Matrix Of Domination
Alicia Misci
My Purpose
To show the matrix of domination in my life and to also bring attention to the undefined line that determines unmarked and marked categories in different contexts.
My Definition
Never-ending cycle where people are grouped in more than one marked or unmarked category simultaneously throughout their lives.
In some settings, a person may be considered marked where in another, that person may be unmarked.
Significance
Gender
Policeman: Physical Power
Superior
Me: Inferior to Males
Subordinate as a woman
Race
Policeman: Majority; African American
Me: Minority; European American
Not Invisible Now
Typically unmarked categories are “not seen” because they are a majority and they are ‘below the radar.’
However, in a city where a white person, typically an unmarked group member, is a minority, is white turned into a marked group?
Geographic Location
Aston, PA
Drug Stores
Developments of Homes
Suburb
Unmarked
Chester, PA
Drug Deals
Run-Down Stores
Public Housing
City
Marked
Class
Middle-Class
Decent Cars
People start to attain part-time jobs usually during high school
Children Play Safely in Streets
Unmarked because people have jobs and money for necessities and some luxuries.
Lower-Class
Beat up Cars
People without jobs
Street Loiterers
Unsafe for Children
Many People on Welfare
Marked because people feel inferior to those with jobs and money when they are without either.
My Creative Project
Immigration of 1900s
People who had been in America said the same thing about Italians, etc. as they do now about Latinos.
“Dirty Sicilians”
Many Italians were falsely convicted of crimes and alliance with fascism; Sacco and Vanzetti
Underpaid, poor living conditions
Tuberculosis and other diseases and health complications were common
Immigration Today
Much anti-immigration supporters
People have negative connotations of people different than themselves.
Americans do not realize we are primarily descendants of immigrants if not immigrants ourselves.
People are coming to America for opportunities and a better, safer life just like before.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Matrix of Domination
Lauren Kessler
4-16-08
WMST250 Sec. 0108
The matrix of domination is a representation of those group classifications which simultaneously privilege and oppress us. Society perpetuates these marked and unmarked categories of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, religion and the like, which intersect with the lives of others. Created are dominant and subordinate groups which instill in us both greater and lesser degrees of power, and it is from my personal stand-point that I analyze this in my life and in the interconnected lives of others.
I am a white, middle-class, heterosexual, agnostic, twenty-year old, able-bodied female from suburban Maryland. I am classified through the matrix of domination according to that which advances and hinders me. I am generally unmarked in that I am white, middle-class, heterosexual, young, and able-bodied; I am marked because I am not a Christian and am female. Whether these characteristics are marked or unmarked refers of course to the society in which I live, so that is what I will speak of. In certain other geographic areas or certain other life circumstances, the markedness of the characteristic will be subject to change, because it is society that builds and accentuates the matrix.
In general in the United States, a white person is considered unmarked, and therefore privileged, while a minority race would be less so and considered subordinate in terms of the power they hold in society. This is seen in many avenues of life, from the political to the occupational to those prejudices which have been ingrained in us since we were young. The vast majority of people holding positions of political power, such as in Congress or as governors, are white. There is a large disparity in the wealth of a white person to that of any minority race. The percentage of minorities in the prison system, in relation to total national representation, is much greater than that of whites and it's not because they commit more crimes. Rather, it is because they are marked by those with privilege and are treated as such.
In varying degrees in most of the world, men easily hold more power than women, and women are considered subordinate to men on multiple levels. As with other social characteristics, the disparity between genders has bettered with time, but it originates as far back as we have history in times when men hunted and gathered while women stayed home and raised children, cooked and cleaned. Men are the 'default' people, and they are considered stronger and dominant while women are weaker, quieter, and more submissive. In the United States women hold quite equal power to men in comparison to other countries, but they still make less money and are discriminated against now and then. Women are a marked category in groups of men, such as in jobs considered to be for men only and in other circumstances.
The United States suffers a huge disparity in the wealth and socio-economic status of its citizens, yet we pride ourselves on being a 'class-less' society. A tiny, unmarked minority of the population holds the majority of the wealth, and thus the power, and this is true also in the world. The majority of people claim to lie in the 'middle' in politics and in other avenues, and most claim to be 'middle-class'. This is the unmarked category of class because, of course, it lies on neither extreme and is therefore the unnoticed default class. However, the middle class is disappearing as the disparity increases, and the lower class is left oppressed, powerless, and marked as somehow less-than by the rest of society. Compared to other areas of the world, the United States is superfluously affluent. Our lower class represents the highest of other societies, and we struggle to comprehend the poverty in areas such as in sub-Saharan Africa where people go days without eating and die before they are thirty-years old. We abandon these people completely, we forget them, we mark them in our misunderstanding of the way the world works, and we underestimate the ability of the powerful to alleviate their situation.
Christianity is the most followed religion in the world at around 30% of the total population, and it is vastly predominant in the United States. People in our society learn at a young age or from birth that there is one God, and he is a Christian god; we celebrate holidays based on these ideologies, children learn to pledge allegience to the country under Him, and His name is on all of our money. Because of its prevalence it is considered the unmarked religion, as Hinduism would be considered unmarked in India. Other minority religions such as Islam are therefore naturally misunderstood by the majority of people, and this creates prejudice. Too many American citizens think being a Muslim or even being of Arab descent means being a terrorist or supporting terrorism, and there are countless other unfounded conclusions formed about other minority religions or spiritualities. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Atheism, Agnosticism, Wiccan and Buddhism are strange and intimidating, but our unmarked Christianity is comfortable.
Our perceptions of age as a marked or unmarked category are conflicting because there are times when being young is both favored and disfavored by society, as is being older. It depends upon the time and circumstance. Young adults are considered an unmarked category in that they are a new, hopeful generation of able-bodied, eager people. They graduate from college ready to enter the workforce and make changes and better the world, and therefore they have all the power. The marked older generations fade into privacy and security and eventually develop disabilities or pass away, and they are therefore the submissive category. On the other hand, youth is at times not a positive trait; older generations like to comment on how different it was when they were kids, how they respected their parents and followed the rules and so forth, as if today's youth were really not the same. This reversal of markedness was particularly evident in the 60s with the rise of a free-spirited hippie generation which generated fear and misunderstanding in the older population.
Given that the United States is essentially a nation founded under Christian beliefs and is still predominately Christian, the issue of homosexuality in regard to its religious and moral implications has been a passionate topic of discussion historically, and even more so recently. Of course, the unmarked sexual orientation would be heterosexual, as the traditional, unmarked family dynamic is that of a wife and a husband of opposite sexes who come together to raise children. People of homosexual orientation are generally accepted as equals by the majority of society, though they are often not understood, as they are still not allowed to marry as a man and woman may marry. Prejudices and misconceptions about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people abound, as does violence against them with the frequency of that against another race, religion or the like, and thus the problem of its markedness is readily apparent.
In general, I am considered an unmarked category for being white, heterosexual, middle-class, young, and able-bodied, and this grants me privilege and power over marked others. I am rarely discriminated against because of my race or sexual orientation. Assumptions are rarely made about me because I am white and even more rarely because I am heterosexual. I am not looked down upon for being of a low class, and I am not considered pompous or spoiled for being of a high class. I am a young adult with ample opportunity for growth and success in my life, and I am given the power to earn a college degree and work in an admirable occupation. I am mentally, emotionally and socially able and am subordinate to few people based on those abilities.
Though privileged to be unmarked, I am also considered a marked category because I am female and because I am not a Christian, among other traits that arise in various situations. As a female I am viewed as being physically weaker than males in that some strenuous occupations would not suit me and I would not be asked to complete certain tasks more suitable for men. I am viewed as emotionally weaker as well in that I more readily display my feelings and less able to perceive situations with objective reason. Because I consider myself agnostic, or otherwise not a Christian, I am perceived as being less moral than someone with strong religious beliefs though being religious certainly does not imply being ethical.
Throughout my childhood, my father had substantially more influence on me than did my mother. I also grew up with two step-brothers who were close to me in age and with whom I spent a lot of time. I had always noticed that I was different simply because I was the female child, which made me uncomfortable, and I desired to be like my father and brothers. Life seemed simpler and happier for them. I noticed that they treated me differently than they treated eachother. They couldn't joke around with me, couldn't pick fights, couldn't tease, and when we would throw a football or baseball around they didn't expect me to throw it right or catch it. They marked me because of my gender as being weaker and more vulnerable. Similarly, when I was younger I played on a soccer team that was all male except for one other girl and myself. I was a decent soccer player and could certainly match up to most of them in skill and speed and the like, but I noticed I was treated differently anyway. They weren't as rough with me as they were with eachother though I was rough with them, and I didn't get put into games as much as they did. They would become frustrated when I would make a mistake more so than when each other would, as if I shouldn't be playing in the first place so if I play I should be perfect. They deemed themselves dominant to me because I was a female in a circumstance in which I did not belong.
Another instance in which I noticed my markedness within the matrix occurred while attending a conference at my friend's very strict, very exclusive, reformed Presbyterian church. This church does not have many followers on the national level, it denies that humans have free will, and it asserts that you can not choose to follow Christ but that God chooses whether you go to Heaven by randomly predetermining your life path. At the time I believed in a higher power and I was and am a spiritual person, but I was not a Christian. The church members considered me to be sinful, immoral, and arrogant, and they tried to teach me the right path and desired to convert me to their church. I was uncomfortable when they looked at and talked to me and I felt I was castigated by them as a whole for having differing, or rather, uncertain religious beliefs, however open I actually was to receiving their input and learning from them. The pastor seemed to exhibit an extraordinary amount of power and control on the level of a cult leader by representing his group of believers, and he alone made me feel as if I were subordinate and condemned while listening to his sermon. By entering this social group I became a marked category as a non-Christian in which I was a minority in a group of unmarked, oppressive and militant Christians.
Within this church, it was also clear that traditional gender roles were strictly enforced, like in many cults, and the women were powerless over and subordinate to the men. Women were not encouraged to continue schooling past high school, and they were to marry another member of the church and produce children while maintaining the home. Fathers have indefinate authority over their daughters until they are married, and then it is the husband who has indefinate authority over his wife. In this circumstance, the markedness of females as the oppressed gender is seemingly as apparent as that in the Old Testament of the Bible.
There are circumstances in which the marked and unmarked categories perpetuated by society are subject to change or reversed completely based on the situation or location in which one finds himself or herself. A white person becomes a marked minority in a group of another race, as does a man in a group of women. There are several instances in which it has occurred to me that general unmarked characteristics I possess have been reversed by circumstance and put me in a place of subordination and powerlessness.
My boyfriend, his friends and I frequently drive to West Baltimore because they like to collect antiques and the old, abandoned houses on the west end are good for digging bottles and other collectibles. The city, specifically this community, is predominately black and lower-class, and drug distribution and prostitution are visible on many streets in the middle of the day. In West Baltimore I am a brightly-marked category due to my gender, race, and age. When people see a young, white female walking around the streets with a few men they assume I am a prostitute or that we are looking for drugs, and on several occasions people have tried to sell us drugs or have yelled to us to try and get our attention. One man followed us a few blocks asking us if we 'needed anything' though we said we didn't multiple times, and made comments to me about my physical appearance. In this circumstance I am a marked category and assumptions are naturally formed about me by the unmarked, and thus I am put in a position of oppression. Although I may be more privileged than them from the standpoint of the general population as an unmarked category, here I am a minority and am treated accordingly.
