Blog Post 3

  This week for class we had to read about the four I’s of Oppression. We also watched a video of Luna Malbroux going through them. There are Ideological, Interpersonal, Institutional and Internalized. First, she explains Ideological. This is the idea that one group is better than another and has more rights to privileges. The dominant group thinks very highly of themselves and how their better than everyone else. They also think how other people are below them and are worse than them. This shapes the way people view the world and how they are guided through life is affected. Then she talks about Institutional Oppression. This is when those ideals about certain groups of people being better than others are taken and embedded in institutions. This could be like when certain schools have more funding than others. Also, when women get paid less than men when they are doing the same amount of work at the same job. Also, this institutional oppression is not even always intentional. Most people in one way or another have been treated differently because of some part of who they are. Then there is Interpersonal Oppression. This is when people disrespect or are rude to the oppressed group. This could be from little comments, stereotypes, or even harassment. This can be directed at all different types of people who are not a white rich straight man. When an oppressed group defends themselves, they are often the ones to get in trouble, that's why “The oppressed group, therefore, does not have the power to enforce its prejudices, unlike the dominant group.” (1). Finally, there's Internalized Oppression. This is when oppressed people internalize the idea that they are inferior to other groups of people. The result of this is they don’t take their feelings out on the dominant group; they instead take them out on oneself and people of their same group. The four I’s always affect one another.