Chapter IX

THE NATURE OF OPPRESSION


“The murderer was once a baby. Unless
we can question the darkness that
turned this baby into a murderer,
we cannot achieve anything.”
Rakel Dink –
Wife of assassinated Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, as reported in the LA times,
Wednesday, January 24, 2007. Dink worked
for the Armenian newspaper, Agos,
located in Instanbul, Turkey.

The above quote is the most accurate and eloquent, brief statement implying how a human being can be transformed into a less than human creature. The assassin is a 17 year old, by the name of Ogun Samast. The report said that apparently he had come under the sway of nationalist militants.

The unsaid implication is that a new human being is naturally a good, benign creature with, inherently, a full potential for goodness.

The following article is an in depth discussion of human oppression, its origins, development and the unimaginable damage it does to humans, their society and to the universe. In many ways the article implies that present day humans have the evolved ability to transform our society to a rational, safe, sane, happy and limitlessly creative reality.

Introduction

The term, “oppression,” is often used, but little understood beyond the obvious, the strong dominating the weak. Because of this surface understanding the long term abusive effects of oppression, and its historical impairment of human society, go unthought about, and is thus perpetuated generation after generation.

The habit of oppression is very old, stemming from the biologic predatory need among organisms predating by far the evolution of the human specie; the “big fish eating the little fish” syndrome.

The predatory impulse is driven by the need for survival among lower level organisms which had not developed the mental capability of conceiving of and inventing other, nonlethal, means of survival. The natural urge to survive transcends the individual organism and operates for the survival of self, its own kind and the success of its genetic line, its progeny.

It is this genetic survival that drives nature’s prime purpose: evolution, evolution towards higher and higher order function. To date the highest intellectually functioning organism we know of is the Human Being.

It is interesting to note that when we observe a person acting less than “human,” that is, hurtful to others, we often describe him or her as “just an animal.”

The urge to survive has a corollary: the fear of nonsurvival, which is wired into the neurological system of living organisms as “instinct.” Instinct is a function of what is referred here to as the “old brain.”

This instinctual, old brain fear of nonsurvival triggers neural and hormonal processes which in turn trigger behavior geared towards achieving and protecting survival, even at the expense of others. When a situation is threatening, intense or urgent enough the fear instinct is felt as neural, and in higher order organisms, psycho/emotional, dissonance. The “discomfort” of such dissonance is not relieved until behavioral “remedies,” such as the “fight or flight” response, are achieved.

In almost all organisms but humans the instinct for survival is held in check by natural ecological sense. For example, the population of northern wolves is determined by the population of caribou. When the population of the latter is down, the population of the former is held down.

For humans this natural sense of balance does not seem to be effective, at least not for humans who live in developed areas. The oppressive urge for such humans apparently overrides any ecological demand. The reasons for this become clear in the following discussion.

Human, higher order, mental functions such as imagination, extrapolation, analysis, invention and creativity has resulted in raising some instinctive behavior to conscious and cultural concepts. A few examples are Godliness (“God is within us and we strive to be as good as He”), Intelligence (an “A” is the top of the heap, respected, aspired to and rewarded), and Patriotism (loyalty to one’s own against all others).

Human intuition, perhaps the highest order function, has produced such concepts as Decency and Morality (treating others as one would have them treat oneself), Justice and Equality (as in the credos that “...all men are created equal,” and “all are equal before the law.”).

These qualities, perhaps, do derive from a sense of ecological instinct since they tend to provide communal survival through cooperation and harmony. It must be said that as we humans progress our growing awareness is taking into account the reckless, oppressive damage to the environment we have done, and the urgent need to repair, restore and maintain a viable environment for the planet’s survival.

These evolved qualities fully present us with the ability to create the kind of humane society we wish for ourselves and our children. This can be accomplished by eliminating the distressful, oppressive patterns we habitually perpetuate. This “healing” is fully described in the chapters throughout this document, “Life, Love, Health and Happiness” (in the Healing forum of my web site www.abovetheswamp.com).

The Human Contradiction

The foregoing intuitive qualities generate further positive social attributes such as cooperation, communication, care and respect, and on personal levels, love and affection. These qualities are part of what we call human goodness or what we think of as “humane” traits.