Each Christmas I attend a party held by my grandfather in an affluent area of northwest D.C. The vast majority of the attendees are friends of the family member and are wealthy, well-to-do socialites and businessmen and women. This situation always brings forth issues of class difference and socio-economic status. My family is middle-class and my father has a blue-collar job as an electrician; my stepmother manages a chain of grocery stores. We dress up nicely and present ourselves well but always feel out of place there as people chat over wine about yachts and stocks and the like. We usually enjoy ourselves but that is because we are associating within the family, and when talking politely with other attendees we feel a bit awkward despite the forced decency. It seems as if most of the people around us at the party had marked us as a lower class and they do not associate with us as much as they associate with each other. At one time, my stepmother walked up to greet a woman and her daughter and they ignored her completely, the mother said, "Come on, let's go over here", and they walked away, though it was obvious to anyone that my stepmother was speaking to them. Perhaps this is merely my perception, but the fact remains that prejudices and misconceptions naturally exist between people that live in different worlds. I personally felt as if these people deemed themselves more powerful and more privileged than I because of their reputations as such, and treated me as if I were subordinate to them.
When in Baltimore I also notice my privilege of being of an unmarked middle-class. There are many homeless, drug-addicted and mentally-ill people living on the streets whose only control in society is that of their own livelihood. Obviously I exhibit power over them simply because I have a home and a little bit of money. Many people do not empathize with the plight of the homeless that beg for money on the streets; they are strikingly unsympathetic and blaming. They assume that since they find it easy to get a job, everyone finds it easy, so they should stop being lazy and show some initiative and get a job. Again, many of them are mentally-ill and are not capable of getting a job, or are in the grips of an all-consuming drug or alcohol addiction and they have no one pleading for them to get better. If they did apply for a job, many employers would not want to hire a person with a disability or who looks disheveled and has no contact information for their application.
As much as we deny our prejudices and tendencies to judge based on race, class, gender and the like, society and the individual has been long ingrained with the marked and unmarked categories that imply power or submission in our lives. It is through thoughtful evaluation of my life experiences that I understand the matrix of domination and how it effects the ways I am perceived by the world.
4-16-08
WMST250 Sec. 0108
The matrix of domination is a representation of those group classifications which simultaneously privilege and oppress us. Society perpetuates these marked and unmarked categories of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, religion and the like, which intersect with the lives of others. Created are dominant and subordinate groups which instill in us both greater and lesser degrees of power, and it is from my personal stand-point that I analyze this in my life and in the interconnected lives of others.
I am a white, middle-class, heterosexual, agnostic, twenty-year old, able-bodied female from suburban Maryland. I am classified through the matrix of domination according to that which advances and hinders me. I am generally unmarked in that I am white, middle-class, heterosexual, young, and able-bodied; I am marked because I am not a Christian and am female. Whether these characteristics are marked or unmarked refers of course to the society in which I live, so that is what I will speak of. In certain other geographic areas or certain other life circumstances, the markedness of the characteristic will be subject to change, because it is society that builds and accentuates the matrix.
In general in the United States, a white person is considered unmarked, and therefore privileged, while a minority race would be less so and considered subordinate in terms of the power they hold in society. This is seen in many avenues of life, from the political to the occupational to those prejudices which have been ingrained in us since we were young. The vast majority of people holding positions of political power, such as in Congress or as governors, are white. There is a large disparity in the wealth of a white person to that of any minority race. The percentage of minorities in the prison system, in relation to total national representation, is much greater than that of whites and it's not because they commit more crimes. Rather, it is because they are marked by those with privilege and are treated as such.
In varying degrees in most of the world, men easily hold more power than women, and women are considered subordinate to men on multiple levels. As with other social characteristics, the disparity between genders has bettered with time, but it originates as far back as we have history in times when men hunted and gathered while women stayed home and raised children, cooked and cleaned. Men are the 'default' people, and they are considered stronger and dominant while women are weaker, quieter, and more submissive. In the United States women hold quite equal power to men in comparison to other countries, but they still make less money and are discriminated against now and then. Women are a marked category in groups of men, such as in jobs considered to be for men only and in other circumstances.
The United States suffers a huge disparity in the wealth and socio-economic status of its citizens, yet we pride ourselves on being a 'class-less' society. A tiny, unmarked minority of the population holds the majority of the wealth, and thus the power, and this is true also in the world. The majority of people claim to lie in the 'middle' in politics and in other avenues, and most claim to be 'middle-class'. This is the unmarked category of class because, of course, it lies on neither extreme and is therefore the unnoticed default class. However, the middle class is disappearing as the disparity increases, and the lower class is left oppressed, powerless, and marked as somehow less-than by the rest of society. Compared to other areas of the world, the United States is superfluously affluent. Our lower class represents the highest of other societies, and we struggle to comprehend the poverty in areas such as in sub-Saharan Africa where people go days without eating and die before they are thirty-years old. We abandon these people completely, we forget them, we mark them in our misunderstanding of the way the world works, and we underestimate the ability of the powerful to alleviate their situation.
Christianity is the most followed religion in the world at around 30% of the total population, and it is vastly predominant in the United States. People in our society learn at a young age or from birth that there is one God, and he is a Christian god; we celebrate holidays based on these ideologies, children learn to pledge allegience to the country under Him, and His name is on all of our money. Because of its prevalence it is considered the unmarked religion, as Hinduism would be considered unmarked in India. Other minority religions such as Islam are therefore naturally misunderstood by the majority of people, and this creates prejudice. Too many American citizens think being a Muslim or even being of Arab descent means being a terrorist or supporting terrorism, and there are countless other unfounded conclusions formed about other minority religions or spiritualities. Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Atheism, Agnosticism, Wiccan and Buddhism are strange and intimidating, but our unmarked Christianity is comfortable.
Our perceptions of age as a marked or unmarked category are conflicting because there are times when being young is both favored and disfavored by society, as is being older. It depends upon the time and circumstance. Young adults are considered an unmarked category in that they are a new, hopeful generation of able-bodied, eager people. They graduate from college ready to enter the workforce and make changes and better the world, and therefore they have all the power. The marked older generations fade into privacy and security and eventually develop disabilities or pass away, and they are therefore the submissive category. On the other hand, youth is at times not a positive trait; older generations like to comment on how different it was when they were kids, how they respected their parents and followed the rules and so forth, as if today's youth were really not the same. This reversal of markedness was particularly evident in the 60s with the rise of a free-spirited hippie generation which generated fear and misunderstanding in the older population.
Given that the United States is essentially a nation founded under Christian beliefs and is still predominately Christian, the issue of homosexuality in regard to its religious and moral implications has been a passionate topic of discussion historically, and even more so recently. Of course, the unmarked sexual orientation would be heterosexual, as the traditional, unmarked family dynamic is that of a wife and a husband of opposite sexes who come together to raise children. People of homosexual orientation are generally accepted as equals by the majority of society, though they are often not understood, as they are still not allowed to marry as a man and woman may marry. Prejudices and misconceptions about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people abound, as does violence against them with the frequency of that against another race, religion or the like, and thus the problem of its markedness is readily apparent.
In general, I am considered an unmarked category for being white, heterosexual, middle-class, young, and able-bodied, and this grants me privilege and power over marked others. I am rarely discriminated against because of my race or sexual orientation. Assumptions are rarely made about me because I am white and even more rarely because I am heterosexual. I am not looked down upon for being of a low class, and I am not considered pompous or spoiled for being of a high class. I am a young adult with ample opportunity for growth and success in my life, and I am given the power to earn a college degree and work in an admirable occupation. I am mentally, emotionally and socially able and am subordinate to few people based on those abilities.
Though privileged to be unmarked, I am also considered a marked category because I am female and because I am not a Christian, among other traits that arise in various situations. As a female I am viewed as being physically weaker than males in that some strenuous occupations would not suit me and I would not be asked to complete certain tasks more suitable for men. I am viewed as emotionally weaker as well in that I more readily display my feelings and less able to perceive situations with objective reason. Because I consider myself agnostic, or otherwise not a Christian, I am perceived as being less moral than someone with strong religious beliefs though being religious certainly does not imply being ethical.
Throughout my childhood, my father had substantially more influence on me than did my mother. I also grew up with two step-brothers who were close to me in age and with whom I spent a lot of time. I had always noticed that I was different simply because I was the female child, which made me uncomfortable, and I desired to be like my father and brothers. Life seemed simpler and happier for them. I noticed that they treated me differently than they treated eachother. They couldn't joke around with me, couldn't pick fights, couldn't tease, and when we would throw a football or baseball around they didn't expect me to throw it right or catch it. They marked me because of my gender as being weaker and more vulnerable. Similarly, when I was younger I played on a soccer team that was all male except for one other girl and myself. I was a decent soccer player and could certainly match up to most of them in skill and speed and the like, but I noticed I was treated differently anyway. They weren't as rough with me as they were with eachother though I was rough with them, and I didn't get put into games as much as they did. They would become frustrated when I would make a mistake more so than when each other would, as if I shouldn't be playing in the first place so if I play I should be perfect. They deemed themselves dominant to me because I was a female in a circumstance in which I did not belong.
Another instance in which I noticed my markedness within the matrix occurred while attending a conference at my friend's very strict, very exclusive, reformed Presbyterian church. This church does not have many followers on the national level, it denies that humans have free will, and it asserts that you can not choose to follow Christ but that God chooses whether you go to Heaven by randomly predetermining your life path. At the time I believed in a higher power and I was and am a spiritual person, but I was not a Christian. The church members considered me to be sinful, immoral, and arrogant, and they tried to teach me the right path and desired to convert me to their church. I was uncomfortable when they looked at and talked to me and I felt I was castigated by them as a whole for having differing, or rather, uncertain religious beliefs, however open I actually was to receiving their input and learning from them. The pastor seemed to exhibit an extraordinary amount of power and control on the level of a cult leader by representing his group of believers, and he alone made me feel as if I were subordinate and condemned while listening to his sermon. By entering this social group I became a marked category as a non-Christian in which I was a minority in a group of unmarked, oppressive and militant Christians.
Within this church, it was also clear that traditional gender roles were strictly enforced, like in many cults, and the women were powerless over and subordinate to the men. Women were not encouraged to continue schooling past high school, and they were to marry another member of the church and produce children while maintaining the home. Fathers have indefinate authority over their daughters until they are married, and then it is the husband who has indefinate authority over his wife. In this circumstance, the markedness of females as the oppressed gender is seemingly as apparent as that in the Old Testament of the Bible.
There are circumstances in which the marked and unmarked categories perpetuated by society are subject to change or reversed completely based on the situation or location in which one finds himself or herself. A white person becomes a marked minority in a group of another race, as does a man in a group of women. There are several instances in which it has occurred to me that general unmarked characteristics I possess have been reversed by circumstance and put me in a place of subordination and powerlessness.
