The Four I’s of Oppression
 
 
The Four “I’s” of Oppression (60 minutes) Do a quick review of the definitions of prejudice, stereotype and discrimination below. Prejudice: literally “pre-judgment” a negative attitude toward a group. Stereotype: a generalization or an oversimplified belief about a particular group. Discrimination: action based on prejudice. Explain that we are defining oppression as: The systematic mistreatment of people because of their membership in a group. In defining oppression as systematic mistreatment, we mean that the mistreatment is not an isolated act, but a sustained, pervasive reality. One way to describe the intertwined domains in which oppression operates is to identify Four “I’s”: ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized. Explain each of the “I’s” briefly and give an example of each that is not LGBT related. Ask the group to provide another example for each that addresses another “ism”. (Make sure to raise multiple “isms”.) Ideological Oppression - First, any oppressive system has at its core the idea that one group is somehow better than another. This idea gets elaborated in many ways – more intelligent, harder working, stronger, more capable, more noble, more deserving, more advanced, chosen, superior, etc. The dominant group holds this idea about itself. And, of course, the opposite qualities are attributed to the other group – stupid, lazy, weak, incompetent, worthless, less deserving, backward, inferior, etc. Institutional Oppression - The idea that one group is better than another group gets embedded in the institutions of the society – the laws, the legal system and police practice, the education system and schools, hiring policies, public policies, housing development, media images, political power, etc. Interpersonal / Intergroup Oppression - The idea that one group is better than another which gets structured into institutions gives permission and reinforcement for individual members of the dominant group to personally disrespect or mistreat individuals in the oppressed group. Interpersonal racism is what white people do to people of color up close – the racist jokes, the stereotypes, the beatings and harassment, the threats, the whole range of personal acts of discrimination. Similarly, interpersonal sexism is what men do to women – the sexual abuse and harassment, the violence directed at women, the belittling or ignoring of women’s thinking, keeping women out of the decision-making roles, sexist jokes, etc. Most people in the dominant group are not consciously oppressive. They have internalized the negative messages about other groups, and consider their attitudes towards the other group quite normal. Internalized Oppression - The fourth way oppression works is within the groups of people who suffer the most from the mistreatment. Oppressed people internalize the ideology of inferiority, they see it reflected in the institutions, they experience disrespect personally from members of the dominant group, and they eventually come to believe the negative messages about themselves. If we have been told we are stupid and worthless and have been treated as if we were all our lives, then it is not surprising that we would come to believe it. This makes us feel bad. Oppression always begins from outside the oppressed group, but by the time it gets internalized, the external oppression need hardly be felt for the damage to be done. If people from the oppressed group feel bad about themselves, and because of the nature of the system, do not have the power to direct those feelings back toward the dominant group without receiving more blows, then there are only two places to dump those feelings – on oneself and on the people in the same group. Thus, people tend to pass the negative stereotypes and behaviors on to their children. They tend to be violent towards one another. They tend to keep each other involved in negativity. They tend to put themselves and others down. On the way to eliminating institutional oppression, we have to undo the internalized beliefs so that an oppressed group can build unity, support its leaders, feel proud of its history, contributions, and potential, develop the strength to clean its own house of cultural patterns that hold the group back, set high standards and oppose corruption, and organize itself into an effective force for social change. Instructions: • Divide participants into four small groups. • Give each group chart paper and marker and assign one of the “I’s” of oppression. • The task is to write the “I” in the middle of the paper, draw a circle around it, and then create a web of ways that that “I” manifests itself at school and in the wide world in relation to LGBTQ people. The group might use one color of marker to represent manifestations in the wide world and a different color to represent examples in the school setting. • Give the groups about ten minutes to complete their webs. • Ask each group to take a couple of minutes to present their web to the large group. • Discussion follows. In addition to clarifying aspects of the Four “I’s” and eliciting additional stories and examples, the facilitator might ask the group, “What are the implications for educators of the Four “I’s” as it relates to LGBTQ students?”
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