The Four I's of Oppression

     The Four I's of Oppression are ideological, internalized, interpersonal, and institutional. They provide a framework for understanding how oppression can happen at different levels of society and also how it impacts individuals' lives.

    Ideological oppression comes from ingrained societal beliefs and values that often blank out "common sense." These ideas create strict boundaries such as the idea that a boy and girl should have certain behaviors and appearances. To go on it is the societal belief that pink is for girls and blue is for boys- when in reality colors do not define a gender. In the reading the author talks about how their childhood friend liked to wear boy clothes because it gave her comfort, but she was teased for it. That reminds me of the singer Billie Eilish and how for many years, and even still now, she wore baggier clothing instead of fitted clothing or dresses and the media thought she looked "too masculine." While I did not necessarily wear clothing for boys I grew up wearing sports wear 99% of the time and was deemed a "tomboy" which is a concept I never fully understood because despite what I wore I still liked to play with Barbie dolls, "house," and dress up, but my Adidas, Nike, and Under Armor brands somehow took away my femininity. I also played soccer growing up which people said made me strong, but at the same time I was also a serious gymnasts and people said that would make me graceful and "lady like." This reading did a good job at illustrating how ideological standards around gender can marginalize people who do not "fit" the part. 

    Internalized oppression is when a person starts to believe what society says and it instills self-doubt, shame, or self-hate. For example, I think of someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ might grow up in a homophobic home environment or school setting and it may make them hide who they truly are because they believe that "gay is wrong." To hide this in can have lasting emotional and psychological impacts, preventing individuals from fully embracing who they are and sadly it still happens more often than it should.

    Interpersonal oppression is when oppression is played out in interactions between people or groups. Sometimes it is intentional, like acts of exclusion or discrimination, or it can be unintentional. I think of the show Glee when a trans character, Unique, was excluded by her old singing group because they did not accept her expression of herself. This kind of exclusion,  unintentional or not, had effects on Uniques social experience and sense of belonging and did not know if they could continue to be in any Glee club. Interpersonal oppression can happen in any setting and is something to be aware of.

    Institutional oppression is the systemic structures, policies, and practices that reinforce inequality on a large scale, often without being questioned. This includes laws, corporate policies, and institutional practices that create unequal opportunities for different groups. For example, predominantly Black neighborhoods more often than not receive less funding for schools compared to predominantly white neighborhoods. This results in fewer resources, opportunities, and poorer outcomes for the students. This disparity is an example of how institutional oppression maintains inequality because it limits opportunities for certain groups based on race or socioeconomic status.

    Understanding the four interconnected forms of oppression allows educators and individuals to better identify how oppression works in society and work to help prevent it from happening it. It is especially important in classrooms so you can create an inclusive environment where all students—regardless of background, gender, or race—can have equal opportunities to succeed. It is especially important to know that oppression can happen in more ways than one and that addressing these issues more effectively and creating spaces that actively challenge systemic inequalities is how you can prevent anyone from feeling or being oppressed- unintentional or not. 

This is a video that I thought showed how much power interpersonal oppression can have on someone. This is Unique singing "If I Were a Boy" after she was followed home and shamed for wearing dresses and makeup because people were not accepting who she truly is. 

Unique From Glee


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