My boyfriend, his friends and I frequently drive to West Baltimore because they like to collect antiques and the old, abandoned houses on the west end are good for digging bottles and other collectibles. The city, specifically this community, is predominately black and lower-class, and drug distribution and prostitution are visible on many streets in the middle of the day. In West Baltimore I am a brightly-marked category due to my gender, race, and age. When people see a young, white female walking around the streets with a few men they assume I am a prostitute or that we are looking for drugs, and on several occasions people have tried to sell us drugs or have yelled to us to try and get our attention. One man followed us a few blocks asking us if we 'needed anything' though we said we didn't multiple times, and made comments to me about my physical appearance. In this circumstance I am a marked category and assumptions are naturally formed about me by the unmarked, and thus I am put in a position of oppression. Although I may be more privileged than them from the standpoint of the general population as an unmarked category, here I am a minority and am treated accordingly.
Each Christmas I attend a party held by my grandfather in an affluent area of northwest D.C. The vast majority of the attendees are friends of the family member and are wealthy, well-to-do socialites and businessmen and women. This situation always brings forth issues of class difference and socio-economic status. My family is middle-class and my father has a blue-collar job as an electrician; my stepmother manages a chain of grocery stores. We dress up nicely and present ourselves well but always feel out of place there as people chat over wine about yachts and stocks and the like. We usually enjoy ourselves but that is because we are associating within the family, and when talking politely with other attendees we feel a bit awkward despite the forced decency. It seems as if most of the people around us at the party had marked us as a lower class and they do not associate with us as much as they associate with each other. At one time, my stepmother walked up to greet a woman and her daughter and they ignored her completely, the mother said, "Come on, let's go over here", and they walked away, though it was obvious to anyone that my stepmother was speaking to them. Perhaps this is merely my perception, but the fact remains that prejudices and misconceptions naturally exist between people that live in different worlds. I personally felt as if these people deemed themselves more powerful and more privileged than I because of their reputations as such, and treated me as if I were subordinate to them.
When in Baltimore I also notice my privilege of being of an unmarked middle-class. There are many homeless, drug-addicted and mentally-ill people living on the streets whose only control in society is that of their own livelihood. Obviously I exhibit power over them simply because I have a home and a little bit of money. Many people do not empathize with the plight of the homeless that beg for money on the streets; they are strikingly unsympathetic and blaming. They assume that since they find it easy to get a job, everyone finds it easy, so they should stop being lazy and show some initiative and get a job. Again, many of them are mentally-ill and are not capable of getting a job, or are in the grips of an all-consuming drug or alcohol addiction and they have no one pleading for them to get better. If they did apply for a job, many employers would not want to hire a person with a disability or who looks disheveled and has no contact information for their application.
As much as we deny our prejudices and tendencies to judge based on race, class, gender and the like, society and the individual has been long ingrained with the marked and unmarked categories that imply power or submission in our lives. It is through thoughtful evaluation of my life experiences that I understand the matrix of domination and how it effects the ways I am perceived by the world.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Marked and unmarked categories
Rhea Torreon
WMST 250
Ana Perez
Spring 2008
Marked and Unmarked Categories
Growing up as a minority causes one to develop a distinctive awareness and mentality. Being considered a minority automatically carries with it certain stigmas of being oppressed and viewed as inferior along with many other social aspects. This assertion and submission of power can be a conscious or an unconscious decision. The matrix of domination illustrates several factors involved in this process through marked (powerless) and unmarked (powerful) categories including: race, gender, class, sexuality, able-bodiedness, language, religion, nationality, and age. The presence of these dynamics are in every relationship and can be illustrated through an infinite number of examples. I have had numerous personal experiences affected by my female gender, middle-class social status, able-bodiedness, English language, Asian ethnicity, and age of 21 years. These specific examples demonstrate the marked and unmarked role I play in society as a young, Asian American adult.
I will present two smaller incidents as succinct examples of my role in a marked category. While eating at a local restaurant in Annapolis I got up to throw away some trash. A woman happened to be walking towards my direction at the same time. When she noticed me she held up her paper cup and asked if I could refill her coffee. I was taken aback and replied, “Excuse me?” Fortunately, an employee was walking by at that point and took care of her request. I could not believe that someone had mistaken me as “the help” for several reasons: I am an English citizen, I have a good education, I was well dressed, and despite all this the only determining factor was my Asian ethnicity. A similar example of this particular assertion of power took place at a nail salon where my Filipino friend was also mistaken as an employee. My friend was getting her nails done when a white woman walked in, greeted the employees, and then turned to her and asked, “You work here too, don’t you?”
The simple error committed by the woman in the restaurant has a myriad of complex implications. This woman appeared to be upper middle-class to upper class indicated by her designer apparel, manicured nails, and styled hair; this translates into the assertion of power as a person of wealth. On the other hand, my appearance was no less indicative of a comfortable lifestyle. I was dressed in brand name clothing, I appeared healthy or more specifically well-fed, my teeth were straight due to braces during childhood (a subtle indication of past financial background), and I wore expensive jewelry. Overall, my appearance was that of any young adult from a supportive, well-off family not uncommon in Annapolis. I tend to dress on the preppy side resulting from the influences of growing up in Annapolis- an area associated with a substantial amount of wealth. It was astounding that these obvious signals and connections held no weight with someone whose financial comfort was just as evident as my own.
This woman was around 40 years old, married, and most likely had children translating into the assertion of power as an adult. In contrast, I was 20 years old, single, and had no children. There was no obvious indication of my relationship status other than the absence of any jewelry signifying marriage or commitment. The fact that I was not married at such a young age speaks of a type of affluence. In conjunction with this—whether she thought I was single or not—there was no evidence that I had children. The supreme amount of care and attention required to raise a child tends to take a toll on the parent emotionally, spiritually, and physically- all of which was not indicated by my appearance or manner. It is probably safe to assume she did not think I had children. This is significant because just as my absence of a marriage ring indicated a type of affluence, my avoidance of an early pregnancy is a determinant of social status as well.
This woman was at least 20 years older than me. Her age contributed to her misperception. Had she been my age, the chances of the same mistake occurring would be considerably less. Someone my age would not have the same ability to leverage age and would have viewed me more as a peer. As an adult mother she is accustomed to being in a position of power over her children. As an adult she is accustomed to being in a position of power over young people in general. The stereotypes that led her to misperceive me as an employee may have been more heavily ingrained with time as well. Despite all the indications that I was of a certain social class and that I was old enough to be lawfully independent, I felt belittled to the state of a child that does not know better than to do what is instructed. I was clearly a young adult, but the fact that I was so much younger than her in conjunction with my Asian ethnicity dually allowed her to assert power in these ways. The details of my appearance earlier illustrates that I clearly had an affluent background while the details of my appearance just mentioned illustrates that I was clearly not of lower-class standing. The overwhelming evidence of the influence of money in my life reflects this woman’s ignorance which was facilitated by how much older she was.
This woman spoke English, which translates into the assertion of power as a U.S. citizen. I spoke clear, fluent English without a trace of an accent. There was no indication that I was anything other than a U.S. citizen. My skin was not even particularly dark at that time (I get much paler in the winter). Her misperception was not only insulting on the surface level, but it was degrading in its implicative questioning of my citizenship. It is a misperception influenced by the large population of immigrants and illegal aliens that comprise a large part of the working class. Consequently, the generalization that all minorities have lower level jobs is common. She may not have specifically thought I was an illegal-alien, but the stereotypes attributed to lower level jobs was implied in the quick assumption that I was the help rather than the customer. Even though I spoke the same language as this woman she was able to assert her power as a natural born citizen by implying that I may not have been.
Most importantly, this woman was Caucasian, which translates into the assertion of power as a white person. Having grown up as an Asian I am not unused to this behavior inherent in today’s society. All the above examples were ultimately dependent on the judgment of my ethnicity. It did not matter that I was not working class or even that I was of middle class, it did not matter that I was a young adult or that I was actually independent at that point, and it did not matter that I spoke plain English and was born in this country. The overarching assumption that superseded everything else only held race in account. Seemingly small actions such as this one have deep, long-lasting impacts that people (in my experience generally white) do not consider and are not aware of in their ignorance. One of the only advantages I can attribute to this ignorance is when using a fake identification to get into bars. I had a real Maryland identification, but it was of my Filipino friend. She was Asian, but did not particularly look all that similar to me. It is a testament to the fact that white people can not tell the different between Asians. It worked so well that I never had to use my backups (inactivated credit cards with my friends name on them). Even this may have negative consequences- I may very well have to hold white people responsible for my alcoholism.
The experiences of minorities being mistaken as a second class citizens are not uncommon in today’s society. It is interesting that in this instance power was being asserted by a woman. That in itself might be considered a characteristic of the dominance of males inherent in today’s society. Nonetheless, I found it interesting that even though women are suppose to be more in touch with sympathetic or compassionate feelings anyone is capable of asserting power over others in many different ways.
A second example of my role in an unmarked category involved me getting robbed. On a Thursday night I went out to the bars in College Park with two of my girlfriends. After last call the two had to stay behind for reasons not pertinent to my story. I walked back to my building with a pizza that we were to eat when everyone returned. My building is only five minutes from the bar and there were plenty of other people out so it wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation. As I was nearing my building, an African American male snatched my pizza from me and ran away. I was so shocked I stood there agape fully expecting him to turn around and explain the joke was over. As the distance between us continued to increase I realized it was not a joke. I proceeded to take of my heels and run after him. He was not expecting a chase so he panicked and ran into an enclosed parking lot. I threw my shoe at him when he was somewhat cornered, but at this point I was heavily winded and unable to continue the pursuit. He got away with my pizza that night.
When I explain this story to my friends it is of course humorous and highly entertaining, but on another level it is somewhat frightening. It has caused me to be much more cautious with my possessions when I walk alone around College Park areas. I repeatedly got the same reaction from my friends to the effect that I should not have run after him. This is an interesting aspect of the aftermath of the situation. This man did not appear particularly strong; in fact he looked pretty goofy. He was tall, on the skinny side, and dressed in a t-shirt and pants. I would not call him intimidating by any means. I did and still do not believe I was in any danger in chasing him. However, many of my girlfriends reacted similarly and the same questions ensued: What if he had a gun? What if he tried to fight you? What if he was really dangerous? What if you had gotten hurt?
This caused me to think about the implications of these questions and assumptions. It is pretty well-established that the predominant generalizing view of African Americans include that they are dangerous, vandalizing, ghetto, and violent. My friends assumed that he most likely had a gun. They assumed that he would try to inflict harm on me; that he would choose to over power me by force. In this way, my friends have asserted their white-minded mentality over this black man. The only thing they can attribute the level of danger is the fact that he was black. I acknowledge the validity of their concerns, but they did not see this man. They solely base their judgments on the generalizations associated with African Americans.
