The Five Faces Of Oppression Analysis

“Oppression”, a word that when heard by most people draw thoughts of conditions in distant places and times: it is what cruel dictators, tyrants, and totalitarian governments do to their subjects or a group they have conquered. The general public believes that oppression can not occur in open and democratic societies, partly due to their incorrect association of oppression with an intent to oppress. However, oppressive conditions thought to not exist in liberal societies, do in fact exist, not necessarily as part of intended practices or policies, but as something deeply integrated into the structures of our major political, economic, and cultural institutions. Iris Marion Young, in her article The Five Faces of Oppression, splits the types of oppression into five categories: violence, exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, and …show more content…
– are experiencing marginalization. Kozol identifies and analyzes the information pertaining to the discrepancies between minority education and white education, such as the segregation, the low funds, and the lack of importance and attention the issue attracts. Kozol illustrates the grim reality about the unequal attention given to urban and suburban schools, resulting in the eventual marginalization of minorities (which make up most of the student population in these urban schools) from the labor market. With many well performing high schools populated by a vast majority of white students in diverse communities, “it takes a conscious effort on the part of parents or school officials in these districts to avoid the integration option that is often right at their front door.” Minority students, mainly black, blatantly face exclusion from access to quality secondary education, which is readily given to white students. Lacking in basic education and occupation skills development, a large segment of the population now fails to carry the the necessary skills and qualifications that employers seek in potential