There is a very big difference between "competition" and "oppression".
~
Oppressors will always say that what's happening is not oppression; one can not stop oppression by showing oppressors that what they're doing is wrong, or trying to convince them to look at and change what they're doing.
Only the oppressed, and also those who are not targets of oppressors, can or will change it. It is very rare for an oppressor to change.
(The latter group has the greatest ability and potential to affect change, but they are often oblivious, arrogant/callous, or hesitant or fearful to do anything that might draw the negative attention of oppressors.)
~
Competition is like the four fingers on the hand, next to one another, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, competing for which can hit the keys of a piano the fastest. Whichever is fastest is fastest, and so gets chosen to play the fast parts. If another finger becomes faster than that one eventually, then the task/honor will go to that one.
Oppression is like the thumb, pressing down on the fingers from above. The fingers that are left free are the only ones that will be able to show how fast they can play. The others are being held down by the thumb, so even if they would have won, they can't win, because they were prevented from competing in the first place. Over time, the fingers that are free to play get faster and better at playing the piano keys because they are able to do it, to learn and practice, and the fingers that are being held down lose their strength and ability. Eventually, the thumb might let go, but by then there will be a visible and obvious difference between the ability of the fingers that were held down, and the ability of the fingers that were not held down. It will be "said" by the hand that the reason for the difference is simply because of "natural ability" and lack thereof.
~
Competition is fair and healthy, where participants treat others with equal and neutral respect, and welcome anyone and everyone who wants to participate. Everyone treats everyone else with integrity, respect, and ethics. Personal preferences, jealousy, envy, disdain or ego do not sully or influence treatment of others; there are no factions, exclusions, or cliques; there are no personal vendettas, triangulations, or secret sabotages. Such as in a race, all are open and welcome to enter, none are turned away or treated like they aren't wanted, aren't liked, aren't capable, or aren't respected (treatment of others is NEUTRAL, in other words WITH common civility, and without dramatic positives, negatives, or ignoring). MATURE people compete fairly, honestly, and openly, without ill intent or hidden agenda.
Oppression is about preventing certain people from competing in the first place with all kinds of ploys:
~taking their resources and keeping them or giving them to others
~blocking their path in various ways,
~smearing them individually or as a group so other people will be unwelcoming and judgmental toward them automatically, so they'll receive unfair and prejudice treatment
~telling them it's not something they would like or want to do,
telling them it's too dangerous, telling them they're not capable
~filling them with anxiety about competing
~attacking them with social hostility (or direct threats) if they do enter the competition, treating them WITHOUT the same integrity, ethics, and manners that others are treated with (hoping it will make them quit). (Hostile environments)
~gaslighting (trying to make them believe they aren't mentally stable or capable by doing things behind their back)
~Actual sabotage; destruction of their possessions, taking their possessions, giving their possessions away, taking away or preventing them from having tools of self-defense, causing them harm.
~Preventing them from learning and practicing in the first place so they won't have a chance to become proficient like others have, using various methods
~Lying about the reasons they can't or shouldn't learn, practice, or compete
Shame is the common first weapon of choice used to keep people from speaking, acting, or standing up about or against oppression and oppressors. Ironically, even members of an oppressed group will use shame to silence other group members.
A common behavior used against a person to prevent or stop them from speaking about or against unfairness, abuse, and oppression, and used as an excuse to cause them different kinds of harm is:
Implying or directly accusing that a person (and those like them) is/are unstable, unclean, physically weak and incapable, a liar, corrupt, unworthy, less intelligent, illogical, unable to learn, uncaring, self-centered, has hidden agendas, has hidden secret power, should be feared.
Oppression can be seen in many, many seemingly "normal" areas in modern culture.
Oppression is almost always explained away, rationalized, and made excuses for as if whatever is going on is the "Natural Way Things Are".
Oppression is often done against entire groups of people, and the groups of people are usually categorized by physical traits.
Frequently, individuals from an "oppressed group" will get their identity turned around and actually assist in oppressing others from their own group. This gives them a feeling of freedom and some control and autonomy; they are usually unaware of their actions or motives.
Some members of an oppressed group may "fight back" by trying to "oppress the oppressors". History shows that there have always been "OPPRESSORS", and WHO is oppressing WHOM changes and flip flops like a grilled sandwich being flipped in a pan.
The motives behind oppression are supremacy, control, and entitlement.
CONTRARY to pop culture, there is not one group that is ALWAYS in the "oppressor" position, and another group that is ALWAYS in the "oppressed" position. INDIVIDUAL humans CHOOSE to oppress, and oppressors can be found in EVERY RACE, and both sexes, and often toward their OWN race or their OWN sex. Individuals of EVERY race and both sexes have at one time or another been oppressed by others throughout human history.
Small groups (like businesses, families, organizations, communities and schools) are often seen to oppress individuals within the group, based on all kind of excuses, but the real reasons behind it are consistent: desire for "superiority" over others, desire to take the resources of another, desire for popularity, control, credit, and power, desire for the feeling (neurochemical reward) of domination and/or supremacy, desire for acceptance by supposed superiors, desire for admiration and special treatment.