On the other hand, they have also spoken for the power he asserted over me. Albeit, I was slightly intoxicated and even though I ran all year-round for fours years in high school and continue to run recreationally today, I was extremely out of shape. He was able to outrun me because he had better endurance and stamina than I did. The fact that he felt he could steal my pizza without fear of consequence illustrates the power of the perception, and often reality, that males possess superior abilities over females. The assumption is two-fold: he knew he could outrun me and if that failed he knew he could overpower me. Physically I was much shorter and I weighed a lot less. However, I feel that I could hold my own in many situations and that my weight and size causes people to underestimated me. At the time, I did not really believe this man was a threat. I felt that if I was able to confront him one-on-one he would do the right thing and give back the pizza.
While I may have recklessly placed myself in danger, the pursuit of this man became more about the principle of the matter than the actual action. It was important enough to me that I not go down without a fight; that I make it clear petty theft was not acceptable. Most importantly, I wanted to make it clear that just because I am a female does not result in absolute submission to male authority; that females should not necessarily be viewed as a weaker subject. This man did not even expect a chase. With this in mind, I tried to use the element of surprise to my advantage. I did manage to catch him off guard which caused him to panic and run into a dead end parking lot. At least I was able to achieve a small triumph with hitting him with my shoe. The expectation that I would just give up right away demonstrates his assumption of my submission to his superior abilities.
Just as it was important to demonstrate that being a female should not be underestimated, the ease of stealing from a child was important to prevent as well. I am old enough to be independent and take care of myself. I would be disappointed if I were to act helpless in any circumstance. I was able to put up somewhat of a fight so that at least it was not just like stealing candy from a child. In stealing my pizza this man asserted his age over me- he was at least two years older than me. Had he been my age or younger, the chances of succeeding in the retrieval of my pizza would be significantly greater. In this situation, the pizza stealer asserted his gender and age. The ramifications of such an action perpetuate the stereotypes that African-Americans are held in regard to. It will cause me (and my friends) to act with more caution around African males even if it is unwarranted and even if there is a conscious effort to put aside such sentiments. It is a sad reality that there is a small population out of the whole that demonstrate validity in the negative cultural perceptions in today’s society.
A broader example and one that demonstrates my role in an unmarked category is my experience waiting tables at Outback. Almost all the serving and managerial staff are white while almost all of the kitchen and lower level positions are comprised of Hispanics. Only a few of them are able to speak fluent English and it is this language barrier that allows the native speakers to assert power over the non-native speakers. By contrast, I recently had dinner in Georgetown in a seafood restaurant where the entire staff was Hispanic. My waiter had a heavy accent and did not have complete fluency in English. However, his ability to speak the language proficiently enough allowed him to have a better job. I have seen numerous exchanges between servers and bussers, dishwashers, etc. To belittle or treat the Hispanics rudely was not uncommon. It is easy for the English speakers to assert their education, citizenship, and thus their higher station in life over the employees who could not better themselves due to this lack of knowledge.
Even the management staff displayed instances of indifference towards the Hispanics. When they had questions or an issue about scheduling the manager would sometimes direct them to someone else in order to get them away temporarily. I catch myself thinking in accordance with the group mentality at times. I always try to keep in mind that these are extremely hard-working, intelligent people. I usually always immediately make friends with the kitchen staff and I like to practice speaking Spanish with them. I find that it is a good connection into their perspective and culture. Language is the major contributor to the assertion of power in this situation and can work positively and negatively.
My three specific examples illustrate the influences of marked and unmarked categories in our everyday lives. All the characteristics of the matrix of domination—particularly race, gender, class, and language—contributed in the assertion or submission of power. I have a unique experience of this in light of being a young, female, Asian-American adult from a middle-class family. Being such has caused me to be mistaken as a menial worker, as a weaker, inferior being and as an oppressor. All the intricacies of the matrix of domination helped explain the complex dynamics in relationships. I got a feel for how and why people behave certain ways and am now aware of the impacts of these actions.
WMST 250
Ana Perez
Spring 2008
Marked and Unmarked Categories
Growing up as a minority causes one to develop a distinctive awareness and mentality. Being considered a minority automatically carries with it certain stigmas of being oppressed and viewed as inferior along with many other social aspects. This assertion and submission of power can be a conscious or an unconscious decision. The matrix of domination illustrates several factors involved in this process through marked (powerless) and unmarked (powerful) categories including: race, gender, class, sexuality, able-bodiedness, language, religion, nationality, and age. The presence of these dynamics are in every relationship and can be illustrated through an infinite number of examples. I have had numerous personal experiences affected by my female gender, middle-class social status, able-bodiedness, English language, Asian ethnicity, and age of 21 years. These specific examples demonstrate the marked and unmarked role I play in society as a young, Asian American adult.
I will present two smaller incidents as succinct examples of my role in a marked category. While eating at a local restaurant in Annapolis I got up to throw away some trash. A woman happened to be walking towards my direction at the same time. When she noticed me she held up her paper cup and asked if I could refill her coffee. I was taken aback and replied, “Excuse me?” Fortunately, an employee was walking by at that point and took care of her request. I could not believe that someone had mistaken me as “the help” for several reasons: I am an English citizen, I have a good education, I was well dressed, and despite all this the only determining factor was my Asian ethnicity. A similar example of this particular assertion of power took place at a nail salon where my Filipino friend was also mistaken as an employee. My friend was getting her nails done when a white woman walked in, greeted the employees, and then turned to her and asked, “You work here too, don’t you?”
The simple error committed by the woman in the restaurant has a myriad of complex implications. This woman appeared to be upper middle-class to upper class indicated by her designer apparel, manicured nails, and styled hair; this translates into the assertion of power as a person of wealth. On the other hand, my appearance was no less indicative of a comfortable lifestyle. I was dressed in brand name clothing, I appeared healthy or more specifically well-fed, my teeth were straight due to braces during childhood (a subtle indication of past financial background), and I wore expensive jewelry. Overall, my appearance was that of any young adult from a supportive, well-off family not uncommon in Annapolis. I tend to dress on the preppy side resulting from the influences of growing up in Annapolis- an area associated with a substantial amount of wealth. It was astounding that these obvious signals and connections held no weight with someone whose financial comfort was just as evident as my own.
This woman was around 40 years old, married, and most likely had children translating into the assertion of power as an adult. In contrast, I was 20 years old, single, and had no children. There was no obvious indication of my relationship status other than the absence of any jewelry signifying marriage or commitment. The fact that I was not married at such a young age speaks of a type of affluence. In conjunction with this—whether she thought I was single or not—there was no evidence that I had children. The supreme amount of care and attention required to raise a child tends to take a toll on the parent emotionally, spiritually, and physically- all of which was not indicated by my appearance or manner. It is probably safe to assume she did not think I had children. This is significant because just as my absence of a marriage ring indicated a type of affluence, my avoidance of an early pregnancy is a determinant of social status as well.
This woman was at least 20 years older than me. Her age contributed to her misperception. Had she been my age, the chances of the same mistake occurring would be considerably less. Someone my age would not have the same ability to leverage age and would have viewed me more as a peer. As an adult mother she is accustomed to being in a position of power over her children. As an adult she is accustomed to being in a position of power over young people in general. The stereotypes that led her to misperceive me as an employee may have been more heavily ingrained with time as well. Despite all the indications that I was of a certain social class and that I was old enough to be lawfully independent, I felt belittled to the state of a child that does not know better than to do what is instructed. I was clearly a young adult, but the fact that I was so much younger than her in conjunction with my Asian ethnicity dually allowed her to assert power in these ways. The details of my appearance earlier illustrates that I clearly had an affluent background while the details of my appearance just mentioned illustrates that I was clearly not of lower-class standing. The overwhelming evidence of the influence of money in my life reflects this woman’s ignorance which was facilitated by how much older she was.
This woman spoke English, which translates into the assertion of power as a U.S. citizen. I spoke clear, fluent English without a trace of an accent. There was no indication that I was anything other than a U.S. citizen. My skin was not even particularly dark at that time (I get much paler in the winter). Her misperception was not only insulting on the surface level, but it was degrading in its implicative questioning of my citizenship. It is a misperception influenced by the large population of immigrants and illegal aliens that comprise a large part of the working class. Consequently, the generalization that all minorities have lower level jobs is common. She may not have specifically thought I was an illegal-alien, but the stereotypes attributed to lower level jobs was implied in the quick assumption that I was the help rather than the customer. Even though I spoke the same language as this woman she was able to assert her power as a natural born citizen by implying that I may not have been.
Most importantly, this woman was Caucasian, which translates into the assertion of power as a white person. Having grown up as an Asian I am not unused to this behavior inherent in today’s society. All the above examples were ultimately dependent on the judgment of my ethnicity. It did not matter that I was not working class or even that I was of middle class, it did not matter that I was a young adult or that I was actually independent at that point, and it did not matter that I spoke plain English and was born in this country. The overarching assumption that superseded everything else only held race in account. Seemingly small actions such as this one have deep, long-lasting impacts that people (in my experience generally white) do not consider and are not aware of in their ignorance. One of the only advantages I can attribute to this ignorance is when using a fake identification to get into bars. I had a real Maryland identification, but it was of my Filipino friend. She was Asian, but did not particularly look all that similar to me. It is a testament to the fact that white people can not tell the different between Asians. It worked so well that I never had to use my backups (inactivated credit cards with my friends name on them). Even this may have negative consequences- I may very well have to hold white people responsible for my alcoholism.
The experiences of minorities being mistaken as a second class citizens are not uncommon in today’s society. It is interesting that in this instance power was being asserted by a woman. That in itself might be considered a characteristic of the dominance of males inherent in today’s society. Nonetheless, I found it interesting that even though women are suppose to be more in touch with sympathetic or compassionate feelings anyone is capable of asserting power over others in many different ways.
A second example of my role in an unmarked category involved me getting robbed. On a Thursday night I went out to the bars in College Park with two of my girlfriends. After last call the two had to stay behind for reasons not pertinent to my story. I walked back to my building with a pizza that we were to eat when everyone returned. My building is only five minutes from the bar and there were plenty of other people out so it wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation. As I was nearing my building, an African American male snatched my pizza from me and ran away. I was so shocked I stood there agape fully expecting him to turn around and explain the joke was over. As the distance between us continued to increase I realized it was not a joke. I proceeded to take of my heels and run after him. He was not expecting a chase so he panicked and ran into an enclosed parking lot. I threw my shoe at him when he was somewhat cornered, but at this point I was heavily winded and unable to continue the pursuit. He got away with my pizza that night.
When I explain this story to my friends it is of course humorous and highly entertaining, but on another level it is somewhat frightening. It has caused me to be much more cautious with my possessions when I walk alone around College Park areas. I repeatedly got the same reaction from my friends to the effect that I should not have run after him. This is an interesting aspect of the aftermath of the situation. This man did not appear particularly strong; in fact he looked pretty goofy. He was tall, on the skinny side, and dressed in a t-shirt and pants. I would not call him intimidating by any means. I did and still do not believe I was in any danger in chasing him. However, many of my girlfriends reacted similarly and the same questions ensued: What if he had a gun? What if he tried to fight you? What if he was really dangerous? What if you had gotten hurt?
