education

  Arguing That Oppression Is Just Human Nature 244 “Injustice exists in every society—it’s just human nature.” “Somebody has to be on top.” Because it’s virtually impossible to separate nature (biology) from nurture (culture), claims that specific human dynamics are natural are very difficult to substantiate. There is no line at which we can say […]

  Citing Exceptions to the Rule “Barack Obama was president so racism has ended in the United States.” “I have a friend who’s Latina and she’s the CEO of the company.” “My professor is openly gay and he still got tenure.” There are two types of exceptions that people commonly raise. One type is citing

Claiming That Schools Are Politically Neutral “Politics has no place in schools.” “It’s not a school’s place to teach values.” Many people believe that schools are apolitical spaces and that the knowledge taught in them is neutral. However, schools have a very long history of political struggle. Specific debates such as whether creationism and/or evolution

How are race and gender embedded in the patterns identified above Patterns to Practice Seeing 1. Consider your friends, family, and most trusted business associates. What classes are they from? Do you notice a pattern in the class positions of those in your closer social circles? 2. How do you and the people in your

Discussion Questions 1. In your own words, what are the differences between wealth and income? What are the differences between capitalism and socialism? 2. Many people say, “My parents worked hard for what they have.” Practice speaking back to this narrative from a social justice framework. 3. Pick an institution (e.g., government, prisons, policing, healthcare,

“This is class warfare.” The term class warfare is frequently raised when class inequality is questioned. Traditionally it refers to the tension and antagonism between the various classes. Today, it behooves us to notice who is in the position to disseminate widely their use of the term and to what effect. Certainly activists marching in

Common Classist Beliefs Our early and continual socialization into our class positions makes it challenging to break free from the hegemony of dominant narratives. We speak back to some of the most challenging of those narratives here: “Immigrants are stealing our jobs.” Immigrants do not and cannot steal jobs. Rather, immigrants tend to cluster in

You have class privilege if the following applies to you: You can readily find accurate (not caricatured) representations of members of your class depicted in films, television, and other media. Experts appearing on mass media are from your social class. New consumer products are designed and marketed with your social class in mind. If you

Understanding Intersectionality Intersectionality is the idea that identity cannot be fully understood via a single lens such as gender, race, or class alone—what legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) called a “single axis framework” (p. 139). Rather, our identities and the social meaning attributed to them must be understood in their interdependence on one another; identity

Incarcerations Rates Among Founding NATO Members Source: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2016.html Prison labor has been used in the United States since the late 18th century, with the most popular usage being agricultural labor. The labor of Black prisoners has replaced the labor of Black slaves, and in many cases to target unionized White workers and break strikes. This