Oppression is alive and well, and happens to a lot more people, many more "kinds" of people, and in a lot more places than most people talk about. Dismissing it as "silly" or "not real", or "not serious" is common, and helps to keep it going.
As a basic reference picture:
"Competition" is like a cook-off where everyone is welcome to participate, all are given the same ingredients, tools, time, and recipe; all of the kitchen areas are the same and in good working order. All have had the same time and space to practice and learn, and all have received the same encouragement and resources.
They are competing fairly, side by side, with their focus on their cooking and the prize.
"Oppression" is like a cook-off where it is advertised that everyone is welcome to participate, but really, only certain people have been given ALL of the required ingredients and proper tools. Some print-outs of the recipe were given with half the page missing, some stoves don't work properly, kitchen areas are all different, some are harder to get around in and have very little counter space, dull knives. Those running the contest treat certain people who show up with welcoming, happy, warm greetings and help them get ready, but others they treat with obvious disrespect, cold shoulders, and condescension. Only certain people have been given time, space, or tools to learn and practice, and only certain people have been given encouragement or coaching.
In the first fair contest, those running it and judging it are NEUTRAL, they are there to only put on the contest and make sure every contestant is treated fairly, in the SAME manner, with the SAME rules and the SAME tools, the same opportunities to learn and practice beforehand.
In the second unfair contest, those running it and judging it are NOT NEUTRAL; they DISCOURAGE some people from participating and ENCOURAGE other certain people. If they can get away with it, they will make the entry rules EXCLUSIVE, so only certain people can enter the cook-off at all, and others will be prevented from even entering. Anyone who gets in the contest who they don't like and don't want will not be given the same proper tools or ingredients as others. If those contestants manage to make what they were given work anyway, there will be more sabotage. The goal will be to prevent them from winning, and also from showing their ability at all, mainly so they don't gain respect from others. and of course so they don't get resources or win the prize.
Oppressors would feel that: better than sabotaging contestants in the cook-off is to prevent them from entering the cook-off in the first place.
If they can convince the individual AND the people around them that they wouldn't be capable or worthy of cooking this "important" and "difficult" recipe, and that they aren't welcome or wanted in the cooking circles anyway, then they have met their goals.
People tend to think of the extremes of Oppression, like threats, fists, whips, chains, weapons, and dungeons, but those are used when the oppressed group doesn't go along, or appears that they won't go along with the original attempts at oppression. Those are used to make people go along with it, and provoke survival-fear in them. Oppression is much easier and less obvious when people are conditioned not to stand up for fairness because the "oppressor" is content in being in control.
~
Oppressors will always say that what's happening is not oppression; one can not stop oppression by showing oppressors that what they're doing is wrong, or trying to convince them to look at and change what they're doing.
Only the oppressed, and also those who are not targets of oppressors, can or will change it. It is very rare for an oppressor to change.
(The latter group has the greatest ability and potential to affect change, but they are often oblivious, arrogant/callous, or hesitant or fearful to do anything that might draw the negative attention of oppressors.)
~
Competition is like the four fingers on the hand, next to one another, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, competing for which can hit the keys of a piano the fastest. Whichever is fastest is fastest, and so gets chosen to play the fast parts. If another finger becomes faster than that one eventually, then the task/honor will go to that one.
Oppression is like the thumb, pressing down on the fingers from above. The fingers that are left free are the only ones that will be able to show how fast they can play. The others are being held down by the thumb, so even if they would have won, they can't win, because they were prevented from competing in the first place. Over time, the fingers that are free to play get faster and better at playing the piano keys because they are able to do it, to learn and practice, and the fingers that are being held down lose their strength and ability. Eventually, the thumb might let go, but by then there will be a visible and obvious difference between the ability of the fingers that were held down, and the ability of the fingers that were not held down. It will be "said" by the hand that the reason for the difference is simply because of "natural ability" and lack thereof.
~
Competition is fair and healthy, where participants treat others with equal and neutral respect, and welcome anyone and everyone who wants to participate. Everyone treats everyone else with integrity, respect, and ethics. Personal preferences, jealousy, envy, disdain or ego do not sully or influence treatment of others; there are no factions, exclusions, or cliques; there are no personal vendettas, triangulations, or secret sabotages. Such as in a race, all are open and welcome to enter, none are turned away or treated like they aren't wanted, aren't liked, aren't capable, or aren't respected (treatment of others is NEUTRAL, in other words WITH common civility, and without dramatic positives, negatives, or ignoring). MATURE people compete fairly, honestly, and openly, without ill intent or hidden agenda.
Oppression is about preventing certain people from competing in the first place with all kinds of ploys:
~taking their resources and keeping them or giving them to others
~blocking their path in various ways,
~smearing them individually or as a group so other people will be unwelcoming and judgmental toward them automatically, so they'll receive unfair and prejudice treatment
~telling them it's not something they would like or want to do,
telling them it's too dangerous, telling them they're not capable
~filling them with anxiety about competing
~attacking them with social hostility (or direct threats) if they do enter the competition, treating them WITHOUT the same integrity, ethics, and manners that others are treated with (hoping it will make them quit). (Hostile environments)
~gaslighting (trying to make them believe they aren't mentally stable or capable by doing things behind their back)
~Actual sabotage; destruction of their possessions, taking their possessions, giving their possessions away, taking away or preventing them from having tools of self-defense, causing them harm.