This caused me to think about the implications of these questions and assumptions. It is pretty well-established that the predominant generalizing view of African Americans include that they are dangerous, vandalizing, ghetto, and violent. My friends assumed that he most likely had a gun. They assumed that he would try to inflict harm on me; that he would choose to over power me by force. In this way, my friends have asserted their white-minded mentality over this black man. The only thing they can attribute the level of danger is the fact that he was black. I acknowledge the validity of their concerns, but they did not see this man. They solely base their judgments on the generalizations associated with African Americans.
On the other hand, they have also spoken for the power he asserted over me. Albeit, I was slightly intoxicated and even though I ran all year-round for fours years in high school and continue to run recreationally today, I was extremely out of shape. He was able to outrun me because he had better endurance and stamina than I did. The fact that he felt he could steal my pizza without fear of consequence illustrates the power of the perception, and often reality, that males possess superior abilities over females. The assumption is two-fold: he knew he could outrun me and if that failed he knew he could overpower me. Physically I was much shorter and I weighed a lot less. However, I feel that I could hold my own in many situations and that my weight and size causes people to underestimated me. At the time, I did not really believe this man was a threat. I felt that if I was able to confront him one-on-one he would do the right thing and give back the pizza.
While I may have recklessly placed myself in danger, the pursuit of this man became more about the principle of the matter than the actual action. It was important enough to me that I not go down without a fight; that I make it clear petty theft was not acceptable. Most importantly, I wanted to make it clear that just because I am a female does not result in absolute submission to male authority; that females should not necessarily be viewed as a weaker subject. This man did not even expect a chase. With this in mind, I tried to use the element of surprise to my advantage. I did manage to catch him off guard which caused him to panic and run into a dead end parking lot. At least I was able to achieve a small triumph with hitting him with my shoe. The expectation that I would just give up right away demonstrates his assumption of my submission to his superior abilities.
Just as it was important to demonstrate that being a female should not be underestimated, the ease of stealing from a child was important to prevent as well. I am old enough to be independent and take care of myself. I would be disappointed if I were to act helpless in any circumstance. I was able to put up somewhat of a fight so that at least it was not just like stealing candy from a child. In stealing my pizza this man asserted his age over me- he was at least two years older than me. Had he been my age or younger, the chances of succeeding in the retrieval of my pizza would be significantly greater. In this situation, the pizza stealer asserted his gender and age. The ramifications of such an action perpetuate the stereotypes that African-Americans are held in regard to. It will cause me (and my friends) to act with more caution around African males even if it is unwarranted and even if there is a conscious effort to put aside such sentiments. It is a sad reality that there is a small population out of the whole that demonstrate validity in the negative cultural perceptions in today’s society.
A broader example and one that demonstrates my role in an unmarked category is my experience waiting tables at Outback. Almost all the serving and managerial staff are white while almost all of the kitchen and lower level positions are comprised of Hispanics. Only a few of them are able to speak fluent English and it is this language barrier that allows the native speakers to assert power over the non-native speakers. By contrast, I recently had dinner in Georgetown in a seafood restaurant where the entire staff was Hispanic. My waiter had a heavy accent and did not have complete fluency in English. However, his ability to speak the language proficiently enough allowed him to have a better job. I have seen numerous exchanges between servers and bussers, dishwashers, etc. To belittle or treat the Hispanics rudely was not uncommon. It is easy for the English speakers to assert their education, citizenship, and thus their higher station in life over the employees who could not better themselves due to this lack of knowledge.
Even the management staff displayed instances of indifference towards the Hispanics. When they had questions or an issue about scheduling the manager would sometimes direct them to someone else in order to get them away temporarily. I catch myself thinking in accordance with the group mentality at times. I always try to keep in mind that these are extremely hard-working, intelligent people. I usually always immediately make friends with the kitchen staff and I like to practice speaking Spanish with them. I find that it is a good connection into their perspective and culture. Language is the major contributor to the assertion of power in this situation and can work positively and negatively.
My three specific examples illustrate the influences of marked and unmarked categories in our everyday lives. All the characteristics of the matrix of domination—particularly race, gender, class, and language—contributed in the assertion or submission of power. I have a unique experience of this in light of being a young, female, Asian-American adult from a middle-class family. Being such has caused me to be mistaken as a menial worker, as a weaker, inferior being and as an oppressor. All the intricacies of the matrix of domination helped explain the complex dynamics in relationships. I got a feel for how and why people behave certain ways and am now aware of the impacts of these actions.
Brenda Njinjoh
Power: Marked and Unmarked
The word power, a five letter word has a lot of meaning. It is a word that is familiar with all generations and definitely has a huge impact towards the future. Previous conflict such a war, slavery, money is a result of particular a group desire to have control over another group. Power comes in different dimensions and can either have a negative or positive impact upon our lives. The interesting thing about power is that it could be used in many ways and can its influence can be seen in all types of groups big, small and communities for instance religious or nonreligious. For instance in a small family, the mother could posses more power over the family. While globally, among all the nations, the United States apparently is the greatest nation. It is a word that we can not eradicate because its force is very great and regardless of our opinions and beliefs will always influence of lives. Those in power or who strive to obtain power always have a reason and intention for their action. At times, some certain characteristics they posses to enforce power is innate, they might feel it is their mission or their duty to convey their action. As I have matured all over the years, I’ve witnessed how power functions and the effective it has on religion, race, the world, class, language, and age, thus, even though at times they are marked and unmarked, they still have an effect upon the our lives.
Religion is a practice that has been around for a very long time. Countless individuals including myself are very religious and cannot live with a divine intervention. The only problem about religion is that there is not one god that every body worships or a single bible nor commandments that people follow, the truth is every religion has its ways and beliefs. Due to the diversity of religion, throughout our history religion has sparked many conflicts between many nations. A tragedy that we are quite familiar with the attack that occurred on September 11, 2000 , the bombing of the Twin Towers United States United States United States
Another example of marked and unmarked categories about power is the welfare program. In the United States
Eleven years ago, my family and I moved to the United States Cameroon West Africa Cameroon Cameroon America America America America Cameroon Cameroon Jordan
Although there a big controversy about race, in the United States
The world that we live in is governed by power, it many ways. Through the marked and unmarked category it is obvious who has more power over the other. For instance, the controversy about welfare, dark skin versus light skin, rich versus poor are some of the way power is divided. Perhaps the best way to get rid of the marked and unmarked distribution of power is to educate others and fight for a change.
Analysis of Everyday Life
Assignment 3: The Analysis of Everyday Life
Where exactly is power located in everyday life? Power is located in various places, within different people, groups and societies. It does not affect everyone equally nor does it affect everyone in the same ways; however, everyone in one way or another is affected directly or even indirectly. This notion of power has created the idea of the matrix of domination as well as marked and unmarked categories. At first, these two concepts were a bit confusing and hard to grasp. I wasn’t sure how to relate them to my life because I was not sure how to interpret them and incorporate the concepts into my own experiences. I began by breaking down the meaning of the matrix of domination and realizing that it is a way of examining and defining one’s own privileges and oppressions. This idea is more than just recognizing blessings and hardships but rather realizing how one person may be intertwined in both categories of being the oppressed and the oppressor. Many, including myself, tend to forget that “our privileges are the effects of systematic structures in which others are oppressed.” In order for one to be considered privileged, they must be compared to others who are less fortunate. In our society, we have formed both marked and unmarked categories which make an attempt at categorizing individuals based on specific characteristics. The unmarked categories tend to describe the generic or dominate groups, while the marked categories represent those considered to be subordinate and powerless. Throughout this paper I will analyze my own matrix of domination, acknowledging which marked and unmarked categories I fall within, while also comparing it to my partner Andria’s matrix of domination.
I was born into a Christian Orthodox family, both of my parents originating from the Middle-Eastern country of Palestine. I was born in Maryland and have lived the entirety of my life in Rockville, MD. I live with both of my parents, three older sisters and one younger brother. Though my parents are still together and I never moved from location to location like most of my friends, I had other issues to deal with. Unfortunately, my father never played a significant role in my life or the life of my siblings, in a loving aspect. I never quite understood how someone could be surrounded by such a loving, happy, laid-back family, yet be so miserable and negative. At a younger age, I had a hard time dealing with this but as I grew older and realized I couldn’t change anything, I began accepting the relationship or lack thereof with my father. However, my relationship with my mom was the exact opposite. She managed to raise five children and try her best to provide us with a stable and meaningful life. Though my relationship with my father was not strong, both he and my mom wanted my siblings and me to be better off than they were. My father came to America at the age of 16 and chose not to attend high school or college. My mother came at the age of 9, graduated from high school but was not allowed to attend college because according to her father, as a female she was not allowed to. Though neither of my parents attended college, they idea of doing well in school and succeeding in life was upheld to high standards in my household. My parents tried providing us with a stable household, however, finances were often a hardship and we were considered to be a lower- income family. In such a situation, I would be categorized as being the oppressed. Because I come from a low income family, with parents who did not attend college, I am expected by our society not to succeed. Due to the fact that others maybe better off and have educated parents, I have unwillingly and systematically been placed beneath others as the oppressed. However, I disagree with such ranking of power and chose to live my life differently than what was expected. At the young age of 13, I began working with a friend’s mother and by the age of 14, I was attending school and had a stable job working at a hair salon. I worked all throughout high school and though I had to give up playing basketball, I needed to make the money. I managed to maintain above average grades, while relieving the stress of my mother now that I was employed. At a young age I was paying for my own clothing, expenses when I went out, my cell phone, my vacations, and even my braces. Many of the things I had to pay for were things that my friends did not have to pay for and I often despised this. However, I soon realized that if I was helping my mother, it was all worth it and in the end I learned responsibility and independence. I soon began to appreciate that I was employed at such a young age, had my own money and though I matured much quicker than my peers, I look unto it as a positive experience. Though I worked all throughout high school, I managed to take honors and AP classes, graduating with a 3.85GPA and getting accepted to the University of Maryland, proving those assumptions to be false. Another aspect of my life that seemed to vary greatly from my peers was the fact that I was a Palestinian Christian and my parents wanted to make sure I did not lose any culture or religion. They raised my siblings and me in a rather strict household. I was not allowed to wear certain clothes, I was not allowed to have a boyfriend through my teenage years, could not stay out late, nor attend parties in high school, just to name a few. Growing up in my household, I thought was torture. I just wanted to be like all of my friends. Though I chose to allow religion to play a significant role in my life during my early teenage years, it was not until later in high school that I began to appreciate the morals and culture my parents instilled in me. The life I’ve lived is my normal; I am content with who I am and all that I’ve encountered. However, through examining my life I have realized that I am both a member of multiple dominant groups and a member of numerous subordinate groups. The following table will effectively sum up and display some of my own marked and unmarked categories, which will be the foundation for explaining my matrix of domination:
| Marked(Subordinate) | Unmarked(Dominate) |
| Female | U.S. Citizen |
| Middle-Eastern(Palestinian) | Christian |
| Lower/Working Class | Young Adult |
| Arab Speaking | English Speaking |
| Employed with two jobs | Heterosexual |
This table defines me as an individual, however, the categories and what falls within each has been determined by the society in which I live in. The unmarked categories are the more accepted and dominant traits, however, they only explain the surface of who I really am. Many of the traits that fall within my marked category truly define who I am as an individual and though they are deemed less powerful by others, some of these characteristics are what I am most proud of. I have encountered many experiences where a simple word that falls within one of these categories has worked against me and overpowered who I truly am, what I stand for, and how I contribute to the world I live within.
