and a bad thing. I personally have seen many instances online where people of different class, race, gender, and ethnicity where bonded together over social media, but I have also seen the opposite. Social media can be filled with people hiding behind a screen where they are free to say whatever hurtful things they want. As unfortunate as this is, I still believe social media is a connecting place for people all around the world with various backgrounds. People become educated through others own stories and experiences which ultimately can bring many different groups of people together.
Hi Katie! I really enjoyed reading your blog post and getting insight on what you deemed important to discuss from this text! To answer your second discussion question, I feel that in an ideal world social media would be absolutely educational to those who aren’t suffering from inequalities. That being said, this world isn’t ideal; I feel a majority of people who use social media are too concerned with the concept of number of likes and positive reviews on their own accounts to boost their own self esteem, and that using it as an educational outlet is placed on the back-burner. Audre Lorde states, “It is rather our refusal to recognize those
differences, and to examine the distortions which result from our
misnaming them and their effects upon human behavior and
expectation” (115). Many people have social media accounts that align with their identities. Their followers are relatable to them and their access to accounts with other identities represented is rather low. Ideally many people could and should use their accounts to educate themselves, but that cannot happen until people begin to not only accept differences amongst identities, but to also appreciate the differences presented.
Hey Katie! I’m glad you raised this point in Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, for it is essential to understanding how racism functions in different forms. Changing the system of oppression requires difficult discussions to be had, yet it falls on the shoulders of the oppressed. It is the expectation that those being mistreated will fix the dominant culture’s behavior and all those people taking part in oppression, almost like an extra duty to humanity. I agree with your point on how this negatively affects the underrepresented communities, so much so that Lorde states: “Those of us oppressed had to be watchers, to become familiar with the language and manners of the oppressor, even sometimes adopting them for some illusion of protection” (114). Having to blend into a dominant society and code switch drains the energy of marginalized communities in which they should be using towards self-growth and constructing their future. It is exhausting to speak against institutionalized rejection as one person, compared to an issue so massive. As an Adolescent Education major, it is my responsibility to celebrate the differences within my classroom. Dialect is a topic of English that is contradicting and raises many questions of what is “right” and “wrong.” I have had to correct my friends when I’ve been told that I “speak too white.” The dialect I choose to speak in does not define me racially, and dialect is something that I can switch based on my social group and context of a situation. Code-switching also happens without intent. I have explained to my peers that also comment on my strong New York dialect that it is just another part of my Latina identity, and I practice code-switching throughout my day.
Hi, Katie! I thought your blog post was very insightful and made me self-reflect big time. The point that you brought up regarding whether it is the responsibility of the oppressed to educated the oppressors really got me thinking. At first, I just accepted the fact that as a women there were opinions and assumptions about my gender that I had to accept and turn a blind eye to, but as I’ve gotten older, I have realized that I have a say in how I am received by others. I think it is important to address that being as that I am a white female, I have not experienced the oppression that others may have/do experience, but due to my gender, I have experienced forms of oppression. In Lorde’s essay, “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” she writes, “Women are expected to educate men”. Personally, this quote helps me answer your first question, as I have had to educate people, mostly men, about how as a women I am oppressed in today’s society. I have had comments made to me, in the past year alone, that because I am a women I should not be allowed to drive a car, how realistically it would be more “useful” for me to be a stay at home mom when I am older. While I do not think it is my responsibility alone to educate others on oppression, I feel many times that if I were to not educate others, that my voice would be lost, and I would allow myself to be further oppressed.