Assignment 3b

Comparing Matrices of Domination

Everyone has different notions of power, and power can come from many different aspects in life. While some aspects of power, for some people, can be a privilege, for others can be an oppression. The experiences that each person faces throughout his or her life are different from person to person - they are never exactly the same. Even if some people have the same marked and unmarked categories, the same matrixes of domination, their experiences can define how they look at life and where they find power. My partner Candace and I are not always in the same categories, and our experiences have shaped our lives in very different ways.

For one, we are of different races. I am Caucasian, while Candace is Asian. While this has presented different influences and privileges for both of us, it has also constrained both of us in different ways. While I am in an unmarked category of race (at least in this country), the pros and cons of being white are pretty much balanced out. Let's take the example of college. Even though affirmative action is in place, it is still very easy to get into college as a white student, as long as that student achieves good grades and test scores and has extra-curricular activities. The pressures of teachers and parents tends to be (but isn't always in every case) more on white students in terms of success than, say, black students. Because of this racial difference, one of the privileges of being white is getting into college.

But there are negative aspects to being white, as well. Keeping with the example of college, we shall explore the expenses of college, which usually are staggeringly high. There are many sources of financial aid out there, most in the form of scholarships. But to many white students, this money is untouchable. If we stick to an example of a middle-class white student, the majority of this scholarship money is out-of-bounds. The scholarships tend to fall into two categories: for those with financial need and for minorities. Middle-class doesn't cut it for financial need, and being Caucasian is not a minority. So with the privileges of being white come the limits of being white.

Candace has slightly different privileges and oppressions than I would, because she is Asian. She feels a cultural bond to other Asians, specifically the Chinese. She speaks both Cantonese and English, which help the bond even more, as she is also linguistically tied to her race. Along with this cultural bond, which is a privilege to her, are negative associations with Asians. For one, other unmarked races tend to have stereotypes about Asians; they believe that all Asians are incredibly book smart, play Dance Dance Revolution incessantly and practice many forms of martial arts. So when Asians such as Candace hear this and don't always fulfill every aspect of the stereotype, they feel misunderstood. Another negative aspect concerning race is name-calling, especially with minorities such as Asians and Native Americans. Candace, for example, has been made fun of because of her race and her slanted eyes. There were also times where people would tease her by "trying" to speak Chinese, but not really trying. Her strong bond to the Chinese was also put to the test this past summer, when many different brands of children's toys made in China were discovered to have lead in them. Because of her Chinese ancestry, she expected more of the workers and companies, and because of her US citizenship, she felt aligned to America.

Another point that we both draw power from is the fact that we are females. Even though this is a marked category, the knowledge and power of feminism is slowly but surely taking the mark away. But the mark is still present. I, for one, have been told by some boys that I am not as smart as they are, not as talented in the things I do, not as physically able as they are. Most of those things were told to me when I was very young, by boys who did not know any better. But our society taught them that. They were taught that as boys they were "better" than girls, and to look down on girls. And that has been how our society has mainly run for the last several hundred years: men work and bring home money while women take care of the children. Since society has been basically run by men, it hasn't changed until very recently. Even since I was a child, there have been changes about the perception of women. They are getting closer and closer to being men's equal. While the teasing in my youth was an example of the oppressions of being female, the growth in awareness and practicing of feminism is an influence in some of my choices and experiences. Without this growth, I probably would not have had the opportunity to do some of the things I wanted, like going to college and having a job during the summer.

Along the lines of feminism comes the topic of sexual orientation. While I am heterosexual, I wasn’t always unmarked. In high school, I didn’t date anyone and some people thought that I was gay, making me a marked person. I was hurt to think that people would just spread rumors about me that were untrue, but I didn’t get offended by their presumptions. I always said to them, “Even though I am indeed straight, what’s wrong with being gay?” To me, being gay is not wrong, it is an unmarked category in my book, but in society’s eye, it is a marked category. Most everyone starts off assuming that the others they meet are straight. So the privilege of being assumed straight, for those who actually are straight, is that they don’t have to worry about people perceiving them wrong or believing a lie about them. And that exact thing is one of the major oppressions for the LGBT community. Instead of having people understand them, they are constantly misrepresented and misunderstood, and they have to clean up the mess of someone else’s ignorance by explaining that they are gay.