As I stated earlier, I am from a hard working family where finances have always been an issue. And when I got accepted to a great university, joy and accomplishment were at the forefront of my mind, while the thought of having to pay for college lingered right behind. I am simultaneously caught between being marked and unmarked in this situation. I will soon be a college student working towards receiving a degree in Communications. Yet I will have to deal with the struggle of having to take loans and pay for my own college tuition. I ultimately feel powerless and subordinate to those who do not have financial difficulties and whose parents will be paying for the entirety of their college tuition. It is unfortunate that the privileges of others being more well off has resulted in me being categorized as the oppressed in such a situation.
Another example in my life that defines my matrix of domination is the relationship of power between males and females. In my life, I have always had male friends and male cousins who have taken the responsibility of watching over me and acting as my protector. My male friends will make sure to walk with me at night and my male cousins have always shown power over me by being a bit over-protective, as to ensure that I do not get hurt. Though I would love to feel powerful and act as if I can stand my own ground all the times, there are certain situations, such as walking alone at night, where the presence of a more dominant male figure is appropriate. I have learned to appreciate this sense of domination for it is for my own good.
However, there are many instances that I have encountered where the domination of men over me is a bit unsettling and treated in a different aspect. Ever since I was a young girl, I loved to horse-play with the boys, challenge them to arm wrestling and most of all, play basketball with them. I have played basketball for over 10 years and though I will admit that some guys are better than me, I have always taken the risk to play pick-up basketball with them; however, the thought of a girls being able to play with guys is humorous to some. A prime example that I have recently encountered, which is similar to past instances I have dealt with, has taken place at the CRC here on campus. I will say that there is an equal ratio of men to female overall at the gym; however, one will notice that the weight room and basketball courts are predominately occupied by men. About 2-3 times a week, I choose to walk into the CRC and into the basketball court area. The court area is typically filled with about 40 or so guys, some playing on one of the two courts, while others waiting to play the next game. And every time I walk in, I receive the same reaction; all the guys waiting for the next game, stop, look over at me and then turn to their friends with a confused look- wondering if I’m there to watch, or actually plan on playing. I then proceed to say, “I’ve got next game.” While some of the guys agree and keep their thoughts to themselves, others ask “Are you sure you want to play?” And though not all the guys make comments, often times some will also say “don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you.” At times, it is uncomfortable enough to be the only girl surrounded by over 40 guys but then they tend to make comments displaying their perceived dominance over me. Though I always manage to get playing time, this is a clear example of how falling into the marked category of being a female automatically makes me appear to be subordinate to the male gender.
After September 11, 2001, being an Arab/American in the United States only became harder, especially as a teenager. I grew up being proud of who I was, where I was from and the culture I had within me. I knew I was of a different background than others, but we were all human in my eyes, so it did not make much of a difference. I soon began being questioned about my background, often times dealing with various altercations and misconceptions by those who viewed me as being the oppressed compared to them. On numerous occasions, people assume that I am of Hispanic decent and I must explain that I am actually Middle Eastern. People are often confused and in disbelief, as if Middle-Eastern people are not supposed to look ‘normal’ or at least the way I do. Other times, people walk away while giving me dirty looks and comments because I am of Middle Eastern decent. Many people automatically assume that I must be a terrorist, know a terrorist, or even hate all Jewish people because I am from Palestine. The one misconception that seems to constantly resurface is that since I am Middle-Eastern, I must also be Muslim. I am often asked numerous questions that just prove people’s ignorance and lack of knowledge. Many times people will ask why my head is not covered and if my parents will be arranging my marriage. When I refer to God, some people will ask why I use that word if I am Middle-Eastern (meaning I must also be Muslim). People assume that I am not allowed to eat pork and other types of meat. And sadly, when I respond to these comments with a simple “I am actually Christian” people either simply do not understand how this is possible or assume that I must have converted to Christianity. Though many people just generally have a lack of knowledge on this topic, I also feel as if the media plays a large role in portraying Middle-Eastern people as a marked category. The media represents most Arabs as having heavy accents, men dressed with turbans and women fully clothed with their heads covered. Marriages are often arranged in movies, with the men dominating over the females. And worse of all, Middle-Eastern people are always the terrorists in movies and on the news. I have always been and will continue to be proud of my diversity, heritage and culture; however, such stereotypes cause other’s to often perceive me as someone I am not. Not to say that some Arabs do not have heavy accents, cover their heads or are actually terrorists, but this is not the case for all of us. But rather many automatically perceive all of us to be powerless compared to the unmarked white man in today’s society. This aspect of my life truly defines the matrix of domination in which I am located within. Though I am marked as a Palestinian, many tend to forget about the dominant categories in which I also fall within. I was born and raised in the United States and though I am Middle Eastern, I am also a US citizen. I am also privileged in the aspect that I am in the unmarked category of being a Christian. Although I am very proud to be a Christian Palestinian, it is unfortunate to know that those who may be Muslim Palestinians or of another religion in general are considered less powerful in everyday life.
Working with my partner, Andria, has proven to be beneficial in completing this assignment by helping me grasp a better idea of the meaning of matrix of domination. As I previously explained, I had a hard time understanding the matrix of domination at first and how it would pertain to my life. However, Andria and I worked together prior to beginning our papers and mapped out each of our marked and unmarked characteristics. Though we appear to be different on the outside, it interesting to stop and examine how similar two people can be in regards to marked and unmarked categories. We are both marked by society as being females of lower/working class. As a female, we are expected to be subordinate and less powerful than men and unfortunately we have both encountered experiences where we have been oppressed solely based on our gender.
Though we come from very different family sizes, we both face financial difficulties which has impacted our college experiences in ways that others more fortunate have not experienced. Andria is also from Baltimore, a city filled with violence; however, this does not define her as an individual, what she is worth or what she will amount to. Unfortunately, those above her, who may be from an area considered to a better living environment, feel the need to act as oppressors. They seem to ignore the positive aspects in her life and rather use her geographic location as means to portray her as subordinate to others. Likewise, I am expected not to succeed because I am marked as lower class with parents who did not attend college. I am the oppressed compared to those who are wealthier with educated parents. Unfortunately, those of lower class, with financial struggles in our society are automatically marked as subordinate to others who are of better economic status. This is just another example of the ongoing matrix of domination that exists in our everyday life. Nonetheless, Andria and I have both proven the assumptions about us to be wrong; we have both come from two different worlds yet met on common grounds as students in the same women’s studies class at the University of Maryland.
We are both marked as females, lower class, speaking another language, and employed causing us to equally be dominated by the male gender, those wealthier than use, and those who may only speak English. On the other hand, we are both unmarked as able-bodied, US citizens, heterosexual, young adults and also English speaking; our privileges also cause us to be the oppressors over others. We are both simultaneously the oppressor and the oppressed in the same aspects.
However, we both differ greatly when it comes to our ethnicity. Andria is unmarked, as she identifies herself as white/European. I, however, fall within the marked category as I am Palestinian/Middle-Eastern. It is a bit difficult to know that someone who I look to as my peer, my partner and friend, whom I relate to in so many aspects may also be considered more dominant and powerful over me. Andria has never once acted as if she was more privileged than me but rather we took the time to discuss our own matrix of domination and understand one another for the person we want others to perceive us as. It is unfortunate that our society is structured in a way that Andria’s own privileges have caused my classification as being oppressed.
This analysis of everyday life has allowed me to realize that power has two notions, emphasizing optimism and privilege on one hand, but also limits, strain and oppression. It is evident that everyone embodies both marked and unmarked characteristics simultaneously, this creating a matrix of domination. I have personally identified with my own marked and unmarked categories, accepting them and comparing my matrix of domination with my partner Andria. The matrix of domination has allowed me to understand others and have a broader perspective on the world around me.
Dan Kelly
Krysten Eshelman
Assignment Three
Introduction
The matrix of domination refers to the external and internal characteristics of a society that transcend the overall power structure of individual, intrapersonal, and social institutions. These external and internal factors include, and are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, nationality, and language. Each of these characteristics share certain marked and unmarked qualities that define an individual’s level of power within society. The goal of this assignment is to dissect the levels of domination on a personal level and define power within our own power structure.
Within the structure of this group project, assignment three has allowed us to observe power within society on two distinct levels, allowing a consciousness of comparative analysis, yielding two different perspectives within the matrix of domination. Without the aid of each other, our assumptions regarding power would be skewed towards our own personal impressions, instead collaboration has allowed a free flow of ideas and emotions, positively contributing to the overall goal of this project. This paper will be divided into three sections, the first section will include the overall analysis of the matrix of domination and the factors that determine power within society. The second section will deal with our individual analysis and how power is determined within our own lives. The third section will compare and contrast the influence of dominate and subordinate social groups within our individual lives.
Section One- Overall Analysis from the Matrix of Domination
Intersectionality refers to the subordinate and dominate social groups that make up an individual’s overall power identity within society. These characteristics include physical and internal characteristics such as race, gender, age, language, nationality, religion, and sexuality. The matrix of domination creates a research space to define an individual’s place within dominant and subordinate groups within society. Throughout history society has defined and restructured the way in which individuals perceive power. Starting with the formation of hunting and gathering societies during the bronze age, society defined gender roles and placed emphasis on male masculine characteristics. Survival was based on the males ability to hunt and provide food for a group of people. The earliest evidence of society deemed the race of males as superior to women, both intellectually and physically. Since 2000BC these assumptions have become engrained into societies throughout time and the world. Antiquity has engrained a system of observation that marks Man as the dominant gender group. History has defined the oppression of woman as a staple within society. It was not until political institutions during the 20th Century set precedent and demanded equal treatment for woman including every aspect of life. Even with political precedent, societies throughout the world still experience gender inequality.
Gender is only one example from the matrix of domination, we have defined gender in such a away to define the complexity of each level within the matrix. Each dominant and subordinate groups have experienced both a unique and similar social evolution, this paper will not go into such a deep level of interpretation as experienced above with gender. Instead we will discuss the current social standing for each level within the matrix, and contribute how society defines power within it.
Within the matrix of domination race and ethnicity is divided into two groups, marked and unmarked. The unmarked social group includes individuals who are white, racial privilege within society corresponds with individuals who are white. The marked group include any person who is of color. This includes any ethnic group who is not white. Racial prejudice and stereotypes have become distinctive characteristics within society. People of color within society lack the “power” granted to individuals who are white. This power includes opportunity, respect, political participation, and impression. Society has deemed individuals of color as corrupt, lacking certain social characteristics needed to be a powerful and contributing member of society. Oppression on racial lines can currently be viewed on many levels. The marked categories along racial lines are perpetuated by the media, members of the dominant social groups, and political organizations. Individuals of color experience racial discrimination along every level of society. Members of the unmarked social groups have created societal standards and institutions that create a difficult level of entry for individuals of color.
