I really liked the Tunnel of Oppression. I liked how in different sections of the tunnel there were different themes. There was a lot to look at but at the same time it got the point across that there is a lot of stuff going on in the world that a lot of the general public doesn't know about. My favorite part was the jail cell. Although, it wasn't a real life jail cell, being in a replica of one kind of made you think about a lot of stuff. Also, the dropping of the marbles in the jars was interesting too because it was a hands on activity that you had to actually take the time to stop, read, and think about your answers. It was nice too because I was at the tables alone when dropping the beads so I could actually answer honestly about a lot of the questions being asked without people judging me or watching me. I came out of the tunnel of oppression kind of speechless. I didn't really know how I was feeling at the time. I was kind of in shock about all of the things I had little to no knowledge about. I also realized that at the beginning of the tunnel, there was basic statistics about how much t.v. people watch and how much fast food people eat and that kind of stuff that really doesn't affect people when they read about it. But once you start to get into the middle of the tunnel that's when things got scary and more statistics actually got to me where I was leaving a specific poster in shock because of what I was reading.
After reading the Position Statement on the Tunnel of Oppression
Goal 1: Programs are centered on real lived experiences.
The Tunnel doesn't depict events that do happen. The scenes were not based on specific real life events but rather on statistics and representations of real life events. A lot of people leave the tunnel feeling that the tunnel wasn't "real" and that the events represented didn't really happen.
Goal 2: Programs challenge the participant to examine their own behavior within appropriate social constructs.
The tunnel does not lead students to examine their own oppressive behavior on others. Some people leave the tunnel saying that oppression is something that happens "to other people by other people. "
Goal 3: Programs ultimately move the participant to act to break down stereotypes and barriers between people.
There was nothing that lead observers of the tunnel to believe that it was an effective call to action to break down stereotypes and barriers between people. It is clear that the tunnel did not make an effective link between the violent and sad scenes showed and the larger issues of oppression and power.
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