The old brain, instinctual fear of non-survival undermines our intuitive goodness. As in the predator, the fear drives us to dominate one another in order to control the means and resources vital to survival.

Both forces, goodness and fear, still live in our psyches. We keep the patterns of fear intact by practicing them generation after generation. Modern humans have the power to heal the habitual addiction, to decide to stop the practice, and to act on our intuitive goodness.

In ancient times (as well as in present time acts of war, genocide and “ethnic cleansing”) one clan of humans simply sought to kill other clans to gain ownership of territory and its treasure. In modern times this killing continues as acts of political/economic exploitation and scapegoating as well. We see examples of this in Kosovo, in Shia vs. Sunni and Jews vs. Palestinians in the Middle East, in Darfur and other places in Africa, in class, racial and gang strife in America, in political extremist movements throughout the planet.

Human evolution, as noted above, has nonetheless been producing greater intellectual capabilities, residing in the frontal lobe of the human brain. Such development has produced human intuition, awareness, insight and conscience, which in turn influence the goodness and morality we continually strive for.

The fear urges us to dominate and control our “rivals,” the goodness urges us to share equitably with all our “fellows.”

These forces compete to produce neuroses within individuals, families, and in society ridden with contradictions, conflicts and oppression.

As an example, the very wealthy often create their riches at the expense and suffering of the working class and poor (historically, traced through the stages of slavery then serfdom, mercantile exploitation and today, even in some democratic societies, wages are still far beneath the worthiness of worker’s skills and labor), but just as often the wealthy set up charitable institutions and grants to help the grass roots populace. (Of course the sum of the charity and giving is but a drop in the bucket of human need)

The Development of the Practice of Oppression

In many animal species there is competition among individuals (most often males) for reproductive rights. In many animal groups and clans there is the alpha male (sometimes the alpha female) which lays claim to priority choice of mating partners, to first crack at the fallen game, to the best spot to nest in. The alpha is regularly challenged by other males striving to add their genetic material to the pool and progeny of the specie (Mother Nature thrives on uniqueness and difference).

In our early human groups similar instinctual behavior prevailed. In our evolution of intellect such crass instinctual behavior ran counter to our growing insight and conscience.

Primitive and mindless brawling and brutishness for group and territorial control became no longer tenable. Reasons needed to be conceived of and invented to justify oppression and domination, and to pacify the dissonance produced by our aggressive instinctual behavior. The evolution of human conscience serves to impose a check against our old brain, instinctual aggression.

In our early and dim awareness we noticed, for example, that females of the group had to stay put in the nest or cave to nurture the young and tend to the condition of the home site. They also had to be kept from wandering away into the hands of rivals, while their males were out foraging and hunting. Thus females had to be controlled.

The process of control was reinforced by the invention of labels as in “strength,” and “weakness,” generated by gender behavior and tasks, and attributed to the male and female genders respectively.

In actuality, women are very strong. Females compete very well with males as children. The social conditioning habit, however, maintains that females are weaker and must limit themselves to “suitable” tasks and roles. Too many females conform to the conditioning for social approval and to “fit in.” Women’s liberation movements are changing this status quo slowly but surely (a recent report has it that 50% of today’s women in America live independent of male partners).

Over time these gender labels, and their psychological effects in how the self and the other are perceived, became habitual. Each succeeding generation was conditioned, through modeling and behavior imposition, to internalize and act upon such concepts.

By the same token children were perceived, treated and conditioned as, at best, drains on resources and useless until they grew to be big enough to hunt, fight or breed and nurture the next set of offspring. In order to keep the young alive at least a minimum of grooming and nurturing functioned along with the invalidating labels. Often such conditional nurturing reinforced the invalidation, e.g., “even though you are this less worthy creature, we still love you,” so to speak. Without a modicum of nurturing too many young ones would die off (from social/psychological impairment). Survival of the genetic line would be endangered.

Hence, the oppressions of “sexism,” and “childism” were born and woven into the cultural and psychological fabric of society and social custom.