One place that the issue of homosexuality comes up in is religion. Now, I support gays; I think that people who do not for religious reasons have seriously misunderstood what they have “read” in the Bible (or whatever other holy book they have read). In this country, there are actually many different religions that can all be unmarked. Any form of Christianity (except perhaps Catholicism, because of the priest scandals), agnosticism, and atheism are all acceptable and unmarked. But any eastern religion is marked, which is what Candace is, as a Buddhist. Mainly, this “oddity” in religion leads to misunderstanding, especially in regards to Islam. As a practicer of non-western religion, people in this group are seen as “not Americans” or even terrorists, even when that is not the case. The “freedom” to practice one’s own religion in the United States is only a privilege to western religions, and to eastern religions it is a burden and oppression. While I, as a generic, non-denominational Christian, am not looked down upon by the general populous for my beliefs, there are some constraints to my unmarked category. There is the pressure to think as all Christians do, to react the same to different situations, to follow the words of religious powers to the “T.” Even though I do not succumb to all that pressure, it shows that even in unmarked, “safe” categories there are still limits.

I did not pick up Christianity on my own, though. I was brought up Christian by my mother, who in turn was brought up Christian by her father, who was a minister. For my whole life, I have lived in a very stable two-parent house. An unmarked situation, if you look at it in the traditional sense. In a more modern sense it might actually be marked, as more than half of all marriages end in divorce. That would put us in the minority. But we are not looked down upon for keeping a stable family, so I would categorize my family as unmarked. They have provided me with inner strength and encouragement my entire life, and the fact that my family has always been whole has affected me very much in that way. Seeing my family a lot has also shaped my experiences: I take the opinions and considerations of my family to heart more than any other people. Candace also came from a whole family. Her family immigrated to the United States before she was born, though, so her family dynamic is slightly different from mine, but her family is still there, still together. Her parents are tri-lingual, speaking Cantonese, Mandarin and English, while she speaks Cantonese and English. That aspect of the family dynamic might be considered marked, but in general, her family is unmarked.But society does tend to frown upon those from broken homes. The children are looked upon as “not whole” and possibly even “damaged” because they had to split their weekends between their parents, all of which is a terrible oppression for them, seeing as they had no say in the matter at all.

Another family factor that society has looked down upon (but has been changing its mind about for the past several decades) is the idea of women in the workplace. Some ultra-traditionalists believe that women belong in the home, taking care of the house and family. To them, working women are marked, especially working women who have families. They think it is a privilege to have one parent at home and one in the office. But on the flip side, many progressionalists do not enjoy the idea of housewives. To them keeping full-time care of the kids and house is an oppression, and working in the workforce is a privilege. To society in general, though, the choice for a woman (or a man) to either work or stay at home is a privilege, and the choice of that person is his or her own business. My mom, for example, works full-time, as does my dad. While my brother and I were younger, though, our mom worked part-time at her office, which amounted to nearly ten years. To her, it was a privilege to work and a privilege to raise a family, so she tried for the best of both worlds, and that is what she got. In Candace’s situation, her father works full time while her mom stays at home, helping to raise Candace’s nieces and nephews. Both situations can be seen as privileges or oppressions, depending on which way it is seen.

One way that the family dynamic is greatly influenced is through class. Someone’s class can determine what they wear, where they go to school (if at all), and many other things. I am in the upper-middle class, which is, for economics’ sake, unmarked. My parents were both raised in lower-middle class families, though, so moving up the economic ladder was a big achievement for them. Their pockets were not empty, especially when I was a child, so I was told “no” plenty of times. Being told that, I learned to make my own frugal decisions, which has helped me maintain my finances now, which is a strong point for me. Being in control of my money makes me feel in control of my life, and that give me power. But there are times when being from the upper-middle class is a very marked category. Take, for example, college. Getting in to college was no problem for me, but looking for scholarships was one of the hardest things to do. We are still in the middle class, and even though my parents can afford to pay for college, it would have helped them if I could find a scholarship. But a lot of the scholarships offered around where I live were need-based or race-based. I am not a minority and not in need, so I was counted out for about 90% of the scholarships I read about. Candace, on the other hand, is from the working class. Her childhood saw her in lower-class schools, eating reduced-pay lunches. She was able to transfer to a better high school so that her schooling would be up to par, though. In her college search, she had to make sure that she took the financial aspect under consideration, but her financial situation landed her several scholarships to help her family pay for college. In that way, being from a lower class can be a privilege as well as an oppression. Even though both of us are from different classes, our homes are run almost the same way. We don’t buy artwork to hang on the walls: Candace’s parents have Chinese scroll art in the wall, while my parents have works done by family members up on our wall. Each family has artwork representative of their history instead of reflecting their class. Also, both families have the same mentality about furniture. Both families wear out the couches, carpet, and appliances before replacing them. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” For example, my parents paid off their mortgage before they had to replace their dishwasher. And Candace’s parents do the same. One difference is that when my family’s household items need to be replaced, my parents pick out very nice replacements. Not top-of-the-line, but very close. Candace’s parents tend to choose more thriftily.

