Tunnel of Oppression

Tania Cox

WMST 250

Katie King

22 April 2008

Tunnel of Oppression

Intersection Analysis

There is the form of oppression regarding race and ethnicity that intersects with the oppressions of being a member of the LGTB community. The oppression felt by members of the LGTB community is widespread. Discrimination is felt at work, in schools, and in the household. It was noted in the exhibit that four heterosexual students claimed they were harassed for their perceived sexuality as being queer, for every one student who actually was a part of the LGTB community and reported being harassed. This quote is very telling about how widespread heterosexism is in our society and how it immobilizes people in fear and silence. How could it be that more straight people are harassed for being queer than actual queer people? This anomaly goes to show how many instances of abuse against people who are not heterosexual are unreported. When these dominating forces are coupled with someone belonging to a particular race or ethnicity, the troubles only get worse. I did not write down specific statistics from the exhibit regarding the discrimination against people of color in LGTB communities because this is my own reality and I know it all to well.

Many cultures have very strict prohibitions against homosexual sex. The posters on the wall showed how many different religions had very harsh punishments against those who were found to be engaging in homosexual behavior. The most common punishment was death. This shows how cultural variations are of significant importance and often serve as other sources of oppression for people who are other than heterosexual. Outside of someone’s culture, the mainstream society and even the LGTB community discriminates against people who are not white, and male in sex and gender. Other races, genders, and gender expressions that are not stereotypically masculine are not represented in the mainstream society. When gay figures are seen in the media, they are often white, male, and wealthy. I have only once seen someone who was queer and looked like my friends and me. It was some sort of educational program by BET. It aired twice, and I never saw it again. The exception though is ads for AIDS and HIV medications, or when there is conversation about sex acts. When it comes to prescription ads, or fulfilling sexual favors, then I see and hear about people who are colored.

Structures of Oppression

The station about mass media had many structures of oppression. The mass media is especially powerful because they disseminate information to the masses. This means they can support their own agendas or biases in the process. They do so via radio, magazines, cartoons and things on film, and the news on TV. They showed how there is a monopoly on who owns the media, and there for, the reason why what we see is so repetitive. They even had a tree to show how so many companies are owned by one big giant. They showed the effects of advertising in the mass media where it can affect consumerism. They showed how children are heavily marked to and how they are socialized with propaganda in cartoons that reinforces stereotypes about colored people in America.

Art

The art used in the exhibits were especially good at drawing out emotional responses from the audience. The music helped to facilitate a mood that corresponded with the emotions felt. The art and audio performances had the same effect. They were very direct in illustrating aspects of people’s oppression. The headphones exhibit for example, had people calling out all kinds of racially and sexually derogatory terms. There were also interactive exhibits that called on the observer to see the ‘bits of the oppressor inside of us’ (Audre Lorde). Some were so direct that I avoided them. The one about sexual oppression with the exhibit on female circumcision was too much for me. I know all about female circumcision but I was not prepared to see the 3 clay vaginas showing the mutilation.

Activism

For activism, I went to the freepress.net website. The website was really good and I started to use it to read up more about mass media and the control that they have. They had really good and relevant news about propaganda by the government and Rupert Murdoch’s continued endeavors toward amassing even more media outlets, in particular, Newsweek. I think this website was especially good because it educated viewers on things like Internet neutrality and had links and resources so that people can get involved. I did the research prior to reading this question and I am happy that I did. I am happy that I am getting involved in important movements like Internet neutrality, which does not get much publicity, but is so incredibly important. The Internet is the last frontier so to speak and we must keep it neutral and free from the hegemonic forces that have pervaded all other avenues of society.