Today, in many parts of the world, females are still thought of as inferior or chattel, and children, especially females, are often abandoned or murdered.

The human impulse to control the resources of the environment, driven by the instinctual fear of non-survival, grew in sophistication. As the power of human perception and extrapolation grew “gods” were invented and appeased to in order, for example, to control the rain, the profundity of game, of crops, the status of one’s health, fortune and strength; of virtually everything, including, eventually, “salvation” or “nirvana” (as balms against the fear of death, the pain of invalidation and the “guilt” of doing harm to others in our compulsion for survival and instinctual fear of nonsurvival).

Through our growing intellectual cleverness, and our habit of imposing labels of worthiness, from most to least, on one another, there emerged a class of individuals who were supposed to have special connections with the gods. “Medicine man, Shaman and Priest” roles were invented.

As social structures grew greater in size and complexity the alpha male had to be elevated to the status of “Chief.” The Chief could no longer defend his position alone against his many competitors. He had to develop a clique around him for support and protection.

The Clique had to be paid in favors and material for their loyalty. In middle human history the Chief became the king, emperor, Pharaoh. The clique became his lords, dukes, ministers and administers, and yes, the tax collector in order to acquire more wherewithal to pay for his expenses and protection. To maintain and enhance the ruling group’s power to dominate and control the masses (and other societies), police and armies were created.

In today’s world we have presidents, prime ministers, bishops, their support staff and politicians. In certain areas we still have kings, shahs and potentates. We have corporate officers and boards, middle management, and below the power group the army of workers. For the independent minded we have the professions, farmers and small businesspeople, with their own staffs and workers.

Because we have not yet figured out how to share the wealth in any fair or rational way, or why we should, we have the poor, the exploited, the unemployed, the homeless and the lost.

Oppressive Labeling

From the early habit of labeling females and children in comparative and negative ways an entire spectrum of social judgementalism grew.

Judging in an hierarchical manner, who was most desirable down to the least desirable people and their respective traits and attributes, became a method and rational for preserving the status quo of power, position and favor in society. Again, the instinctual competition for control of survival resources and its corollary, the old brain fear of nonsurvival, produced the idea and habit of the “status quo” in human social function and structure.

The fear of nonsurvival, in practical human terms, meant the control and ownership of the wealth and resources of the community, including the favor of the “gods.” Because of this an “elite’ class, the king, pharaoh, emperor, his family, court, ministers and generals, emerged. The priests consecrated the elite as most worthy in the eyes of the gods (“Caesar” and “Pharaoh” became gods). This was one of the top jobs the priests had to perform, in order to maintain their own “status quo.”

Those beneath the elite class, the common masses, workers and poor were labeled least worthy. This rationale was used to justify ownership of most of the wealth by the elite. Because the elite, protected by its military force, hoarded the major part of the wealth, there was less for the masses. Competition among the many over the scraps, also driven by the fear of nonsurvival, was fierce and bloody.

This entire hierarchy of judgementalism and its psychological, economic and social effects, which produces a society marked by unrest, conflict and distress, has been practiced generation after generation until, today, this human condition is seen as “normal,” and “the way it is” by the vast majority of humanity. Even much of the mental health field perceives “normal” as conforming to the rules of the status quo.

Why do we not happily accept this premise as “truth?” Although we mouth it to one another, although we act on it and impose it on others, especially on each new set of humans, our deep, inner intuition informs every one of us that we are inherently as good and as worthy as anyone else, and deserving of such appropriate respect and response. This inner conflict is the source of our common distress and why we either seek to restore our sense of worth (“heal”) or fly to addictive habits in order to suppress the pain and seeming powerlessness.

The Phenomenon of Scapegoating

The mixture of fear and frustration among the masses became the recipe of inner rage, which became fodder for rebellion and revolution. The mass rage, however, became politically exploitable to the elite class when the strategy of providing others to blame and propagandizing against them was devised. Such others became the scapegoats of rage and fear.

The strategy of scapegoating was used to deflect the anger of the masses away from the elite and towards targeted people and other communities as the blame for troubles and strife, as well as to cover up the greed of the elite. People of difference in looks, beliefs and lifestyles, of the “lower” class, of gender, other tribes and nations, people of color and Jews became popular targets for blame and hatred (the displacement of festered invalidation, frustration, anger and rage).

