boundaries and oppression
Dec. 20th, 2005 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sophiaserpentiaAt the volunteer meeting earlier this month, we talked about personal boundaries, and it has stuck with me that a light bulb went off in my head about the relationship between boundary violations and oppression.
Oppression means you cannot expect your boundaries to be respected.
Well, let me clarify: you as an individual have the right to expect that others will respect the limits you set for your own body. But when you are oppressed, there is a greater likelihood that your limits and boundaries will be shrugged off or ignored. So we could say that one aspect of privilege is the ability to expect that others will bend their limits to your will.
At the extreme is slavery. A slave does not have the right to wear clothing, if told to strip; a slave does not have the right to refuse sex, if told to submit.
Consider the child who is told not to let a stranger touch them, but is then ordered to give a hug and kiss to the relative she doesn't know and just met. If she balks, she is scolded. What she learns from this, is that her personal boundaries are flexible at the whim of the adults in charge of her.
Consider the woman who has no say in what happens with her reproductive system. This describes most women in the history of humankind; reproductive freedom is a relatively new idea, and where it has been achieved it is under constant attack.
Many of us are not properly taught how to conceive of, articulate, and defend our boundaries and limits. This is not an accident; it is a state which is actively encouraged in many people for the convenience of others.
Oppression means you cannot expect your boundaries to be respected.
Well, let me clarify: you as an individual have the right to expect that others will respect the limits you set for your own body. But when you are oppressed, there is a greater likelihood that your limits and boundaries will be shrugged off or ignored. So we could say that one aspect of privilege is the ability to expect that others will bend their limits to your will.
At the extreme is slavery. A slave does not have the right to wear clothing, if told to strip; a slave does not have the right to refuse sex, if told to submit.
Consider the child who is told not to let a stranger touch them, but is then ordered to give a hug and kiss to the relative she doesn't know and just met. If she balks, she is scolded. What she learns from this, is that her personal boundaries are flexible at the whim of the adults in charge of her.
Consider the woman who has no say in what happens with her reproductive system. This describes most women in the history of humankind; reproductive freedom is a relatively new idea, and where it has been achieved it is under constant attack.
Many of us are not properly taught how to conceive of, articulate, and defend our boundaries and limits. This is not an accident; it is a state which is actively encouraged in many people for the convenience of others.
