Peter Pan. A movie about nostalgia, childish fun, following your dreams and.. abducting children. I’m serious. You see, Peter Pan’s shadow is the one that does his bidding, that separates from him and convinces Wendy and her brothers to follow him to Neverland. It never talks, it only imitates what its owner does, but with slight variations that get it in trouble. Now, Peter Pan is a lighthearted story with positive messages meant to resonate on children, but the shadow that the tale holds is one that we all do. The difference between our shadow and Peter Pan’s, however, is that his always listened to him, and meanwhile, we always listen to ours. This shadow, constantly following us around is a choice that we make- a choice to be manipulated When we allow this shadow of societal norms to dictate our choices and actions, we internalize all of the rules of society that work against us. From racism to sexism to homophobia to everything in between, these shadows haunt us to the point where they become a part of us, and we allow them to run our lives out of fear of what will happen if we don’t. This is called internalized discrimination. So first, let’s face our shadows head-on as we find the roots of this self imposed oppression, and then we’ll hide under our covers as we look at the effects, until finally, we leave our shadows in the dark with our solutions. When I first watched Peter Pan, I was convinced that my shadow was working in line with Peter Pan’s. Long story short, the cool girls at school found out and I began hating myself for the irrational fear I held, not because it was stupid, but because it was different. This is our problem. Often times, we associate the differences we have to someone in power as being subordinate to them. This can be caused by a wide variety of things, from social media to wars to literature. Author and psychologist Donna K. Bivens stated in her book, Flipping the So if Peter Pan doesn’t offer our solutions, then who does? According to Brown University, the main way to rid of this pesky shadow is the same way we got it, internally. The easiest way to overcome internalized discrimination is to embrace it, acknowledge that you have the problem. Stop blaming society, the media, or politicians when you stop yourself from doing something because of your identity. And I’m not gonna lie, they are partly to blame for this mess, but make sure that the internal part of discrimination is not blamed on others, but rather yourself. When you accept that this is your problem you take the first step away from your shadow and towards your solution. The next step is to actually fix it. We have to embrace our differences. Being a member of a minority group can be strengthening if you use it a source of pride rather than shame. So show off that weird looking but really good food that your grandma makes, embrace the positive ideologies your faith has given you, use your gender and sex to empower others. This will give a more accurate, personal view of who we are rather than what that narrative tells us we are. I am not gonna be naive and say we can completely abandon our shadows, because I know that no matter what lighting we are in, we always have one. But I do know that we have a choice as to
Minorities, African American and Latinos, in America are faced with challenges daily in white society. There are many obstacles minorities experience such as: being judged based on race, stereotyped, or worst being discriminated against by peers. Sadly, minorities can’t seem to escape to harsh realities society created. Citizens in the white society categorize humans by their race to socially construct the achievements and legitimate political goals. Minorities struggles with these goals due to the challenges they experience. The location of these challenges can occur in various places including on the job and/or at school. You may be under the impression that such challenges occurs within the adult minority groups. However, this applies to minority children as well. When the children are face with
Both authors have taken the deliberative to uncover the unconscious phenomenon that controls and affects how people interact, make perceptions, assumptions and even decisions in life. Most of these biases that people tend to have against other races are shaped and reinforced by one’s surroundings and experiences. It is therefore important expose these biases so as to grow as a society and extinguish the white privileges. Unless America is ready to face the truth about the existing biases, racial tensions and incidences will continue to
These type of studies aim to provide information on how different identities such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation are connected to one another. With this understanding, it can be acknowledged that one can be an oppressor at one point in time but be oppressed at another. These roles are constantly changing, based on a variety of factors. Integrative anti-racism allows a better understanding of these social oppressions.
Oppression is a term that has been used throughout history to describe the injustices brought upon minority groups. Feminist writer Marilyn Frye shared the definition of oppression, which essentially means to shape or conform certain groups of people (for this paper women will be used as the primary example) into socially constructed ideals through restrictions that mold and immobilize minority groups or females (Frye 11). According to Marilyn Frye, this term is sometimes loosely thrown around and used out of the term’s true context. The misuse of this term often creates a misconstrued view of what true oppression is and how particular groups of people are able to function within
In this world we are constantly being categorized by our race and ethnicity, and for many people it’s hard to look beyond that. Even though in the past many stood up for equality and to stop racism and discrimination, it still occurs. In this nation of freedom and equality, there are still many people who believe that their race is superior to others. These beliefs are the ones that destroy our nation and affect the lives of many. The people affected are not limited by their age group, sex, social status, or by their education level.
In the United States, racial discrimination has a lengthy history, dating back to the biblical period. Racial discrimination is a term used to characterize disruptive or discriminatory behaviors afflicted on a person because of his or her ethnic background. In other words, every t...
