#1

Oppression is a predatory system which seeks to exploit resources; namely human resources, with complete disregard for the wellbeing and experience of the exploited, the dominated, the oppressed. In fact, both El Saadawi and bell hooks, in their respected works, bring to the attention of the reader that in order for one group of people to oppress another it is absolutely critical that they do not empathize with them, form an attachment with them, or recognize their humanity. El Saadawi and bell hooks recognize that this system can entrench any group or sect of the human population and furthermore, that no one is outside the realm of potentially occupying the role of oppressor.
In order for those that wish to live in a system organized around cooperation and in opposition to evil it is necessary that we create a space inside of ourselves to accommodate the experiences of our fellow human beings in which we allow ourselves to change and to grow. As our conceptions of the world are challenged it is our conceptions that must change not the individuals that challenge them. It is critically important that we embrace the differences that exist as a result of no two human beings having the same life experience and to recognize the fundamental likeness in all oppressed peoples struggle for emancipation. El Saadawi cites the manifestations of oppression as foreign domination in Arab countries; she stresses the necessity for western women to take in account the predicament of Arab women and instead of assuming a superior, enlightened position, El Saadawi suggests that the feminist movement would be best served if western women approached women in developing countries with a desire to understand an experience different from their own.
“It is necessary at all times to see the close links between women’s struggles for emancipation and the battles for national and social liberation waged by people in all parts of the ‘third world’ against foreign domination and the exploitation exercised by international capitalism over human and natural resources” (El Saadawi, reader pg. 62).
When a connection is established between women’s struggles for equality and the struggles of oppressed peoples in developing countries for human rights, a common enemy is discovered and the force that opposes that enemy grows. El Saadawi recognizes that it is ineffective to acknowledge oppression in one environment and justify it in another; and that in order for emancipation to occur a great deal of momentum must exist to counter the desire of an entire system that will stop at nothing to acquire and exploit.
Although the system of oppression that currently exists does not collectively serve us as a species, precisely because it prohibits the opportunity for connection and relationships amongst us, nothing will change until we confront the ways in which we as individuals are perpetuating this paradigm. Ultimately the possibility of change relies on those that suffer at the hands of it because it could only be such that those of us that are gratified by the system are far less likely to feel motivated to change it than those of us that are drowning in it. First, we must cultivate a relationship with ourselves, “It is necessary to remember that it is first the potential oppressor within that we must resist – the potential victim within that we must rescue – otherwise we cannot hope for an end to domination, for liberation” (bell hooks, reader pg. 114). If we look inside ourselves and discover that in certain respects or contexts we have held the position of oppressor we must face the shame of our actions and instead of persecuting ourselves for acting in discordance with our dignity we must stand up for ourselves, as self-respecting individuals, with a desire to understand everything that has led to this moment without judgment, but with interest, curiosity and the courage to change.
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of oppression to reconcile is that we are not as free, internally, as we would like to think that we are. As we uncover the processes and the events that have led us to act as the dominator we are confronted with the lies we have been telling ourselves, the lies that bind our anger and excuse our oppressor; for all too often it is the case that those that oppress us are the same individuals that we are dependent on for growth and maturation. Bell hooks states, “Even though family relations may be, and most often are, informed by acceptance of a politic of domination, they are simultaneously relations of care and connection” (reader pg. 114). As long as we exonerate the actions of those that we loved, whether they are a parent, a partner, a sibling etc., we will necessarily deny our experience and the suffering we endured at the hands of our oppressor. The denial of our own experience will inevitably lead to identification with theirs, as that is the ultimate excuse and the most effective means by which we can pretend that we were cared for; often times going so far as to call the oppression we suffered an act of love.
The ideas expressed by El Saadawi and bell hooks seem to converge at the possibility for liberation of oppressed people everywhere when we do so with genuine love, when we cultivate relationships with each other and begin a dialogue that recognizes one another’s humanity and need to be seen, to be heard. El Saadawi promotes unification amongst all groups whom desire the freedom from oppression, “Victory in the long and difficult struggle for women’s emancipation requires that women adopt a flexible attitude and be prepared to ally their efforts with all those who stand for progress” (reader pg. 63). El Saadawi acknowledges the threat this poses to systems of oppression underscoring the absolute need for unification. Bell hooks’ argument also emphasizes the necessity of unification as a source to draw upon as the struggle for liberation from oppression is fought. “Working together to identify and face our differences – to face the ways we dominate and our dominated – to change our actions, we need a mediating force that can sustain us so that we are not broken in this process, so that we do not despair” (reader pg. 118). It is only with love that we will successfully resist our common enemy; it is only with empathy and a sense of duty, first to ourselves and secondarily to one another, that there is any hope at all for freedom. In a sense, it must be the process that motivates us to grow and not the hope for a specific outcome, if the process can fortify us it will persist, but if it takes all we have and offers nothing in return besides some distant hope we are doomed to fail.