Deconstructing the Legacy of Internalized Oppression

"Internalized oppression is not the cause of our mistreatment, it is the result of our mistreatment. It would not exist without the real external oppression that forms the social climate in which we exist. Once oppression has been internalized, little force is needed to keep us submissive. We harbor inside ourselves, the pain and the memories, the fears and the confusions, the self-images, and the low expectations turning them into weapons with which to reinjure ourselves everyday of our lives"----unknown

"The most powerful tool of the oppressor, is the mind of the oppressed"----steven biko

"Davina, you need to be strong and independent, no one is going to take care of you." Why is it that when a man is direct and out spoken he is assertive, but when a woman is, she is a bitch, aggressive, or it's that time of the month!.... Women do most, if not all of the domestic responsibilities, work full time and raise the kids. You doubt me, well i have experienced it and it has a name, it's called the double-shift!....Working mother is redundant.... If a man has all of those responsibilities he complains that its too much pressure....I have used sex to be in control, I had the power, then I learned it's was the wrong kind of power.... Please your man, your nothing without a man, stand by your man..... "Stay with the fire fighter because he can take care of you." Grandma, you forgot to ask me if he makes me happy..... I definitely pass for white, no one will ever know that Im Mexican. I dont even speak Spanish, so that must mean i'm white.... Grandma, I read this incredible book about a Mexican family, our people. Oh mija, your always trying so hard to be Mexican. As I wipe back my tears, I think to myself, well then what am I?.... My grandma calls me guera, I thought that was a term of endearment, but in Echo Park this girl called me guera, and coming from her, it didnt sound so nice..... In my own neighborhood people say, You dont look white what are you?.....Why do those dirty Mexicans whistle at us, fucking wetbacks....

"Mom, why is that old man eating out of the garbage can? He's a homeless person. What's a homeless person? Someone who eats out of garbage cans...My great-grandmother worked in the laundry for over twenty years in El Paso. My history book says that Mexicans were usually assigned the worst jobs and that there was a dual wage system. Mexicans did unskilled labor while whites were given skilled jobs and supervisory positions. Up until WWII, the military was segregated towards blacks. They can fight for their country, but not next to Whites in combat. Why did it take till college for me to hear this side of american history. Now i'm pissed off and angry....If people were created equal there would be no need for civil rights....White Christian men get higher paying jobs compared to women and people of color....Women make something like .74 cents on the dollar compared to a man.....Vote no on Prop 187......My family will not be your status quo!.....A beautiful God once said, Si se puede!....When I see a group of black men hangin at the curbside, I cross the street to feel safe or when it is a group of Latinos or Asians. Wait a minute before you get the wrong idea, this fear of mine is colorblind, I cross the street when I see a group of men PERIOD because men in groups make me feel unsafe. I fear being groped, verbally abused or possibly raped. These are not fabricated fears, lets just say I have on the job experienced.....

Feminist is not an F word....my goddess gave birth to your god.....I know who I am. Im a woman. Im Mexican, Indigena, French, Irish, Dutch, and Italian, nurturing, compassionate, honest, and vulnerable, Im a mother, daughter, significant other, friend, .....Why does it say on my dads birth certificate that he is white? Clearly he is a person of color and it is clear that he will not have the same advantages as a white kid by the name of Jason Smith.....The U.S is guilty of Japanese internment and Mexican repatriation even though these people were American citizens for many generations and proved their U.S loyalty time and time again.....We are doing it now in 2003 only it is Middle Eastern looking people. Whose next? I fucking hate Americas hypocrisy......Has anyone stop to think what the fuck America has done to piss off other countries?.....Dr. Martin Luther King, you give me an once of hope even when I feel overwhelmingly helpless....

Mixed blood....The ideology of whiteness asserts that those with light skin are more deserving.....Yes, I have been called a lesbian, tomboy, or dyke. And yes, I have been encouraged to put my own needs aside in favor of a man.....Speak to all systems of oppression.....If we dont educate ourselves about all peoples history, we cant change the future.....Heterosexual: having positive media images of people with whom you can identify. Social acceptance by neighbors, colleagues, and good friends. Not having to hide and lie.....40% of women who are killed in the U.S., are by husbands or boyfriends....

Truth is a lot harder to accept than lies. Talking about it helps it lose some of its power. Youre developing a new consciousness.....No Me Llames Hispanic......Race is a biological fiction, we are all one race: 98.4 chimpanzee and the rest human.....Whites are taught not to recognize white privilege; men deny that they are over privileged and people of color suffer internalized racism.....Racism creates a mania for hierarchy.....Womens allegiance to sexism and patriarchy colludes with male dominance....Theres the reality of freedom and the illusion of freedom. It is a lot easier to be ignorant that to seek the truth..... In the world, we have not dealt with patriarchy...

Motivated representation.....Worship of capitalism is the biggest religion....Power concedes nothing without struggle....The 1960s was the first time that Black Americans loved themselves. Their generation thought they would brake the race barrier, but it turned into class barriers.....I minimize your feelings, so I dont have to deal with them....What if the world is not what you thought.....If you dont do your work youre useless.....Women are acceptable if they are young, beautiful, smell good, skinny, and able-bodied....Transform revolution from within, dismantle history by learning your own.....First thought, best thought......

Contempt in society for all things feminine causes women to devalue each other and creates a festering battleground for misogyny......Racism has flown and I have let it fly..... Masculinity is equated with brutality and aggressiveness.....Heterosexism promotes and supports fear and instills hate in people who see others different than themselves..... The oppressions of race, class, and gender come directly from White Supremacy, Capitalism, and Patriarchy.....A cultivated person is not someone who knows much information, its someone who invites the division of educated and uneducated people to interact, who loves nature, who lives and speaks the language of everyone..... If we can get beyond the place we are now, something very important may happen in the world