This oppression and discrimination is experienced through several forms of oppression including violence, racism classism and sexism not only at a personal level but also at the structural level. This high risk population is vulnerable for internalizing the oppression as an accepted norm. Mullaly believes that “people may be given certain rights but still be unable to exercise their rights due to particular social constraints based on class, gender, race and ethnicity.”
Discrimination happens every day, whether inadvertently or not. This mindset has been practiced for thousands upon thousands of years. We live in a society that is quick to judge other individuals based on their cultural background, race, age, even their financial status. Discrimination has been an ongoing issue throughout the world since the beginning of time. Women, throughout history, have experienced discrimination first hand for a long time. The women’s cultural background, race, financial status mattered, but not as much as the fact that she was a woman first. For example, women were thought of as fragile individuals with bodies that were not built to a man’s standard. For thousands
Overall discrimination is an awful thing. It is like a STD, it can be passed from parent to child, or someone can become infected if you don’t watch out. Discrimination is also like the plague. It sweeps over a large amount of people, infecting most, and most don’t survive. Though today much of the discrimination is gone, just like the plague, but it is still there. Unfortunately for some people, they have to deal with people discrimination from others. Whether it be discrimination of one’s race, age, disability, or gender. Discrimination has numerous damaging effects to someone’s life. In Of Mice and Men the unlucky victims of discrimination also suffer from the same effects. They allow for people to have control of them and walk all over them. Discrimination is like a fire... It hurts.
America has always struggled with discrimination and prejudice throughout its history. On July 2nd, 1964 the United States took a step in the right direction, when it recognized the principle that all men are created equal with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The Act outlawed all discrimination formed on the basis of race, religious affiliation, gender or ethnic origin. In addition, it ended racial segregation in educational institutions and in the workplace. However, it can be argued that discrimination and prejudice remain today. America has attempted to stop this by instituting anti-discrimination laws, however the laws can only do so much.
I was aware of these oppressions and have often times struggled with what I can do individually to work towards alleviating these oppressions. The Next Steps portion of the chapter on racism really outlined methods of actions that could be applied to all forms of oppression. One method entitled “FLEXing Cross- cultural Communications,” outlines productive communication, depersonalization, and open- mindedness when it comes to understanding and practicing competency. This model serves as a tool to motivate action to those form other cultures in ways that in the end everyone can
In life, we are often confronted with boundaries created by society and ourselves. In our limited understanding of what those boundaries represent, we find ourselves confined by our ego. Racism and prejudices have plagued society for many years, and many of us have been judged and condemned for expressing our true selves. How long must it take for us all to be accepted as beautiful beings, all perfectly capable of greatness and joy?
I suddenly, and quite strangely, have found myself conflicted about Peter Pan. I thought I knew the story, believed I was familiar with it. My Mother has used the term "Peter Pan Syndrome" to describe nearly every young member of our family at one time or another. It means you never want to grow up, just like the boy in Walt Disney’s animation. Peter wants to play Never Land forever and avoid responsibility while careening through the air amid pirates and redskins and a strange yet hopeful band of "Lost Boys.
It has become the norms and rituals of society as a whole, not just an individual or an institution. Many times, they are not even noticed or thought of to be racist or oppressive. Societal oppression can be anything from residential segregation to the fact that standards of beauty are based on white beauty. In fact, “the word ‘natural’ or the phrase ‘that’s the way it is’ is often used often interjected … to normalize events that could otherwise be interpreted as racially motivated”, such as those listed above (Bonilla-Silva 134). Residential segregation and white-centric beauty standards add to societal oppression and racism by perpetuating further all of the other issues discussed previously. Not only are there children who grow up being referred to as racial slurs, but they are also told that their body is not is what is considered ideal and attractive. Not only do many minorities face de facto segregation in their housing, but it also might mean that they have to attend lower caliber schools. When a class of college students was asked “how many of you grew up in neighborhoods where most of the people were from the same racial group as your own?”, the majority of students raised their hands (Tatum 123). Because societal oppression is on a much larger scale and more deeply rooted than individual and institutional oppression, it is the hardest to counteract. Residential segregation is not easy to counteract because it is something that is already firmly in place in American society, whether intentional or not. Redefining what an entire culture believes to be beautiful would take generations. However, it is no excuse just to allow things to continue as they are. While no individual can change the beliefs and power structure of an entire society, change does begin with the individual. If each individual was more aware of the power and privilege they have been given and were more conscious not to abuse it, that would
However, in order for us as a people to overcome these cracks in our supposedly perfect vase we must stop the stereotypes. Martin Luther King once said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" and why can 't we apply that to how we view a person. We shouldn 't let our judgement about a person cloud the way they are as person. We shouldn 't let stereotypes define a person work ethic and how we choose a person to be our husband/wife. We should determine a person on how they work, their strengths , their grit and how they can excel. This change of discrimination can not be easily fixed but it takes an individual to be open-mind instead of close-minded like those who listen to these stereotypes. To stop Discrimination honestly it stars within