~Preventing them from learning and practicing in the first place so they won't have a chance to become proficient like others have, using various methods
~Lying about the reasons they can't or shouldn't learn, practice, or compete
Shame is the common first weapon of choice used to keep people from speaking, acting, or standing up about or against oppression and oppressors. Ironically, even members of an oppressed group will use shame to silence other group members.
A common behavior used against a person to prevent or stop them from speaking about or against unfairness, abuse, and oppression, and used as an excuse to cause them different kinds of harm is:
Implying or directly accusing that a person (and those like them) is/are unstable, unclean, physically weak and incapable, a liar, corrupt, unworthy, less intelligent, illogical, unable to learn, uncaring, self-centered, has hidden agendas, has hidden secret power, should be feared.
Oppression can be seen in many, many seemingly "normal" areas in modern culture.
Oppression is almost always explained away, rationalized, and made excuses for as if whatever is going on is the "Natural Way Things Are".
Oppression is often done against entire groups of people, and the groups of people are usually categorized by physical traits.
Frequently, individuals from an "oppressed group" will get their identity turned around and actually assist in oppressing others from their own group. This gives them a feeling of freedom and some control and autonomy; they are usually unaware of their actions or motives.
Some members of an oppressed group may "fight back" by trying to "oppress the oppressors". History shows that there have always been "OPPRESSORS", and WHO is oppressing WHOM changes and flip flops like a grilled sandwich being flipped in a pan.
The motives behind oppression are supremacy, control, and entitlement.
CONTRARY to pop culture, there is not one group that is ALWAYS in the "oppressor" position, and another group that is ALWAYS in the "oppressed" position. INDIVIDUAL humans CHOOSE to oppress, and oppressors can be found in EVERY RACE, and both sexes, and often toward their OWN race or their OWN sex. Individuals of EVERY race and both sexes have at one time or another been oppressed by others throughout human history.
Small groups (like businesses, families, organizations, communities and schools) are often seen to oppress individuals within the group, based on all kind of excuses, but the real reasons behind it are consistent: desire for "superiority" over others, desire to take the resources of another, desire for popularity, control, credit, and power, desire for the feeling (neurochemical reward) of domination and/or supremacy, desire for acceptance by supposed superiors, desire for admiration and special treatment.
Oppression is alive and well, and happens to a lot more people, many more "kinds" of people, and in a lot more places than most people talk about. Dismissing it as "silly" or "not real", or "not serious" is common, and helps to keep it going.
As a basic reference picture:
"Competition" is like a cook-off where everyone is welcome to participate, all are given the same ingredients, tools, time, and recipe; all of the kitchen areas are the same and in good working order. All have had the same time and space to practice and learn, and all have received the same encouragement and resources.
They are competing fairly, side by side, with their focus on their cooking and the prize.
"Oppression" is like a cook-off where it is advertised that everyone is welcome to participate, but really, only certain people have been given ALL of the required ingredients and proper tools. Some print-outs of the recipe were given with half the page missing, some stoves don't work properly, kitchen areas are all different, some are harder to get around in and have very little counter space, dull knives. Those running the contest treat certain people who show up with welcoming, happy, warm greetings and help them get ready, but others they treat with obvious disrespect, cold shoulders, and condescension. Only certain people have been given time, space, or tools to learn and practice, and only certain people have been given encouragement or coaching.
In the first fair contest, those running it and judging it are NEUTRAL, they are there to only put on the contest and make sure every contestant is treated fairly, in the SAME manner, with the SAME rules and the SAME tools, the same opportunities to learn and practice beforehand.
In the second unfair contest, those running it and judging it are NOT NEUTRAL; they DISCOURAGE some people from participating and ENCOURAGE other certain people. If they can get away with it, they will make the entry rules EXCLUSIVE, so only certain people can enter the cook-off at all, and others will be prevented from even entering. Anyone who gets in the contest who they don't like and don't want will not be given the same proper tools or ingredients as others. If those contestants manage to make what they were given work anyway, there will be more sabotage. The goal will be to prevent them from winning, and also from showing their ability at all, mainly so they don't gain respect from others. and of course so they don't get resources or win the prize.
Oppressors would feel that: better than sabotaging contestants in the cook-off is to prevent them from entering the cook-off in the first place.
If they can convince the individual AND the people around them that they wouldn't be capable or worthy of cooking this "important" and "difficult" recipe, and that they aren't welcome or wanted in the cooking circles anyway, then they have met their goals.
People tend to think of the extremes of Oppression, like threats, fists, whips, chains, weapons, and dungeons, but those are used when the oppressed group doesn't go along, or appears that they won't go along with the original attempts at oppression. Those are used to make people go along with it, and provoke survival-fear in them. Oppression is much easier and less obvious when people are conditioned not to stand up for fairness because the "oppressor" is content in being in control.
