"But what I'm wondering is, is everyone who accepts benefits from someone else's oppression an "oppressor"? Are they (we) the ones who oppression is by? In some cases there is clearly "oppression by," but there are also cases where I think it is too unclear to speak of "oppression by."
Oppression, to me, is any ACTIVE support of a system which creates a division between two groups for the purposes of placing one group (usually the one to which they belong) of people above another. The behavior doesn't have to be of the nastiest sort, such as murder or rape of anyone in the group being oppressed, but it can certainly include any statement of approval of such behavior or approval of the rationale behind it. It is just a matter of degree.
But those who merely unconsciously benefit without acting to further or lessen the oppression - I don't know what you say about that. Is there a word for "apathetically allowing oppression to go on without saying a word because you are too comfortable to be bothered to say or do the slightest thing about it since it isn't hurting you?" Anyway, while I wouldn't call those "as bad" as those actively working to keep an oppressed group "in their place", neither do I have the slightest respect for them. I do not tolerate such behavior in myself and I do not approve of it in others.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-06-23 06:03 pm (UTC)Oppression, to me, is any ACTIVE support of a system which creates a division between two groups for the purposes of placing one group (usually the one to which they belong) of people above another. The behavior doesn't have to be of the nastiest sort, such as murder or rape of anyone in the group being oppressed, but it can certainly include any statement of approval of such behavior or approval of the rationale behind it. It is just a matter of degree.
But those who merely unconsciously benefit without acting to further or lessen the oppression - I don't know what you say about that. Is there a word for "apathetically allowing oppression to go on without saying a word because you are too comfortable to be bothered to say or do the slightest thing about it since it isn't hurting you?" Anyway, while I wouldn't call those "as bad" as those actively working to keep an oppressed group "in their place", neither do I have the slightest respect for them. I do not tolerate such behavior in myself and I do not approve of it in others.