"Oppression," by Marilyn Frye

       Before reading this article by Marilyn Frye titled, Oppression, I realized that I didn’t really know the definition of the word “Oppression.”  I am not sure what I thought oppression meant, but I knew it was a negative thing and was something that happened to people when others discriminated them against.  Frye begins the article by defining oppression according to what she thinks it is.  Frye states that when “the stresses and frustrations of being a man are cited as evidence that oppressors are oppressed by their oppressing, the word “oppression” is being stretched to meaninglessness; it is treated as though its scope includes any and all human experience of limitation or suffering no matter the cause, degree, or consequence” (Frye, 2007, p. 1).  Also she exclaims that its consequences hurt the “oppressor” as much as the “oppressie”.  Frye then describes some acts that could be considered oppressive, by giving examples of ways in which members of our society are “oppressed” perhaps without even noticing.  I did not consider these situations as examples of oppression before I heard her aspect on the issue.  One example that I found interesting was the way in which women are constantly criticized for participating in promiscuous behaviors.  At the same time they are labeled as “uptight” or a “cock tease” if they do not give in to a man’s advances.  Another example is the accusations made about women based on how they are dressed or do not dress.  If a woman dresses a certain way she is usually judged as looking either “slutty” or “unfeminine,” giving way to other stereotypes in relation to her sexuality.  It is a no win situation for the women in this case.

       After reading Frye’s debate over what oppression actually is, I understood that situations such as these are indeed oppressive and I too had been oppressed in many ways.  I felt that overall this article pointed out some valid points surrounding the issue of oppression, but I also felt that her views seems rather bias.  I would have appreciated more examples of how other types of people are oppressed based on their differences and how they too get stuck between this limbo of what is considered “right” or wrong” according to the society we live in.  The last section discusses how some people think the act of a man holding the door for a woman is an oppressive act.  I agree to an extent but I personally think that it is nice when a guy holds the door for me.  Whether than an expression of control or dominance over the woman, I believe that it has just become more of a common practice that people engage in daily and could even be considered a sign of respect for the woman.  I see her point, but I think that these people and Frye are simply over-analyzing the situation, almost searching for ways to say men oppress them.  I know that I too hold the door for others, regardless of their race, gender, or any other characteristic of the individual.  It is like saying, “thank you” or “excuse me” in that it has simply become a habit among the “gentlemen” of our society and something they just do without thinking.  Sometimes I feel that people internalize the ways that they “think” they are oppressed, causing them to assume or create ideas about others that may not be true.  Isn’t this technically oppression too?  You be the judge…