oppressed-being-oppressors

[oppressed-being-oppressors]

1. Internalized Oppression..Heard of It?

Internalized oppression is when members of marginalized groups hold an oppressive view toward their own group, or they start to affirm negative stereotypes of themselves. It was something that caught my eye mostly because it has a place in my life. My interest came from being Native American and not growing up on a reservation.

Internalized oppression is real, it’s in the way we look at our peers and in the way our family looks at each other. In large communities of the oppressed it can be seen in the form of bullying or as small as teasing. I have relatives who lived on a reservation for their whole lives and were teased for a good portion of it for being different. From what I know personally there are parts of the Native American community that only see blood quantum. This meaning how much Native American blood you have. This relative of mine was teased for only being a quarter of the before mentioned tribe. A prime example of how internalized oppression is learned from a young age. 

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2.How I Addressed It.

How do you even address something as big as internalized oppression? My thoughts were to bring it up in the community that I knew and was most familiar  with. I talked to my mom, then I talked to my aunts and uncles. 

My mom had the same issues with the constant teasing. My aunt had girls bully her because she lived on a different reservation than where she was from. It really takes that saying, “Girls are mean.” to a new level. 

My mom was born and raised on the reservation, but she had pale skin, and freckles which made her look more spanish than Native American. She would get called names like “Wed-da”(A word in out language that means white girl.) or other derogatory names for white people. My aunt lived on the Laguna pueblo and Acoma Pueblo reservation but she and her dad were from the Isleta pueblo reservation. She told me that she was bullied for the few years that she went to the reservation schools. The girls brutalized her and made fun of her and finally she had to be moved to a high school just outside of the reservation. 

I think talking through what happened was really good for them and me. They had their closure with it but I think it helped to know that they weren’t the only ones dealing with this and that this wasn’t just a Native based issue but an issue for marginalized groups of people. 

[oppressed-being-oppressors]

3. Educate yourself

The only thing left to do was to start looking into what internalized oppression really meant for other people. 

After looking into my sources I found that a lot of what these authors were saying were similar to what I have been talking about. The sense of being “better” than others in the same group as you is common. The working definition of internalized oppression according to Laura M. Padilla is when distress patterns created by unhealed hurt emerge and the victim takes part in some type of harmful behavior. In this journal by Padilla she goes into how these patterns of caused externally. In a very simple way, it is like bullying from and oppressor. The oppressed then bullied other oppressed people. 

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To be called a breed is to be condescended to by someone ostensibly more authentic, implying that you as a breed are “less than,” you are racially—possibly culturally—incompetent, and your identity claims are dubious. You are altogether genetically inferior.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Indian Country Today (Source 2)

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Patterns of internalized oppression cause us to attack, criticize or have unrealistic expectations of any one of us who has the courage to step forward and take on leadership responsibilities.

Laura M. Padilla, “But You’re Not a Dirty Mexican”: Internalized Oppression, Latinos & Law

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4. Issues That (Inevitably) Arise

The big question that is also in the back of my mind is, what will they say? 

I have to wonder how people will react, especially those classified as oppressors. Will they be mad or will they actual realize their role in this awful cycle. While these questions race around my mind I remember that the point of this is to get that feedback and to see how others react. 

While those labeled as oppressors plague my mind with worry I know that the supporters are those who have the same thoughts and feelings. This is a rough topic that in my own community isn’t talked about, and is pushed to the side if it is. Most of these people base their beliefs on tradition which is hard to argue with without sounding even more of an outcast as you might already be. 

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5. I Did It...What Happened? and What Do I Do Now?

I showed more family my thoughts on this and had a discussion about this. I spoke with my mothers brothers and her sister who are all full Native American but different tribes and my little sisters mom who is half white and half Sioux. I also spoke with my dad, who is full Mexican but third generation. A lot of them knew this was going on. They hadn’t really thought much about it just because of how much it happens. A lot of them said that it was just teasing. My uncle specifically thought this and looked very thoughtful throughout the discussion. 

When I spoke to my dad he knew this happened but also had given it no mind because he grew up in a predominately white area of Oklahoma. He did talk about how when he did move to New Mexico he never really identified with being Mexican like all the other people who grew up in New Mexico in a more diverse area. 

Finally, my sisters mom was fully aware and was the only one who didn’t stand for it. She told me how when she was younger and was in college in South Dakota the other Natives on the reservation would tease her for being half white. She didn’t pay attention to them since her family was pale in general. She had a support system and that helped her. She is also a very strong (and stubborn) person but nonetheless someone who stood her ground. 

Now that the issue is addressed how do we proceed? Helping people to understand what this does to others and how it can affect communities is a big part. Talking to those who are guilty of oppressing their peers is a good place to start. Educating children on what internalized oppression is early on so that it doesn’t affect them and so they don’t do themselves in the future is also another way we can and prevent this cycle of hurt on marginalized  people who already deal with other issues on the daily.