Isms that Make Oppressions a System

Commentary Columnist- Sherry Holliman?

?There are many people who are not aware of the “isms” system. Are you one of those individuals? This is a very powerful system that uses different levels of subtle oppressions and it will always exist. “Isms” has various definitions and operates from tier levels based on specified systems or?principles of the purpose for the user. Oppressors will commonly use many of the specified systems to control the use of power or discriminate against targeted populations of people. To expose the “isms” such as politicism, racism, sexism, classism, ageism, lookism, sizeism, and heterosexism and other forms of oppression or “isms,” These issues must first be understood from a personal, institutional, and cultural level. Many Individuals only see or hear of examples at the personal level by hearing an individual tell a racist joke or make a homophobic slur or at the interpersonal level when a teacher expects lower academic achievement from their African-American students or a man is hyper critical of his partner, wife, or girlfriend appearance. Do you believe that broadening your understanding of these “isms” can help you stop the oppressions in the system? Do you believe that all your values, beliefs, and feelings are justifiable reasons to oppress people that are different from you? As you age you are given direct and indirect messages about your values and attend an institution that you will at some point in your life interact with children and adults, in either a school, faith community, or judicial system to support your values especially if you are part of a dominant group based on race, gender, class, and religion. You may be showing subtle and not so subtle messages of superiority or being the norm that others need to be measured against. For example, you may never share that you believe that poor people are poor only because they make bad personal choices, but you can carry this in your mind and heart as you interact with people from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background. Oppressors on the interpersonal level, usually focus on the actions, behavior, and language with individuals different from them. If they believe that poor people are poor based on bad personal choices, they tend to believe that shaming these individual’s thinking may change them for their choices, or lecture them on making better choices to improve their life outcomes or offer other alternatives to?not considering living in generational poverty.??

Every institution has rules, policies, procedures, and practices, which are written and unwritten. These regulations or barriers within an institution will define who is welcomed and can participate or those that may be excluded or discriminated against full participation. A written policy may state that only individuals with certain degrees or formal education can apply for certain jobs, directly or indirectly, excluding individuals who may have informal experiences or other wisdom that could be considered as experienced for the position. On the other hand, an unwritten policy may be that as a male you need to keep your hair well-groomed to be considered for a position of a company, this broad expectation will allow well-groomed to be defined and determined by the decision maker for that individual to get the position.?The cultural level focuses on what is right, normal, and the truth. In short, the social impact that influences people's “isms”?daily is the media, historical and current reading material, and your daily interactions with different populations of people. Cultural level encourages stereotyping. By believing that “all” groups of certain races or genders commit certain crimes or live a certain lifestyle. These cultural messages, whether direct or indirect, often serve to maintain power and privilege for those in dominant groups. The solution to ending oppression could be to develop a critical consciousness and work to help address and dismantle the “isms” systems. To break these systems, new systems must be created and used to analyze, uncover, and change the ways that oppression is operating at the personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels. Do you believe with combined human and rapid technology advancements due to co-vid; a strategy can be realistically implemented for the?United Nations to help all?people be “ism” free? There is no political party that can give a solution to this generational issue because the answer is simple to first get everyone to understand their “isms” in its entirety. Secondly, to reform the political, economic, and social structures of the world. In order to address these barriers, no one person can advocate and say ‘I have the solution’ because only ‘people’ have the solution through a united people’s voice. Even to come along and ask others ‘what should I do?’ is to remain unaware and selfish because there is no ‘I’ involved in the change?of people with a single voice. Do you believe by providing some type of public awareness solutions will be solicited?as a group and help maintain focus on the humanity aspect versus focusing on the “isms”?as a whole? ?

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