Scapegoating and persecuting of such others were strategies for eliminating some of the competition among the masses over the material scraps left to them from the greed and hoarding by the wealthy and powerful elite.

The idea and practice of “worthiness” filtered down from the elite strata to the mass level. Those more like the elite in appearance and background, skilled or cleaver enough in the wiles of social ambition were deemed more worthy than those with less such attributes.

Thus the hierarchical judgmentalism of worthiness and superiority, as well as the habit of scapegoating, became enmeshed in human culture and psyche.

The habit of labeling people, and the strategies for enforcing the labels became entrenched in cultural practice.

Growing the Habit of Oppression

The major tactic of enforcing the labels was the conditioning of the young of each new generation. Modeling by the elders and treatment by word and deed of the young: discounting and abusing them, cutting off their right to react and protest, imposed an internalization of invalidation (low self worth and inequality, in extreme cases, self-hatred) in the psyche of the young. They, in turn, upon growing and having their own offspring were psychologically compelled to repeat the distressful conditioning (the major component of ill health and frail aging since chronic distress damages bodily function, especially the immune system).

The dissonance and reactive indignation of every young person (well known is the rebellious behavior of the young, the “terrible twos,’ delinquency and so on) festered over time and converted into many forms of chronic distress, among which were depression (hopelessness, powerlessness and invalidation), fear (anxiety) and rage.

The young were not allowed to assert their equality and rights, nor allowed to express the anger (eventually rage) towards their elders and authorities. The intense distress craved outlet, however, due to the inherent need to survive, to recover self-esteem and maintain confidence (Nature wants each organism to be strong and viable for her evolutionary purpose).

From the modeling by the elders the young ones learned to vent their rage against others whom they were taught were, or seemed to be, less able to defend themselves. These included other young ones and those who appeared or acted different, those who were tagged as less worthy by society, and those whose group was a minority among the general population, in short “the scapegoats.”

A critical feature of the internalization of oppressive conditioning is self-invalidation, which, in the popular jargon, we know of as “low self-esteem.”

Once the pattern of relative worth and superiority became a habitual feature of human social function the habit of intergroup as well as intragroup oppression grew exponentially.

As described immediately above, the tactic of venting our rage on those seemingly less powerful or different also became a habit in the culture of our familial and social relations.

As cited earlier, children and females became the immediate targets for oppression (the word “abuse” has become a popular synonym for oppression). Age became a factor. The young and those too old to work and contribute to the survival of the family unit were targeted. Those who were physically different in form or health, even in looks were subject to oppressive treatment.

Every culture developed its own codes of worthiness. In the West, the “Greek Ideal” of beauty and desirability became an entrenched code of worth: fair complexion, blue eyes, blond hair, small and straight features, tall and straight posture, intellect, “breeding” et al.

Those closest to the ideal were the most favored. These were given access to wealth, education, honor, protection and all the resources of quality survival; given open opportunity for social and economic advancement

Those further from the ideal: darker, physically different, less educated (actually deprived of education by the powers that be), from different (lower) social strata, cultures or areas were less favored, more deprived, and targeted as scapegoats. This oppression became endemic in the minds, attitudes and behavior of the power population of the community, as an effect of oppressive conditioning (and a strategy for eliminating competition). When the power elite deemed it useful, the strategies of official propaganda and scapegoating was put to use to whip up mass oppression against the “enemy.” (In America, wiping out native populations and perpetuating oppression against people of color, Jews and other minorities are examples of this)

(In opposition to this oppression, evidence is seen of our evolving intuition as many people seek rational and humane policies of solving domestic strife and economic inequality; to listen to and understand the grievances of the “other,” and help in solving these. Today, there are a growing number of humans endeavoring to do just that; a sign of growing human awareness, humaneness and the triumph of moral intelligence over the old brain fear of nonsurvival)

Specific Aspects of Oppression

Every form of oppression is hurtful, invalidating and damaging to the self-esteem, mental (and eventually physical) health and vitality of the target person(s). Every form of oppression is equally hurtful to the oppressing person (“the oppressor”) since it comes out of the internalized oppression residing in the psyche of the oppressor, which reinforces the damaging distress locked into his/her conditioned system.

