Oppression is Infectious

This is another writing from 2015 that again, is still applicable in 2019.  Re-reading my writing from four years ago is a little depressing because I realize things have only gotten worse. 

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I am becoming more and more frustrated with the news.  Republicans make me moody, honestly.  What is sad is that it was not always this way.  I've voted for Republicans in the past, admired Ronald Reagan when I was a child, and he still has admirable traits even when you see past trickle-down economics and other faults.  I loved John McCain until Sarah Palin entered his life.  I even voted for a Republican governor in my home state many years ago.  So, I don't hate Republicans, but I really, really dislike a lot of what is being said by GOP Presidential hopefuls.

When Obama became POTUS, I was happy to see progress in America.  I felt that minorities really stepped up and made a statement and with that, we may see more equality in America.  We all know how the rate of inequality has actually increased.  In part, we can blame racism.  After all, The Tea Party was born out of the birthers movement, and after that, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked an increase in hate groups since Obama took office.

I also remember seeing a lot of posters with Obama's face with the word "Marxist" scribbled beneath it.  If you ask Google what Marxism is, it gives a simple answer: the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism.  Sounds pretty ominous.  It lead to communism?  So, that's bad, right?

Well, Karl Marx was a very intelligent man, and he had some very interesting things to say about the analysis of society.  His views fall under what is called the Conflict Model.  Simply put, the Conflict Model views society as always being in conflict and it is actually a normal feature of life.  However, it also states that the distribution of power is influenced by the conflict in society, where there is always competition for advantage.  Marx believed that the tension in society was between two basic groups: the ones that have wealth and the means of production, and the poor that have to work for the wealthy.  He believed the powerful are always working to protect their status and privileges, and oppress those who have no power.  The oppressed accept what is handed to them, until they become aware and start a revolution.

That seems pretty logical, at least to me.  In fact, it appear as if that is exactly what is going on in America today.  Let me give you a few examples.  Planned Parenthood has been under attack by Governors and Republicans in Congress.  Giving underprivileged women access to family planning, cancer screening, STD testing, and yes, even the right to have an abortion.  When women are deprived this access, they have less power.  This is a good example of how the haves oppress the have-nots.  Voting laws have also been changed in various states, and because of this, the oppressed have less options to obtain proper ID and then they do not vote.  More oppression.

Oppression is like an infectious disease.  It spreads like the flu, except there is no vaccination or protection against it.

It isn't just women that are being oppressed, minorities have always, and may always be continually oppressed.  The white male in America has the most life chances to succeed, and everyone else is ranked below him.  A simple look at the majority of politicians, the wage gap between genders, and the rate of incarceration for minorities are all proof positive for my statements.

The elements of oppression are topics I will discuss further in my blog.  Each topic deserves its own dedicated post.

To circle back to my original thought about Republicans making me moody, it is because I see all the oppression, proposed oppression, and radical ethnocentrism coming from that side of the political aisle.  They're always fighting about something, and that "something" is usually about keeping oppressive policies in place or how to create new ones .  On the other side, the Democrats are fighting are about how to create equality and lessen the gaps of inequality.

It is such a stark contrast, and I suppose to each his own, but one side seems a lot more like a communist party than one of democracy.  Perhaps that's just me.