Merriam-Webster defines desire as followed: desire /dəˈzī(ə)r/ verb 1 to wish or long for; crave; want. 2 to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request. Desire is a very strong word for me. Not in the sense that it is hard to understand, but in the sense that it holds a lot of meaning. Personally, I desire a lot of things—stability, love, education. However, what I desire out of society is in a whole other ballpark. Systemic and systematic oppression still runs deep in the roots of our society, and my desire is for those oppressions to vanish. I know that sounds very farfetched and highly unlikely anytime soon, but I can dream. This implausible desire for society to provide equitability to everyone comes from the oppressions that I
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Before attending my undergraduate institution, I lived in a southern town in South Carolina known for food, sports, and God. I saw it as something else. A place that was racist, sexist, and, worst of all for me, homophobic. I came from a place where oppression was very real and embedded, but the sad part about it is the town was proud to be oppressive. I lived in that area for eighteen years of my life. And even though I had privileges of being able-bodied, white, and male, I tried to stay hidden because I did not want to be ridiculed for being gay and lower class. When I got my acceptance to attend college, I was relieved. I thought to myself, “I can finally stop hiding and be who I want. ” That wasn’t really the case, though. As soon as I got to my university, it was all about academics and preparing for my future in the job world, but all I wanted to do was spend time figuring out who I was as a person. I made it my prerogative and goal to do that, but I unfortunately didn’t have much guidance. My professors and advisors were only worried about my academics and could not care less about my personal development, and that I where the problem lies. This assumption that all students are going to come to college, focus on only their academics, know exactly what they want to do with their lives, and grow as a person on their own time. …show more content…
We, as a society, like to say that everyone has the right to an affordable education, but that is one of the biggest lies to still exist in our societal narrative. As long as methodical and corrupt systems of oppressions exist in our society, not everyone is allowed or granted access to an education, specifically a higher education. Yet, if our society started to move policy and systems into place that began breaking down oppressive barriers for marginalized groups, those groups would have more rights, freedoms, and admission to get a better an education than they are currently allowed. Once these barriers are gone and oppressed people have access to education, I believe higher education could transform into something extraordinary. We could start educating people from an intersectional lens and opening people’s eyes to what our society was built on. We would have more people of color, LGBTQ people, women, disabled people, etc. in fields that “aren’t meant for them”. It could change society as we know
Before attending my undergraduate institution, I lived in a southern town in South Carolina known for food, sports, and God. I saw it as something else. A place that was racist, sexist, and, worst of all for me, homophobic. I came from a place where oppression was very real and embedded, but the sad part about it is the town was proud to be oppressive. I lived in that area for eighteen years of my life. And even though I had privileges of being able-bodied, white, and male, I tried to stay hidden because I did not want to be ridiculed for being gay and lower class. When I got my acceptance to attend college, I was relieved. I thought to myself, “I can finally stop hiding and be who I want. ” That wasn’t really the case, though. As soon as I got to my university, it was all about academics and preparing for my future in the job world, but all I wanted to do was spend time figuring out who I was as a person. I made it my prerogative and goal to do that, but I unfortunately didn’t have much guidance. My professors and advisors were only worried about my academics and could not care less about my personal development, and that I where the problem lies. This assumption that all students are going to come to college, focus on only their academics, know exactly what they want to do with their lives, and grow as a person on their own time. …show more content…
We, as a society, like to say that everyone has the right to an affordable education, but that is one of the biggest lies to still exist in our societal narrative. As long as methodical and corrupt systems of oppressions exist in our society, not everyone is allowed or granted access to an education, specifically a higher education. Yet, if our society started to move policy and systems into place that began breaking down oppressive barriers for marginalized groups, those groups would have more rights, freedoms, and admission to get a better an education than they are currently allowed. Once these barriers are gone and oppressed people have access to education, I believe higher education could transform into something extraordinary. We could start educating people from an intersectional lens and opening people’s eyes to what our society was built on. We would have more people of color, LGBTQ people, women, disabled people, etc. in fields that “aren’t meant for them”. It could change society as we know