Marilyn Frye Case Study

When it comes looking at social groups and social situations, Marilyn Frye distinguishes perspectives by classifying them either as microscopically or macroscopically. We need to look at these social groups and situations separately, which is where these two different perspectives come into play. When you look at something microscopically, it always refers to the individual: individual person or individual law. Microscopically, you are trying to find the single direct cause which is directly causing the harm. On the other hand, a microscopic view takes on a broader perspective. Macroscopically, you are looking at the entire system as a whole and how factors such as economics, culture, or politics play a role in causing the harm. Frye’s example …show more content…
The underrepresentation of women in the media shows the limitation of freedom they are allowed to get, it targets the entire population of females, and there is no direct cause of this oppression. In this case, men are the ones who receive a group-based benefit because it makes them feel “good” or superior. According to Alison Bailey, “privileges are unearned advantages that are conferred systematically due to one’s being identified as a member of a particular social group” (Privilege, Slide #9). Since men have always been viewed as a dominant figure, they are the ones who benefit from the oppression of women in the media. The negative of a microscopic perspective when it comes to oppression and privilege is that a microscopic view tries to directly find the individual causing the harm whereas oppression and privilege are systematic; there is no single direct cause. The negative of a macroscopic perspective is that you have to take a step back and look at the entire picture; there is no single direct cause to harm because the economy, culture, and politics have to play a