A Gift From Oppression

Ever notice how it seems now the most privileged people want to be oppressed these days? Maybe they are just looking for a way to assuage their guilt. Or maybe they know their lack of obstacles has hindered them in the long run.

I have noticed that when there is a group afforded all the privileges- both social and economic - they tend to have a less expectations and a lower bar for success. While more oppressed groups have to work twice as hard and prove they have earned each and every opportunity. This creates a stronger oppressed group and a weaker privileged group.

We are seeing this in men and women in our country. Women have been expected to take care of children, work, clean, cook, bear the responsibility of said kids and even are blamed when the father of their children is abusive or absent. The expectations are through the roof.

Whereas for men, expectations are that they get a good job and get married and have kids. Anything they do outside of that is an extra pat on the back. The bar is on the ground.

The result is we have a population of women who are independent, highly educated and accomplished. They own their shit handle their emotions and do whatever it takes to take care of their kids.

Versus a population of men who are falling behind. They can’t even process or own their own feelings let alone that of a spouse or child. It has created problems in relationships and families for a while, now it has boiled over into policy. Men now want women to be brought back down instead of stepping up and learning how to be better, they want to take rights and freedoms away from women in order to “regain control”.

This is also a main reason for the onslaught of racial aggression we have been seeing. White men are wondering how they fell behind. How is the most educated demographic black women? How have so many “others” grown in numbers in our population while theirs have dwindled? How did a black man manage to rise through the ranks and serve two terms in the highest office in our nation? How have the people they did everything to keep down manage to not only be still standing, but be progressing through it all?

Resilience: the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

We have managed to grow through the shit they put us through. Fertilized by harsher consequences and higher expectations in a system that was literally created for us to fail. We have suffered, we have been abused and knocked down just as we manage to get up. But we are still here. More than that we have been able to still find joy and beauty in this life. Create a new culture when ours was stripped away. A culture so influential that the world walks talks and dances in ways that were inspired by us.

We have developed skills not just to survive but to thrive in a society that is sick with racism and sexism. It’s hatred us to the point of adaptation. We have been sharpened and attuned our instincts to know when and how to rise in rank and when and how to fight back.

“ They buried us not knowing we were seeds”

- Dinos Christianopoulos

It’s no mystery that the more we face our fears and challenge ourselves the more we grow and learn. So it should be no surprise how we got here. Certain demographics in this country have to work 2x as hard for half of that the other is handed with no questions asked. It is no wonder why those who have not had to actually work and prove themselves would suddenly find themselves fighting for relevance and clinging to the last foothold of power they have.

As scary as this all is I can’t help but see the insecurity in these rich white men and women. Screaming how much better they are all while taking children from their mothers and food from the elderly. Claiming to be a “master race” but needing others to do work for them to be successful.

The Illusion of power has really gotten to their head. All this made up shit they think is important.

Sure they have all the money but we have all the power. The real power. The power of being the ones who both built and maintain this janky ass system. Which means we also have the power to shut it down. They know that.

Right about now I think that is something we should all be thinking and talking about more often. We don’t need them to save us, we never did. More importantly they aren’t going to.

Peace & Love

Tasha B.