Analysis of Everyday Life

Sorry the format keeps getting messed up

Jaclyn Daugherty
Katie King
WMST 250-05
April 10, 2008

Analysis of Everyday Life
Everyday as we live out our lives we each have different characteristics about us that control who we are, what we do, and how we live. I have found that the matrix of domination is the key to this control. The matrix of domination is our social location, which is where we are located when we talk about gender, race, geographic location, able-bodiedness, age, language, social class, religion, and sexuality. I myself have a social location of a white female from Frederick MD, who is able bodied, a US citizen, speak the English language, am middle class, catholic, and heterosexual. Most of the categories that establish me are common or unmarked categories. Marked categories are the uncommon or “marked” different categories in our society. For example when dealing with race, white is the unmarked category, where as black, Hispanic, Asian etc. is marked. Because of this I think that I am more privileged than many other people, but still am oppressed in some ways. Because of my nationality I live in a free country where I can vote and choose who runs the country. I unlike many other people who live in other areas around the world can pick who I want to represent me based on what government officials stand for and believe in. If I believe that it’s a women’s right to choose to have an abortion, or think that we should clean up the environment, or get out of war, I can vote for someone who also thinks the same things I do. Some countries around the world do not get a choice of who will run their lives; they just have to accept whoever they get. Living in the US gives me the privilege of living in an industrialized country where we get running water and electricity. Think of all the things we can do just because we have the internet! I can easily and quickly keep in touch with others, get an education, shop without having to leave the house etc. With the invention of electricity we can cook safer foods and keep warm in the winter along with many other benefits we get from electricity. With having running water our nation can keep one of mankind’s biggest problems, illness, under control. With being able to bathe regularly we can control the spread of illness, which is something we may take for granted, but a lot of countries have trouble handling. Living in this county allows others and myself so many more opportunities than people living in other places. Because I am a woman, even though it still comes with some restrictions here, I am allowed to vote, dress however I want to dress, socialize with men outside my family, go out in public, and even have the genitalia I was born with. Some women living in other countries have none of these offered to them. Even people with less than great treatment here in the US, get better treatment and opportunities than residents of other nations. Because of my sexuality I see nothing but privileges and empowerment. Because I am heterosexual I can marry a man legally (some exceptions). In only a few places in this country can homosexuals legally marry. I do not create a conflict between myself and my religion that way. I have also never had to deal with discrimination because of my sexual preference, like some homosexuals receive everyday whether it be minor like a name calling, or a violent act. Some privileges I may get over homosexuals because of discrimination could be a job, first pick for adoption, friends, respect etc. I do not agree with all of the hostility towards homosexuals, but it is out there and they have to deal with it through all different aspects of life. With the idea of sexuality I want to point out that different parts of life deal with sexuality differently. First of all think about social class dealing with sexuality, lower class people are probably not going to be accepting of homosexuality as easily as middle class people will be. There is also a difference is geographic location and accepting of homosexuality. More rural areas will not be as accepting, where urban areas will be more accepting, because of the diversity already present there. This is another reason why I have more privilege than homosexuals; I do not have to deal with the change in attitudes of my sexuality if I change geographic locations, or social class. In our society we really do not like to admit that race affects a lot of things, but in all reality it does. Whites receive much better treatment than any other race in this county. Because I am white I have much more power over other races, and oppress others as well. Because of my race, I just have a better appearance to others. I could be a poor white girl that lives in a trailer, and is a hooker, but people would not usually think that’s what I was. People look at whites as being more educated, having money, being classy, and having a more attractive appearance. Even though most of this stuff is not always true people see it that way. Think about employment when it comes to race. Whites never have to worry about not getting a job because of the color of their skin, because white is the marked race in our country. In a study done in my sociology class, white men with criminal backgrounds, and black men with no criminal backgrounds were sent out looking for jobs. Ironically we found out that the white men with criminal backgrounds were a little bit more likely to get a job than the black men. I myself do not have to deal with employers stereotyping me as lazy, not trustworthy, or uneducated, but many other non-dominant races are viewed that way. Because I am white I will probably have an easier time finding a job, than for example an African American with the same qualifications, and I am also more likely to make more money than they are as well. This privilege will allow me to advance easier than other races, which oppresses them. Another problem that minorities have to deal with, that whites don’t have to is the idea of racial profiling. In a study examined also in my sociology class, African American men were more likely to get pulled over on the highway, without doing anything wrong, than a white man.. My race will even allow me to go through life with fewer daily hassles than someone of a different race will. Able-bodieness is something that I never thought much about, but does affect the way many people live their lives. I am so thankful that I am able when I think about it. Being able allows me to do so many more things