The United States of America “lives” under a standard of separate institutions of religion and state. But under the US dollar we witness the slogan “In God We Trust”, children in public school pledge their allegiance everyday to one God, and political institutions have made rulings in the areas of abortion and gay union based on ethical teaching from the Bible. Everyday we experience societal behavior that enforces the belief of Christian doctrine and dogma, the media also portrays other non-Christian faiths around the world as fanatical and corrupt. War and violence has been portrayed as underlining influences from non-Xtian religions. The Protestant faith has always been the dominate social group in the United States. September 11th has created a consciousness of religious stereotyping, placing blame on religious doctrine that does not conform to the religious standards of Christianity. Even the Catholic faith which is rooted in Christian ideals, has become blackballed based on instances sexual abuse and religious fanaticism. Those individuals who are non-Xtian experience discrimination and stereotyping, each religion exhibiting its own unique oppression within society, some more than others.
An often unnoticed category associated with the matrix of domination is the power behind US citizenship and efficiency in English. A US citizenship has the ability to grant access across the globe. A US passport gives an American almost unlimited access around the globe. In some countries it is almost impossible for a citizen to travel out of state, based to on the political stability and worldview of a country. As an American, a US citizen yields a certain political and social power that many in this world will never witness. As an immigrant, this unmarked category virtually holds no individual rights or justice. Without the power of citizenship you can not legitimize your own existence. Even as a citizen without the knowledge of the English language you are almost powerless in American society. But there is always an exception if you qualify in a certain economic class. However, immigrant workers who have international education will find difficulty in applying for jobs in their field of study. A foreign education with a small level of English will be subject to xenophobic reaction for potential employers.
Individual Experience Krysten Eshelman: An Experience with Reverse Racism
It is very interesting when you are presented with certain opportunities in your life to voice your feelings on how you feel you are placed in society, and not only how you are placed, but how your status, whether it be social, racial, economical, or ethical effects situations in your life. It is not until these opportunities to voice yourself do you really think back on certain situations that at the time when they occurred seemed in no way related to any status of power and societal status.
When I was 16 years of age, I took a job at the local 7-11 convenience store not even ten minutes from my home. I felt it would be a good experience in learning how to multitask between tending to customers and performing all the daily tasks associated with an associates’ position. What I did not realize when I had accepted the position was that I was a minority among the staff. Where most people constitute a minority as a person of black, African American, or even Latino background, I was a minority in my setting as a white American. I had been marked in my status of my job.
I began experiencing situations which were extremely offensive, but at the time, I only wanted to do a good job, and perform my duties to 100% or more. Every time I felt I was doing something right, even when not specifically asked by the manager, I always seemed to get in trouble or get written up for something I found to be a good deed. As I said earlier, during this age in my life, I was naïve to many concepts of the world, favoritism and racism for example, so I never looked at the issue of why I was being written up, but only tried to make the manager happy and apologize for what she felt I had done wrong.
My manager was a black female, probably in her early 40’s. She always seemed to have a chip on her shoulder when we spoke, but I would think nothing of it, only thinking this is just her personality and would never take anything personal when she would be rude with me. I began noticing more and more that the other people that worked with me were all black women, no men, black or white, no other white women, or people of any other racial background. Among all of these people I was the only one being picked on, being blamed for things that were just absurd now that I look back on things.
Aside from the issues I was having at work, I also attended high school with her two children; they also carried that same chip on their shoulder that their mother toted around with her all the time. They only associated with other children in their racial group, and had the same rude attitude toward me and other white children that their mother had with me at work. I didn’t understand why they acted this way, but once again just felt it was their personality and tried to not think into it too much.
I started to become very frustrated at work and felt I could do nothing right, though I was still doing everything in my power to do the best job I could possibly do. There was one particular instance that really upsets me now that I think back to those days. It was a Saturday morning about 7:00am. A black woman came in with her young son. While she was doing her shopping her son was trying to get himself a Slurpee, but he was too little and could not reach the machine. I graciously offered to help the little boy and got him his Slurpee while I was working on the coffee bar simultaneously. When I turned back around I saw the mother and my manager leaning over the counter whispering and looking back at me while doing so. Once the mother and her son left the store, I was called to the back office where I was severely reprimanded. My manager had told me she was writing me up for pushing the little boy on the floor, can you believe that? It still sounds crazy to me all these years later. Why in the world would I do that to a customer? Who would even think about doing something like that? Definitely not me, and certainly I wouldn’t help him get a drink then shove the child on the floor. It just didn’t make sense. I asked her is she would rewind the security camera so that I could see how I did that, and she refused. She then wrote me up and told me two more instances and I would be terminated of my employment. I was so distraught. At this point I was wondering if I was going crazy, I had never been accused of something so ridiculous in my life, and couldn’t understand why she was doing this to me.
The second instance involved the Frapuccino machine. This was at the time when this machine was new to 7-11 and it still had its quirks. It was Easter Sunday, and that ended up being a normal event for me to have to work all my weekends, late evenings, and even holidays, but I did not complain, at that point mostly out of fear of losing my job. It was me and one other older black woman working along with the manager. I heard a strange noise; it was coming from the Frapaccino machine. The other woman was busy with customers and the manager was stocking the freezers in the back. The machine was grinding the power cord; it had fallen in the machine while it was still churning the product. Without thinking about it, I quickly stuck my hand down in the machine to try and release the cord. I did not know where the kill switch was, so I just went in while it was moving. Inside was a grinder, and while my hand was in there, it cut my knuckles which bled into the product. It took me a few minutes, but I released the cord which was already damaged and shut the machine off. I went into the back to tell the manager what had happened and she reprimanded me for contaminating the product. At this point I was completely devastated; I didn’t understand what I could have possibly done wrong. I felt that I saved the machine from being destroyed, and I hurt my hand in the process. She did not say thank and didn’t care that my hand was bleeding. She told me to clean the machine and make a new batch of mix, then to meet her in her office once that was done. Once again, I was written up for this incident.
There was one last major incident that put me over the edge. It was an evening during the week, it was late, and I was at the register by myself, which was against store policy. The other girl was in the back stocking the freezers. This young man came in that frequented the store. I had always heard he had some mental issues, but he was always cordial to me, so I thought nothing of him having problems. He rode a bike and was not allowed to drive a car. That evening he came in, he was saying hello to a man that was in the aisle next to him. The man did not acknowledge his hello because the young man seemed to be making the other man uncomfortable. The man turned to leave the store and the man on the bike turned and flung the door open, proceeding to break it off the hinges, and began yelling at the other man. He was working to get his door unlocked, while the other man pulled out a knife and began to swipe at the man unlocking his door. The man finally got in the car and sped off, while the man ran after the car with his knife. He disappeared and I pushed our panic button to the police department a countless number of times because I was so scared. The man was gone forever, and in that time, the police showed up and were taking my report. The manager showed up and instead of asking me how I was doing or being concerned for my well-being, she asked me how many times I pushed the panic button to the police department because it charged the store’s phone line $.25 every time it was pushed after the initial time. I told her I didn’t know because I was so nervous I wasn’t really thinking how many times I had pushed it. Even in the midst of the commotion, she had me meet her in the back and told me she was going to deduct the panic button charges from my paycheck, and then said she was going to write me up. That would have been my third and final write-up pending termination. Before she could even get to the point of pulling out the slip, I stepped up and told her I was quitting, I couldn’t take the fact that I felt I was being bullied anymore. I walked out of the store feeling very shaken up from the incident and upset because I was losing my job that I did take so much pride in originally.
A month later I heard that the manager had been terminated for racial discrimination issues with another young white female that became employed once I had left. The whole time I worked there I was so confused as to why she treated me so poorly, and always blamed me for things that were out of my control, and then I found it to be a racial issue and was first surprised, and second disappointed. I never would have thought in a million year that I would be a victim of a racial issue being that I was a white female. When people think about racism in general, they think about it being directed towards minorities. Still to this day there are some people that I tell these stories to that don’t believe me, but I can assure you that these incidents really took place. It brought a new light to my knowledge, and I am much more aware of society and the way people are treated and the way people react toward society when they are directly or even indirectly discriminated against. There are so many people who believe that they are just disliked, but don’t acknowledge the fact that they are being racially discriminated against. Many people choose to see the best in people and look past their bad qualities, but no matter how hard I tried to see the good side of my manager, she continued to disappoint me and tear down my character, not because of my quality of work, but because of my skin color.
If you look at this situation, in the beginning of my paper I identified myself as a marked category. In a non-discriminating situation, being a white middle-class female, I would have been an unmarked category. Unfortunately this situation put me in a marked category, which I don’t feel anyone should have to be a part of, no matter what the color of their skin may be. The matrix of domination left me powerless in this situation as well, where if you could reverse the situation, and I was the one in the manager’s position, I would have had even more power being a white female. Though I would not want any part of being more powerful because of my status, that is the way society would have viewed it, and there would have been more attention directed toward the fact that I had racially discriminated against an employee. If a white person does this, it would have been publicized and possibly even made into a court issue, but her being a black woman, it was kept very quiet, and nothing came of it. She was terminated, but no one really knew the real reason why she had been dismissed. It wasn’t until I spoke to the other white female that was discriminated against and got some inside facts that I knew this was the reason for her dismissal from the store. This is completely wrong. Society has made the people in the marked categories out to be the bad people, when that is not the case. It’s all about who you are and how you conduct yourself. Some people have hatred in their hearts, but it has nothing to do with skin color, it has to do with life and the experiences you endure during your time on this earth. People don’t shape and mold people, experiences they have with people and their surroundings do.
While this paper is about marked and unmarked categories, and the matrix of domination, it bothers me that we even have to speak about different categories. People should not have to be put into categories, that is for inanimate objects, like food or cars. People should be judged by their character and what they contribute to this world, not by the color of their skin, the amount of money in their bank account, or the size home they live in. When will it all change? I guess that is a rhetorical question, because things will never change. There will always be those people out there who choose to remain ignorant and believe that color equals difference. It is the way we choose to educate ourselves on these issues that makes the difference in the way we are all treated by society. If people don’t continue to support how marked and unmarked categories differ, eventually there won’t be two separate categories, and everyone can be categorized together as unmarked. Why do we continue to provoke hatred by creating categories? We need to look at everyone through the same glasses, and not wear our ignorant lenses when we feel that just because society has decided that certain people should be put into a category, then we support the category by treating people a certain way, or acting the way society expects us to when approached by something or someone different from us.
Individual Experience Dan Kelly-A Society of Male Dominance and the behavior associated within an unmarked group
Within the matrix of domination I am defined mostly by my unmarked characteristics. As a white male society has defined my physical characteristics as powerful. I am entitled to more opportunity and power than I probably realize. Society has always been defined by white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant, males. These individuals have created social and political institutions that have allowed the social groups I am apart of to flourish within society. Power has been defined within white males and I am subject to “unwritten” societal norms attributed to these social groups.
