Look both ways — Language plays an extremely important role in the exchange of privilege and oppression

Privilege and oppression exist as opposing forces.

When one entity experiences privilege, another is oppressed, and the language used to define those roles often complicates the relationship between them.

This idea can be easily understood if imagined as a two-lane road. Picture a road where oppressed identities, such as people of color, members of the LGBTQA community, or disabled individuals, drive in one lane and identities that benefit from various social, cultural and political privileges drive in the other.

On this road, more oppressed demographics contend with larger obstacles in the form of road construction, congested traffic or spotty pavement. The privilege lane, however, is free-flowing, smooth and fast.

Language, as it is used in society today, operates similar to the way the exchanges between the drivers might on this hypothetical road. Honking one’s horn or flipping off other drivers does no good for either lane of traffic, and in many ways, hinders collective progress.

I see this imbalance of power and unproductive language exchange in many conversations regarding the relationships between different identities. Often, when talking about the implications of privilege and oppression, a party on one end of the discussion will use language that, to the other, seems inflammatory, degrading and laced with blame.

It’s not that the two parties continuously work from polar-opposite schools of thought, or that they are incapable of finding common ground — it’s more likely the terms used in the discussion are not universally understood.

This language division arises, in large part, where privileged identities feel threatened by the notion of equality. Even on a linguistic level, privilege can shut down discourse through its capacity to veil individual understandings of equality.

To privileged identities, equality often looks like oppression.

Consider, for example, the verbalization of certain identities as a strategy for labeling individuals. Calling someone, “the black guy” or, “the gay kid,” is a handy way of identifying them but, working in reverse, this strategy can seem threatening. Pointing out that a person is white, or straight, or a member of any other privileged identity often leads to apprehension or anger.

Perhaps, this fear of being identified originates from a place of ignorant bliss. By no natural fault of their own, privileged identities don’t often have to think about the implications of their privileged identities. In areas where oppressed identities are accustomed to consistent reminders of their identities, privileged folks are shaken by the presence of a label.

To those who have never had to consider their role in the imbalance of privilege and oppression, even small steps toward equality, particularly in language, seem revolutionary.

There are complexities in all of this, and oppression is a two-way street. There are many privileged individuals who are well-aware of their position in society and work toward equality and there are oppressed individuals who combat inequality with the same breed of oppression they endure.

The important thing to remember, though, is the process of discussing instances of injustice and inequality is far more important than any one word or phrase.

The present awareness of language used in discussions of privilege and oppression is the key to coherent discourse.

Austin Maas can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @austindmaas

1 reply

  1. Rob Myers (@MyStudentApt)

    Mr. Maas just gave a master class on how to write a full column and say absolutely nothing of worth or interest. That's not an easy thing to do folks, I'm here to tell you. Typically, even by accident, a writer can manage to issue one line that states something concrete and potentially worthwhile. This time, this author said "hold my kombucha" and achieved something few published writers could manage; to use thousands of letters and manage to convey not a single cogent thought. Save the participation trophy, this is worthy of the real deal.

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