Biographies Of Hegemony Analysis

Systematic oppression is an unjust restriction of one’s inalienable rights enforced by an institution based on social, political, and economic status. This form of oppression results in discrimination propagated by the subjective viewpoints that do not reflect every human experience. An institution that perpetuates systematic oppression often develops a false sense of security due to the vast amount of power and influence that they possess over the masses. There is also a false sense of superiority that creates a schism between the institutional power and general population due to the overwhelming division of wealth. This idea of wealth is exemplified in “Biographies of Hegemony” by Karen Ho, which examines the influential role that Wall Street …show more content…
Race and gender are two of the most important social constructions that determine elite status. The acquisition of elite status debunks systematic oppression resulting in varying forms of oppression. Wall Street is meticulous when it comes to its image of investment bankers who must exemplify qualities of “global capitalism” which is synonymous with one’s pedigree, heteronormativity and race. This unstated standard based on uncontrollable idiosyncrasies is seen as the mark of globalization which Wall Street uses to recruit future investment bankers. There is an underlying sense of nepotism that dominates Wall Street which results in a disproportionate amount of Ivy League students who become investment bankers. All of them fit the prescribed aesthetic that, “Wall Street’s construction of its own superiority is [based upon due to] the corollary assumption that other corporations and industries are ‘less than’” (Ho, 181). The word “other” evokes a negative connotation due to the different pedigrees, races, and sexual orientations that do not fit the socially accepted standard that Wall Street embraces. And the idea that these “other” institutions are inferior shows the importance of appearance in Wall Street’s authoritative society that uses systematic oppression to further divide the masses. The same idea is explored by Nafisi who presents gender bias in …show more content…
The unimaginative ideals that fuel this oppressive totalitarianism bind the human spirit so that their is no consideration of alternate pathways to success or freedom. This is a shared mindset on Wall Street and in Iran, which results in a unilateral view that negatively affects the masses. There are some Ivy League students who combat this oppressive aspect of Wall Street. These students willingly reject the ideals of the oppressive system that is complicit in portraying investment banking as the singular image of success. These revolutionary students that fight against the powers of systematic oppression on Wall Street, “[do] not let [their] type-A drive for success… or [their] fear of ending up outside the realm of ‘acceptable’.... accomplishments... dictate what [they] do with [their] lives” (Ho, 181). The phrase “realm of ‘acceptable’ accomplishments” denotes the prescribed pathway to acclaim success that the financial culture perpetuates. This results in a superficial idea among students to conform to the socially accepted values around them. Although most students refute this oppressive power and go against the social norm that glorifies Wall Street investment banking, some of them fall victim to the oppressive persuasion. The same mutinous response on Ivy League campuses is also seen in Iranian women who attempt to combat the powers