Week 10 Kathlene Ngo A03

Kathlene Ngo Section A03

Week Theme: Wokeness and the Future of Higher Education and Activism with Asian Americans Social Awareness Campaign Presentations and Concluding Remarks

It is important for the community to come out and participate in the dismantling of oppression.  In the reading "Academics Awaken: Power, Resistance, and Being Woke", it is argued that complying with the system is only contributing to and strengthening the organized oppression. For the better of society, people must challenge it to get a more just society. Another key fact the author mentions is the role of community within a resistance. She mentions how the western mindset views the eastern idea of collectivism as a negative thing; however, they fail to see the benefits and effectiveness such a community has. Since people come from all different cultures/mindsets, it is important to see the underlying importance of uniting to fight oppression. It is not an issue of bringing down the privileged; the goal is to empower other minority groups to the same privilege and equal representation. However, in modern times, many distinct ethnic groups simply blame one another to bring each other down. This is merely contributing to the hierarchy already set by organized oppression. Recognizing one's own privilege allows us to help other people who are less privileged. The problem should be about fixing the oppression that exists instead of bringing down the more privileged.

Question: How can people convince privileged groups to fight against oppression because they may feel that such acts may not benefit them and possibly bring their standing down?



References

Dariotis, W. M & Valverde, K. L. (n.d.). "Academics Awaken: Power, Resistance, and Being Woke"

Photo Retrieved from Loryn Brantz (2015)