Oppression is the institutional and systematic deprivation of both freedom and rights of an inferior group of people by a superior group. The dynamics of such a state are often maintained using force, thus being cruel and gruesome to the victim. There are different types of oppression, including benevolent persecution, institutional tyranny, and manifest oppression. All three categories of abuse will be discussed regarding the recent death of a 46-year-old African-American, George Floyd, which occurred in Minneapolis.
Institutional oppression is the unfair treatment that a given social group within society is subjected to and is often supported by institutions like the criminal justice system, health, education, and media, among others. This type of oppression creates invisible impediments based on their less favored social identity. Institutional domination can be described based on stereotypes, coverts, and prejudice. Stereotypes are feelings and attitudes toward socially sanctioned target groups. Harmful discrimination and opinions about a given social group is a significant reason for cultivating oppression. In our reference case, stereotype traits and prejudice among white officers toward black people in the streets undermine efforts that are geared toward minimizing racial disparities. Floyd was an unarmed suspect who, regardless of initial arrest defiance, he complied later, but officer Chauvin went ahead to kneel on Floyd's neck for nine minutes until he lost his pulse (Alexander, 2020). Even after George complained of his inability to breathe, Mr. Chauvin persisted in his malicious action without showing any compassion. In America, African-Americans are often perceived as potential lawbreakers. In as much as racial prejudice was not written on the officers' faces, it was a significant contributor to the officers' choice to use excessive force while arresting George Floyd. This nature of handling George Floyd represents what a majority of law enforcement officers would do to George Floyd. This kind of behavior depicts the rot within the law enforcement system that perceives people of color with much a lot of hatred.
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Oppression within a given social setting manifests structurally and systematically through stage violence and normalized with the help of sheer repetition, homogeny, and ideology. This process regroups the oppressed into racial subdivision, class, gender, and ethnicity, among others. Following the death of George Floyd, nationwide protests spiked. Large groups of people defied the COVID-19 scare and broke the rules of social distancing and isolation. They gathered in streets marching and carrying banners imprinted, "Black Lives Matter." This message portrays that people were aware that racial prejudice is rampant, and cases of segregation had risen in recent times ("Protests break out around the US following deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor", 2020) . George Floyd's case was just an ignition to an already looming fire. In February this year, two white men shot Ahmaud Arbery (a black man) as he jogged in the streets. Police officers had also murdered several other black men in recent times (Cuddy, 2020). This information indicates that this was not an isolated case, and the whole justice system was racist. The protest was symbolic to represent a population that is fed up with racial abuse and police brutality inflicted upon the black race.
Benevolent oppression means effective or enormous unfair treatment dished out to a given group of people. The oppressor strictly and unjustly implements steps to ensure that the oppressed do not have a chance of survival, and do not care about the repercussions. George Floyd's case represents how benevolent oppression can be described. In some states, protests were countered with utmost aggression from the police. For example, protesters in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania were teargassed by police. President Trump even deployed military personnel to patrol around the White House, where many protesters had gathered. (Todt, 2020). The president's action signified that in as much as the system is oppressive against the black race, it is willing to take whatever measure to frustrate their motives toward achieving racial justice.
In conclusion, a voluminous amount of oppression in America targets the black race. The law enforcement system is flawed and has attached itself to racial hate that deprives most African-Americans equal opportunities to live and share American space and dreams in harmony. Their rights and freedoms are being irrationally chopped off with little accountability.
References
.Alexander, H., 2020. What Happened on The Night of George Floyd's Arrest and Death? [Online] The Telegraph.
Protests break out around the US following deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor . Usatoday.com. (2020). Retrieved 6 June 2020, from https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2020/05/28/protests-break-out-around-us-following-death-george-floyd/5278673002/
Todt, R., 2020. Fires Set, Stores Damaged as Peaceful Protests Turn Violent | Times Leader . [Online] Times Leader.
Cuddy, A., 2020. Five Pieces of Context to Understand the US Protests . [Online] BBC News.
