Sexism 3 Term paper

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The three articles chosen for my critical examination are as follows: Jewish, Women, and Lacking Class , by B. Burstow; White Privilege and Male Privilege, by P. McIntosh; Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism, by S. Pharr. These three articles have been grouped together due to a common theme they all share. The theme is invisibility , associated specifically with prejudice, privilege, and norms . Together, these three articles should illustrate the tremendous influence of invisibility, i.e. when one cannot see a problem or its origin, one cannot relate to it or to its solutions. This invisibility has directly defined our societies understanding of normalcy; and, its effects are twice as damaging as just oppression itself, for it hinders the forward progress of prejudice elimination by potentially masking its detrimental effects.

Burstow s article Jewish, Women, and Lacking Class , begins by introducing the concept of invisibility in the oppression of Jewish women. Unlike other forms of oppression, anti-Semitism is often disregarded as a true form of oppression, and this disregard is in itself responsible for a hidden level of prejudice.

One aspect of the invisible dynamic of Jewish oppression was created through historical intensification. For example, anti-Semitism was tremendously reinforced in the nineteenth century with the creation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This false document meticulously described a Jewish plot to eventually control the world. This overthrow would be achieved by the gradual takeover of financial markets and religions [Burstow 78]. Along with this affair, two centuries later, was the rise of white supremacist beliefs, particularly of the holocaust. These horrific ideologies maintained that Jews were outside of the master race , thus making them subordinate creatures along with other minorities. These two events, accompanied by various other historical episodes, caused a number of stereotypes and powerful myths to surface: Jews are greedy with money; they have identifiable characteristics; they are arrogant and loud; they are dirty etc.

Another invisible dynamic is the marginalization (trivialization) of the Jewish culture in society. The media reflects this through its particularly Christian-dominating attributes. From public holiday messages to movies, the Jewish tradition has been trivialized.

The difficulties that Jewish women principally face are anti-Semitism, sexism, and classism. These three factors, along with the hidden nature of Jewish oppression, create a dilemma that is presumably more difficult to problematize and deal with than a very obvious prejudice.

The main concept of McIntosh s White Privilege and Male Privilege, is that privileged persons of a group (usually the majority) can identify the disadvantages of the unprivileged; yet, find it quite difficult to recognize that their own advantage is that they are overprivileged.

As part of a normative group, frequently the majority, it is often taken for granted that their are unearned privileges given to you. You consider yourself neutral or normal to which everyone else is to be judged against or subjected to. If you are part of this norm , you are blind to these invisible gifts, and cannot possibly understand the perspective of the oppressed until enlightenment of some potent form. The people that fall into this category have been institutionally or systematically taught not to see it, and must be therefore, socially retrained and/or reeducated.

There is an important distinction that must be understood when examining the concept of privilege, and that is: privilege is power not strength. Having unearned privileges may open many doors of opportunity, but this should be considered an external power; for, the privileged have not worked for this advantage. Whereas, those who have had to work for those privileges, have used an internal strength and possibly have grown or learned from the experience.

The white male, in this case, is the privileged person. Not realizing the advantages hidden in various institutions, he develops a system of denial towards his own advantages and lives as a right-handed person in a right-handed world.

Pharr s Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism, Illustrates homophobia as one of three major means of establishing and maintaining gender dominance. It is such an intense form of oppression, that homosexuals find themselves dividing into two groups: those who choose to hide their sexuality and therefore, live in fear of discovery; and those who show their sexuality and face the dangers of various types of abuse.

The dominant fallacy associated with homophobia is the belief that its roots originate in the bible. However, most arguments using cases from the bible to support homophobic bigots are often misinterpreted and exaggerated. For example, the issues of morality in relationships have been focused incorrectly--content rather than gender, should be the primary focus of morality. In fact, the author profoundly continues later in stating that the avoidance of gender roles, in particular, would result in the elimination of sexism.

Homophobia is used to revitalize the nuclear family and the patriarchal system. Any form of family outside this accepted norm is deviant and is therefore, a threat to those in power (men). Once a woman steps out of line , i.e. no longer performs her role, or practices submission, she becomes a threat and is labeled (lesbian). This is the source of the commonly associated and reciprocated terms: feminist, man-hater, lesbian.

The weapons of sexism, in addition to homophobia, are economics and violence. The economic weapon is designed perfectly for the male head of the household, and all men in general. It consists of: depriving women the opportunity to train for high paying jobs; then using their inability as an excuse not to give them these positions of rank; and finally, allowing an affirmative action policy to give the illusion of equality. These deprived women have no choice but to seek the aid of an economically sound man to survive. Violence, the third weapon, is used to reinforce the domineering quality of the patriarchal system. It is used as a tool for power and control for men, and leads to submission and obedience in women.

All three articles connect in many facets allowing a clear opportunity for critical evaluation. They support one another by validating the existence of various fallacies and the theme of invisibility, rendering distinct arguments against discrimination.

In Jewish, Women, and Lacking Class , Burstow establishes a very effective range of arguments, by balancing history with problematized issues. Burstow formulates a very interesting and relevant translation when she demonstrates how stereotypes of Jewish mothers are deeply affected by sexism:

We are loud; we are aggressive ; we are pushy; we have no manners at all. Translation: we feel entitled to speak without having to ask permission; we insist that our agendas be addressed; we say precisely what we think without pretense or cosmetics; we try to stay away from garbage categories; we do not lower our voices. And when we analyze, we exude strength, conviction, passion, intensity [Burstow 80].

This argument clearly shows how threatened society, principally men, feel when subjected to this strength of character from Jewish women. Their strength challenges the dominant ideologies of men and consequently seems to issue a more vulnerable state within men; thus, men are forced to use stereotyping defense mechanisms. This is a very relevant point--for this defense mechanism is used not only to thwart the positive efforts of Jewish women, but any women who simply wish to exist as men do (equal to, not subordinate to men).

This relates particularly well to Pharr s article, Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism. When a women confronts a man with a passionate difference of opinion or insubordinate behaviour, which directly challenges the man s status of power, she is termed lesbian (deviant).

A key fallacy and dilemma is identified with Pharr s use of problematization: dominant characteristics are considered normal. Heterosexism is so widely observable, that it is arbitrarily regarded as a norm . Science and logic justify that...

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