Web Quest

Internalized Oppression

In psychology internalized oppression is the manner in which an oppressed group comes to use against itself the methods of the oppressor. For example, sometimes members of marginalized groups hold an oppressive view toward their own group, or start to believe in negative stereotypes of themselves. For example, internalized racism is when members of Group A believe that the stereotypes of Group A are true and may believe that they are less intelligent or academically inferior to other groups of people. Any group can internalize prejudice.

In The Bluest Eye  the main character Pecola is told she is ugly and she never receives love from her family. Pecola eventually begins to believe the reason for her troubles is that she is black and has brown eyes. Pecola also sees that all beautiful people in the media are white: specifically Shirley Temple. Because Pecola sees how poorly she and other blacks are treated at this time she wishes to be white and have blue eyes. Pecola begins to believe the stereotypes around her and gives into internalized oppression by wishing to be different. 

Assignment: 

1. Take time to think about whether or not you face internal oppression in your life. For example do you feel that growing up in this area and school you have felt forced to live a certain way because of what society expects of you? No writing assignment is required for this section; this is just to get you to start thinking. 

2. Write a blog post on whether or not you think the media imposes stereotypes upon African American society. If you agree expand on how these media created stereotypes can create internal oppression amongst African Americans. 

3. Read this article about the football player Ryan Moats. Then draw a political cartoon that illustrates racial profiling or stereotyping. 

Sources: the red words are links

1. Crime and race this is part of the  school data base issues and controversies

2. Women and internal oppression this is part of the school database Proquest

3. Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan youtube

4. Black women on hating being black youtube

5. Book on Internal Oppression read pages 116, 118, 120, and 121

6. Jake Hart blog

7. Anti Racism  blog

8. Ebonics blog

9. Examples of Internalized Oppression website

10. Itunes: type in racism in the Itunes Store and it is the 14th item down. The artist is New York University and you should listen from the 5 minute to 15 minute mark. 

You can also peruse through these links on my delicious site. All of the articles relating to this webquest are under the tag internaloppression/beingsaxon. 

Quotes:

1."It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights-if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different." (p. 46)

2. "She looks up at him and sees the vacuum where curiosity ought to lodge. And something more. The total absence of human recognition-the glazed separateness." (p. 48)

3."She was never able, after her education in the movies, to look at a face and not assign it some category in the scale of absolute beauty, and the scale was one she absorbed in full from the silver screen." (p. 122)

4."Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window sign - all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. 'Here,' they said, 'this is beautiful, and if you are on this day "worthy" you may have it.'"(pg. 20)