Along with my race and ethnicity I am also a member of other unmarked social groups. I am characterized by my Catholic faith, heterosexual choice, middle class upbringing, physical attributes, English efficiency, US citizenship, and my current status as a young adult. According to the matrix of domination I am a part of every unmarked group expect my religion, that can sometimes be defined as a marked category. Under these parameters I am entitled to the most power under the matrix of domination. With my personal experiences within American society, my education regarding global phenomena, and personal relationships with members outside the American society I agree with the perspective created by Hooks. I agree that society has created power within these characteristics, but I do not agree in the way power is perceived. As a member of so many unmarked groups I feel marked by the behavior of those who share the same characteristics as mine.
Unmarked social groups have maintained power through oppression, and within unmarked social groups you are told to embrace this behavior. I am not making an assumption that all members of unmarked groups are oppressors, many individuals maintain an open mind set, but underlying the behavior of all white males includes a group understanding of patriarchy and racism. Propaganda of elitism is a characteristic of male behavior, and on a greater level white male. Within my social groups I am pressured to conform to the ideals that I am superior to those who are different from me. When Oprah appears on TV my social group wants me to demean her because she is both a woman and a black woman who embraces femininity.
As a white male I would not share the same level of power and respect if I was a homosexual, bi-sexual, or transgendered. To fully be a part of the male dominant group I must be sexually involved with a female and in some cases a white female. Within this relationship I am expected to exhibit a behavior of dominance within my heterosexual relationship. Limiting the abilities of my significant other so I can divulge in my own selfish behavior. On a level of sexuality that excludes relationships women and men are judged differently. Male society has deemed it a prerequisite to demean the female race and view sexuality based on lust. Males who embrace sex are viewed as studs, and females who exhibit similar behavior are marked as whores.
Males are taught to embrace competition, aggressiveness, violence, and dominance. I was indoctrinated into the world of sports, most of my childhood memories and relationships were built on the athletic playing field. Males are taught to stand up for themselves and if needed to embrace violence to maintain a level of respect and dominance over others.
While I dissect my own assumptions and experience regarding masculine behavior I am truly disgusted with the socialization of males into society. The unmarked category of white male is defined by aggressiveness, violence, racism, privilege, homophobia, and sexual prowess.
Some of my closest friends are also a part of the unmarked group of white male. Some exhibit the awful behaviors that I describe above, some more than others. But these behaviors are never discussed and debated. They come to life through friendly banter, jokes, mocking, and foolish behavior. Behavior that at the time seems harmless eventually finds its way into the heart of society and creates torment for others. Harmless jokes perpetuate into racial hatred, homophobia is not discusses and often excommunicated, women become objects to have rather than respected.
White males have maintained power through violence and manipulation. History has been rewritten by the victors, masking the cruel behavior of our founding fathers. Political power has always been held by white males, education was a privilege only for white males, continuing an oppressive relationship amongst woman and individuals of color. The dominance of white males can be seen by the current presidential election; Clinton and Obama are both members of marked social groups. Some aspects of the media have attacked both of these candidates based on their marked characteristics. Clinton is being attacked based on her gender, with political correspondents attacking her ability to lead this country and maintain US global dominance, they bring up the military and the idea that a woman could be Commander and Chief. These cruel realities are examples of the male culture, stereotypes and gender inequality will become defining factors of Clinton’s campaign. Obama is also attacked based on this ethnic makeup and religion. His name is not a typical “Christian” name that is given to a majority of US citizens, conservative radio has taken this opportunity to compare the democratic presidential candidate to Osama Bin Laden. These assumptions are not based on any logical evidence except the ability of the media to harness racism and religious fear based on September 11th against Obama. The current presidential election is a prime example of the thinking and behavior that is sometimes perpetuated by member of the white male social groups.
I have discussed my introductory analysis of how I perceive the dominant social group of a white male. Through my own experience with members of the same group, media visualization, and knowledge of history. I have defined male dominance through aggressive oppression of marked categories, specifically gender and ethnicity. My overall view of male dominance refers to the factors that reinforce certain male behaviors of competition, aggression, and dominance. In my opinion to experience the pinnacle of power that society has granted to white males it is in the best interest of a white male to either embrace the behavior stated during my analysis or ignore and not question the behavior exhibited by others.
My own worldview and behavior in society has become shaped by many factors. The education I have received has turned me into the person I am today. Both of my parents embrace education and teach for a living. They both graduated from college, and my mother dedicated extra years of her life to receive her master’s degree in education. As a child learning was engrained into my head, before I went to bed one or both of my parents would read to me, after school homework was the priority, when I had to memorize spelling words, poems, or Bible verses my parents were there to help my learning process. They sacrificed for my education and were able to support my extracurricular activities and private education to this day. A large part of who I am derives from my positive family experience. Both my parents are in a loving experience and neither of my parents dominated their marriage. I learned about sacrifice from both my mom and dad. My mother was an accountant before she had children; she decided to take a few years off to have my sister and I. At that time during my parent’s relationship she put her career on hold and had children. A few years later she resumed a new career, working most nights of the week, my dad took the responsibility and took care of my sister and I. He helped us with homework, cooked dinner, and took responsibility without complaint. My parents both hold different careers and contribute to the income of my family. Their sacrifice has influenced my view of social structure and the institution of marriage. Typical gender roles between male and female couples were never perpetuated in my family; both of my parents were strong independent people who preached equality and social justice to me. In this day in age a majority of my acquaintances come from outside a nuclear family or from a family where the mother stays at home. Some of these acquaintances have embraced what I would consider as a skewed vision gender role. Friends with mothers who stay at home and take on stereotypical female gender roles typically value male intelligence and dominance over a woman.
I have always enjoyed a level of luxury that places me in the middle class of society. My middle class upbringing along with religious teaching taught me a strong moral code and value of money. Religion never became a fanatical experience for my family; it was always there as a moral compass, but it never held me back as a person. I was brought up catholic, I experienced religious tradition and was confirmed in the church. Religion has taught me moral respect; I can sit here and say that I am a good Catholic even though I believe in contraception, gay marriage, and abortion. But as a Catholic I have experienced oppression based on my religious affiliation. I went to a Baptist school from 5th grade through middle school. At this school I experienced a strong education, but masked in the math and writing was religious fanaticism. It was during this time my mind was opened up to the many factors that shape your personal view of the world. During school I was always well behaved, I was considered quite and maintained positive friendships with my teachers and fellow students. But during religion class my teacher called my name and asked what religion I was, I told him I was Catholic and he looked at me and told the class that I was going to hell. After that point my parents were never allowed to chaperone any fieldtrips or school events. Other teachers were soon contacted about my religious affiliation and even my basketball coach took me aside and tried to convince me that God would not accept me because of my religious affiliation. This was a changing moment in my life, I did not reject religion or the school I went to, instead I starting to view the rest of the world with a sense of cynicism. I opened my mind to the system around me and that enabled me to later in my life accept things that others wanted to shun me from.
Another factor that many take for granite in American society is their US citizenship and language. For the past three summers I have worked in Ocean City Maryland. Ocean City Maryland has a reputation for hiring many foreign students from many different countries. During these summers I have meet many individuals from different countries including Hungary, Nepal, Russia, Romania, and Ireland. I took great interest in these relationships and made an effort to maintain a true friendship and understanding of their culture. In my opinion, the American public lives in a consciousness of xenophobia. We demean individuals who are not American and value the intellect of Americans over someone from a different country. I meet foreign students who had scholarships from the World Bank who were educated in medicine, business, dentistry, and politics. They took blue collar work in the United States to save up enough money so they could go to school in the States and receive an American education. I was surprised, while I worked in Ocean City I learned to value my US citizenship and ability to speak English. I went into work every day with an open mind and learned a lot from my coworkers about my own assumptions. I also became a witness to the brutal behavior of employers towards non Americans. I saw my boss lower wages, fire workers based on small behavioral differences, and I listened to him demean the same workers that I would spend my evenings with. The first two summers I never had the courage to confront my boss about his oppressive behavior towards my coworkers. That changed during my last summer in Ocean City, my boss was losing money based on the number of hours he scheduled per week. But with most student programs there is a contract that requires the employer to guarantee over a certain amount of hours. The work schedule was changed and my immigrant workers were severely under their allotted hours, causing frustration based on the reality of rent and cost of living. I stood up to my boss and confronted him on the issue, overall the banter between us resulted in a schedule change, but in turn my own hours diminished week by week.
In conclusion the matrix of domination is comprised of different dominant and subordinate groups that come together and determine and individuals power in society. I am apart of mostly unmarked social groups, as a white male society has granted me with the best opportunity to exhibit power. I contribute male dominance to an oppressive history of marked groups. The behavior signified in male dominance is still prevalent in current society. I reject the stereotypical behavior because I view it as morally unacceptable and oppressive. Other levels of intersectionality that I have felt influenced by include, my religious upbringing as a Catholic, the positive personal and financial relationship between my parents, a strong influence of education, my status as a US citizen, and my efficiency in English. All of these factors have given me the opportunity to gain power in society because society has placed worth in all of these areas. These opportunities are granted through flawed institutional discrimination and a history of oppression.
Section Three Group Compare/Contrast
The advantage of working with a partner during assignment three is that it allowed for a congealed final analysis with each of our own experiences outlining the overall structure of domination. The differences of our group almost outweighed the similarities that we shared on most of the levels. A large part of this assignment deal on the issue of gender as both a marked and unmarked category. Since we both have different experiences regarding gender we could view each others experience without a sense of bias, instead we could contrast each others experience and tackle any assumptions we may have encountered. According to the matrix of domination we found a level of fissure based on the categories of gender, age, employment, and religion. It was interesting that Krysten was the same religious affiliation that Dan described during his personal analysis on religion. Dan discussed his experience during middle school when he was publicly criticized by his teachers for being Catholic. The private school that he mentioned was from Baptist affiliation. According to Dan’s experience his incident with religious fanatic Baptist could have shaped his worldview on the whole sect of religion, but during this project Dan was able to get a different perspective that did not publicly debate a faith that closely resembles his own.
On the level of comparison, we found to share many similar unmarked categories. We both were white, middle class, heterosexual, and educated. But even with many of the same characteristics we found that intersectionality inevitably creates different experiences that cannot simply be defined by similar characteristics. Krysten discussed her experience of reverse discrimination where she was tormented based on the color of her skin, gender, and her age. As a member of multiple unmarked and marked categories in an marked work environment Krysten experienced discrimination on a level that she could not comprehend at the time. Dan did not offer an experience that fell on the same lime as the one mentioned by Krysten, but his antidote reaffirms the notion that as a member of multiple dominant and subordinate social groups you are subject to the conceived powerlessness associated with marked categories.
Conclusion
The goal of assignment three was to dissect our individual lives and find where power lies in the dominant and subordinate groups that make up our individual intersectional. After creating an overall framework, we were able to share personal experiences regarding the matrix of domination. With the unique that each one of us brought to this assignment we picked a few unique perspectives that speaks truth to Hooks’ matrix of domination. I believe we achieved the overall purpose and presented a coherent and interesting write-up.
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