Tunnel of Oppression

First off, I just wanted to say that I am very glad that I got a chance to experience this exhibition, and if it were not for this class, I probably would not have seen it. I was very shocked and surprised by what I saw and came across. Going in, I had no idea what this exhibition was about or what it was trying to say, but as I went through it, I learned a great deal about issues that are usually not talked about or are avoided. The first exhibit I saw was about advertisement, and how media tries to give our society a certain idea of how we should be. It was noteworthy to see how magazines and the tv tries to promote an image of women and why there are such eating disorders as anorexia and bulimia. An exhibit that struck me strongly was the one about women in the military and the abuse that they must endure. I thought it was very sad how they are serving their country and risking their lives, while being abused at the same time by our own military men. There were a lot of facts about shameful issues, like prostitution and abuse and trafficking. I was shocked to learn about young children being forced into such disgraceful acts and they harmful things that our society can do to other human beings. Also at the end, the image of the blood diamonds was very memorable to me, and it reminded me of how much people are willing to gain monetarily at the expense of others.

Response after article

After reading the article, I gained a better understanding of what purpose a type of exhibit like this was supposed to do. The three goals that were discussed and the criteria they used helped me realize what kind of constructive criticism people have and how exhibits can improve. Overall, I think the tunnel of oppression met most of the goals, but the whole thing was generalized.

Goal 1: The programs are centered on real lived experiences. I think that the tunnel of oppression we saw did have real life experiences. The quotes that were written down made me feel that people actually experienced some of these horrifying events, like the females in the military. Also, people experiencing eating disorders were shown to have real life experiences like the magazines covers we see in the media and the advertisements. As the article states, some things were generalized in that they all simplified and stereotyped representations of situations. I believe that this could not be helped and that in order to expose these sensitive issues, it has to be simplified.

Goal 2: The program challenges the participant to examine their own behavior within appropriate social constructs. The article makes a point that the program did not allow the students to touch or interact with the displays or actors. In our exhibition, there were opportunities for us to be a part of the display, like the marbles and the jars. On the table, they allowed us to think if any of us or someone we knew had been abused, and this allowed me to think for a moment personally and to put my input into the exhibition and to experience it myself.

Goal 3: Programs ultimately move and enable the participant to act to break down stereotypes and barriers between people. I think the tunnel of oppression did not do a good job of breaking down stereotypes, or make any action come from the viewers. I think that instead it was more of an informative exhibition that was just trying to expose various issues. In the article, it says that there were no discussions of how to change or make a call to action. In our exhibition, there was no really debriefing to think critically. I think we are doing it right now in our class, but it was not exactly explicit in the tunnel of oppression.