Another thing I get from my parents is my view in politics. As a young adult interested in politics, some people view me as a marked individual, seeing as most young adults are apathetic about the United States government. But I am registered to vote and plan on doing so in the November election. Then again, if I am just seen as an adult, my views are unmarked. I am very liberal, with a tendency toward libertarianism. Right now, liberals are viewed as unmarked, considering the presidency we’ve been dealing with for the past eight years. Candace is also a liberal, and therefore flies under the radar. I was raised in a liberal, democratic home, and my parents were very open to new ideas. They let me choose what I wanted to do, but fully encouraged me in my decisions, which is a big part of the reason why I am who I am today.

Who I am, in a broader sense, can be seen in my heritage. I am mainly a mix of western European heritages, including Irish (which is the most prevalent at 25%), Swiss, Scotch-Irish, French, English and Welsh. Also in there is a little bit of Native American. In America, this is a privilege because my heritage leads to my race, which is the majority and unmarked. Having western European roots is also the majority, and therefore unmarked. Candace, on the other hand, is 100% Chinese. That makes her very marked, as a lot of the population is not pure anything, and having a pure Asian descent, especially from a country that is at odds with America now, makes her even more marked. But, she gets a very deep cultural sense of pride by being Chinese, which I cannot really get, being all different kinds of European. Even though we are both American citizens, and therefore unmarked, our heritages separate us.

Along with heritage comes immigration. Candace is a first-generation American, as her parents immigrated here. That can make her marked because of her parents. She gets the privilege to “lead a better life,” but it does have it’s pitfalls. She has only seen her mother’s side of the family once, because they live on the other side of the world. I, on the other hand, am at least a third-generation. The closest I get to immigration is my great-grandparents. Because of this, my family is rooted in America, and they are all here. Some of them might live half the country away, but it would be easier to see them than it would for Candace to see her family.

Our majors in college are also very different. I am a Spanish translation and Philosophy double major, while Candace is an accounting major with a focus in pre-Pharm. I am in liberal arts, and she is in business and science. Even now, liberal arts is a marked category, even though that idea is slowly changing. The businesses and sciences are unmarked. They are thought of as money-making careers, which is actually why Candace wanted to have those majors. As she was raised in the working class, she wanted to make a freer financial life for herself. I, on the other hand, wanted to major in something I enjoyed, even if it meant that I would not have the financial freedom in the future to do everything I wanted. The financial aspect is a limit for me and a privilege for Candace. I feel as though the reasoning behind the choices is a privilege for me and a necessity for Candace, a lot of other people would think it the opposite way.

In college, there is more to just school, there are also extra-curricular activities. Candace, on one hand, does not partake in any extra-curricular activities, making her a marked person. I, on the other hand, am almost too involved. I have marching band, pep band, arts scholars, university band, the Gamer Symphony Orchestra, and I even play Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, I know I am nerdy. These types of activities, though, can be marked. Too much band (or any band at all, to some people) can be considered soft, even though marching band is actually very grueling in the fall semesters. I was actually made fun of in high school for doing marching band. No one respected our work and people would leave the stands before our performances. It was definitely an oppression on us, even though we felt and believed that it was a privilege to us. In college, it is less of a mark, but it is still a mark, especially since I do not partake in the “normal” after-school activities, like Greek life and SGA. So even though, to me, my activities are unmarked and very much a reason of who I am today, to others it is seen as a mark.

Marked and unmarked categories, oppressions and privileges, are very much a part of everyone’s life. There can even be categories in which someone is marked and unmarked at the same time. These groupings can give one a sense of self and power in his or her life. While it might seem, from the outside, that Candace may be a more marked person than I am, once we analyzed it, we saw that both of us had a lot of privileges and also a lot of oppressions.