that others could not do. I am able to participate in sports first of all, which can lead to being able to get college scholarships. Even though many disabled people participate in sports, I do not know of any college that gives out scholarships to them. Able body sports also receive a lot more attention than other sports. Take for example the Olympics, most people will know different athletes from different categories, but almost no one will know athletes in the Special Olympics. Disabled people are much more likely to receive unfair treatment compared to abled bodies. An employer may be skeptical of hiring a person if they are labeled as having a mental disorder, because they may either be worried about the quality of their work, or they may be worried about their social skills when dealing with customers or other fellow employees. Some mentally disabled people will never even be able to work, causing them to always have to be taken care of. Now think about physically disabled people. There are places that are accessible to physically disabled people, but even though these places are accessible to them, they are not designed for them, and may still cause problems for them getting around. Some things in specific are not designed for them at all, like rides at amusement parks, or some sports stadiums. And when these physically disabled people can not get jobs because they can neither mentally or physically handle it, many have trouble with money. Because I do not have a physical or mental disability, I will hopefully never have to depend on other people for everyday things, will be able to take care of myself, get a job easier, won’t have to be made fun of, and will never have to encounter the embarrassment associated with being disabled. My other social locations would allow me to be able to deal with a disability (if I had one) easier than others. I am middle class, so I could afford more help than lower class individuals. I live in Frederick County MD, I can easily access facilities to help with my disability, and I live in the United States, so more information can be provided for me about dealing with a disability. I am eighteen years old. I do not mind this age, but it both empowers and oppresses me. At this age I am considered a young adult. Age is associated with abled bodiness, because even though exercise and a healthy diet can help deal with a persons shape, age truly comes into the picture when dealing with what physically a person can do. I am stronger, more agile, and more coordinated than elders and children so I have a physical advantage over them. Along with that being a young adult means you have a stronger sex drive than children and elders which also giveS me an advantage. Mentally I have more knowledge than most children, and when compared to elders I can learn faster and have more knowledge of current things. With being eighteen and now considered an adult I can do many things that I once could not do. One of the most important things is voting. I can now help determine who the leader of my country is going to be, and what they stand for. I can now have the freedom to buy things like cigarettes, and go to places like strip clubs, casinos etc. Being eighteen also means my parents do not officially own me anymore, even if they do still support me. Getting a job is also accomplished with more ease for me than for children or elders. I will be hired over children because I will have more life experience and will be portrayed to employees as being more responsible, trustworthy, and knowledgeable. Employees will likely hire me over an elder because they think physically and mentally I will be able to perform the job better and faster, and will be able to learn things easier. Being only eighteen means I can still not do everything that older adults can which in some ways oppress me. I can still not legally drink alcohol, go to some bars, nor be eligible for lower car insurance. Another way that some people may see this age as oppressing is that now being eighteen, we are eligible for the draft so we can be forced to be sent into war. Again this to some people may not be oppressing, but to others empowering.
I am from Frederick County about forty five minutes away from College Park. While school is in session I live in an apartment in College Park. Not very many people can say that the live less than an hour away from the nation’s capital, but I can. People can look at this as either being empowering, or oppressing. I see it both ways. The town that I grew up in was mostly suburban with a few small farms around. Many people from my town make the commute everyday to DC for their jobs. This is one clear advantage that my geographic location holds for me. When I graduate I could probably easily find any type of job in DC, and commute their everyday. DC also holds higher paying jobs than areas in less populated areas. Along with employment, DC has much technology to offer. In DC we can find many government buildings with the most advanced technology to offer. Along with this also comes the most advanced medical care. DC is also very culturally diverse. Living or being around heavily populated areas like this, with many different types of people really opens peoples minds and makes them more acceptable and less discriminatory towards others. Not only does it house many different types of people, but many different types of art. In the city one can find many museums, concert halls etc. Cities are also where more college and universities are found so if one does not have the money to spend on housing for college they can always commute from home. So living close to this area opens more educational doors, than living far away, say maybe in the Appalachian Mountains. One down fall to living in cities is that living prices are really high, so it can put people in debt, and can also cause people to live in unclean and improper living conditions. Along with that idea children living in cities and urban areas do not have the safety and playing spaces outside as offered to children living in rural or suburban areas. One last downfall that may oppress me living so close to the nations capital is the risk of terrorist attacks. Another subject that empowers me over others is my social class. Talking about class in the United States is something that everyone tries to dodge, because we know a lot of times it is not fair. America is supposed to be built on a dream that everyone is equal, and has an equal chance of fulfilling their dreams as long as they work hard enough, but most of the time this is not true. The class that we are born in usually dictates what class we will be in the rest of our lives. Luckily for me I am in the middle class, which enables much more power over people in the working class, or lower class. Starting from a young age differences are evident among people from different social classes. Middle to upper class families have money to send their children to private schools where a better education is offered to them, so they are more likely to get into a good college, and make more money. These families also have the money to send their kids to college where as other classes may not, causing their kids to not go to school, or take out loans which start their adult lives off in debt. Upper classes can also afford to get their children in special programs whether it be tutoring programs, or even sports programs that can train them to succeed and get scholarships to colleges. Class also affects many other aspects of our social locations. Take for example sexuality. Middle to upper classes are usually more open minded to people who do not fit into social norms such as in this case homosexuals. As discussed before, lower classes do not usually accept homosexuals as easily, so these homosexuals end up either living a harder life where they are more susceptible to discrimination, or they live a false life and never reveal their true colors. Able bodiness is also something that can be affected by class. If I got hurt, or had a mental disability, my family would be able to afford medical treatment, aid, etc. to help me through the process, but lower classes probably could not. Being in the social class that I am in, is allowing me to get a good education, which will further down the line allow me to get a better job, afford higher quality things, and just over power others in lower classes. But only being middle class does allow those above me to over power me, so this system works as a ladder. English is the most common language spoken in the United States, and it is also the language I speak. Everyday this allows me to over power others that do not speak the English language. I am not discriminated against nor have to deal with prejudice in this country because of the language I speak. This is not an obstacle for me when trying to apply for jobs, nor for education purposes. I am also not viewed as dumb, or intellectually disabled because of my language, and socializing for me is not a problem either. Language plays a huge role in everyone’s life everyday. Many times I have seen people not familiar with the English language get mistreated or misinformed. Common tasks for me, such as going to the grocery store can be a huge, scary adventure for someone who does not speak English. Reading the directional signs in the store can cause much lost time, and not being able to read labels can be not only confusing, but dangerous for people with allergies. This can also come into effect for mobility. People that can not read English can not get a license, which forces them to live in urban areas where they can use public transportation to get around. Language is an over looked subject that allows people like me to have power over others that speak a different language than the English language.
When the subject of religion comes up, it is a confusing one for me. My mom’s whole side of the family is catholic; I was baptized in a catholic church, received my first communion in a catholic church, and sometimes attend a catholic church, but I do not follow strict catholic beliefs. I do not think this category neither empowers me, nor oppresses me. If I was a firm believer in all of their practices I would think that it oppressed me in some ways, like marriage, birth control, sex, etc. The last dimension of my social location is the only subject that I feel truly oppresses me. I am a woman, and I am happy to be one, but even though the treatment of women has come a long way, I do not believe that it is yet equal to men. When it comes to the subjects of jobs, children, money, and respect etc., women are below men. The subject of employment is something that I have mentioned several times through out my paper, but I feel as if it is an important subject that controls levels of oppression in every ones lives. Men are more likely than women to hold higher career positions if the qualifications are equal for both men and women. Along with that, if men and women are in the same position, men are likely to make more money than women. This further oppresses women, by making money more difficult to access, and if married, being dependent on the males income. When a husband and wife both work, when each comes home from work, it is the women who is most likely to have to do the cooking and cleaning, which makes it as though she has two jobs instead of one. Have you ever realized that when a wife and husband get divorced, it is more likely that the woman will have the kids more often, if not fulltime when compared to the man? I have. This happens regularly, and it happened in my family as well. Even though the women that I know this has happened to are glad that it is this way, why should they be stuck with all of the burdens and stress of taking care of kids alone? In most cases like this, it is more common for the man to get remarried than the women, because she has to deal with taking care of the children while the man does not. In overall respect, women get treated with less of it than men do. Women in our culture are usually portrayed as a lesbian, bitch, or whore by most men. Most women do not fit into any of these categories, so why do they have to be given a negative name like that by men. Everyday women are treated as being below men, and it is not true. Some cultures do not allow women to socialize with men outside their families, and others do not allow women to show any parts of their bodies. This should not be allowed, women and men should be treated equally. Everyday people encounter matrixes of domination, or different parts of their lives that either empowers them or oppresses them, and they will have to live with this the rest of their lives. After examining all of my social locations I started realizing where this power and oppression comes from, and the effects it has on me. Also I learned that everything in life that we are apart of intertwines to allow even more power to us, or more oppression. I really enjoyed this project because it made me take a close look at my life and it explained a lot.