Every form of oppression contains common elements:

Stereotyping, labeling, deprivation of material and rights, discounting and demeaning (dehumanizing), physical, mental and sexual abuse and brutality, blaming and scapegoating, disregard, inattention, inappropriate or unwanted attention, unwillingness to listen and learn about the other* (their attributes, struggles and hurts, history and circumstance, their joys, dreams, their specialness and uniqueness); neglect or willingness to let the targeted others live in deprived, unhealthy or dangerous circumstances; denial of equal access and opportunity; separation and isolation from the main stream; Attitudes (conscious or subconscious) of superiority, fear or other emotional dissonance when thinking about, or in the presence of, the target person(s). There are “roles” and “rules” that must be complied with in every social stratum, and that every member of an oppressed group must conform to if she/he is allowed to “fit in.”

A feature of the oppressive effects on human beings is the internalization of life long, chronic distress such as low self worth, powerlessness and hopelessness. These are the major components of chronic depression, anxiety and rage, ultimately frail aging, ill health and premature death (often described in the unaware society as “natural causes.”).

In a society that does not offer effective listening nor support, humans find ways to repress the pain of such distresses. These ways are addiction patterns, not just to alcohol and drugs, but to food, avoidance, to “looking good,” sex, procrastination, overwork and the like. The pursuit of approval (the fear of disapproval) is a full time painful distress. It is to the credit to every human being to have done as well as she/he has done (until she/he crashes) given the pile of oppression, distress and toxic material imposed on humans by the oppressive society.

In the oppressive society all young children are conditioned, even in loving families, by virtue of subconscious authoritarianism on the part of the elders, and their conscious or subconscious expectations (that the child must conform to) inherent in their rules and compulsions. The effect of this is the imposition of life long distress containing all the elements of oppression.

One result of such conditioning is Internalized Oppression. Internalized oppression compels a person to act out and impose the oppressions on others, according to the dynamics of the kind of oppression she/he has been subjected to (see Specific Forms of Oppression in the next section below). In almost all cases children grow up to oppress other children (Pedophilia and other crimes of abuse are severe forms of this generational transmitted condition).

Internalized oppression damages one’s perception of one’s worth. It causes one to dislike, even hate, that feature in oneself that was the target subject of the oppression.

A sure sign that one is carrying an oppressive pattern, subconscious as it may be, is the feeling of discomfort when one is in the company of others who are generally the target of oppressive attention (e.g., women, people of color or physical difference, Jews, different origins, religion or culture, the very young, the old). Such discomfort prevents one from being as she/he is when in the company of those one is relaxed and “her/himself” with.

People who are generally discriminated (oppressed) against have built in radar for such signs. The oppression prevents them from being relaxed and themselves as well.

Both parties on either side of the oppression, thus, cannot fulfill nor contribute their full measure of humanity, unique talents or gifts to the benefit of the social environment.

A compelling and insightful statement appeared in an article about California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Los Angeles Times, Monday, February 5, 2007. He is quoted as saying “Say to yourself every week, now I’m going to reach out to someone that I really don’t care about...Or a race or religion that you didn’t care for. Make a point to go and take them to lunch, you know, somebody that is totally different than you.”

One may guess that such insight might have, in part, come from the Governor’s early experience as an Austrian, with a thick accent, and a body builder to boot, when newly come to America to seek his fortune and future.

Specific Forms of Oppression in Today’s World

The common elements of all forms of oppression are listed in the above section. These elements are, in varying degrees, part of each form of oppression described below. The different forms of oppression emerged, historically, probably in the following order as human society grew.

SEXISM – The oppression of women. Women are, of course, objectified as sexual targets. They are conditioned to play the role of nurturer, breeder, the helper (“behind every good man is a good woman”), to be held as less worthy than males, to be subordinate to males. Women are allowed to show feelings but are labeled weak for having feelings. As members of any oppressed group they have to work harder and “prove’ themselves to be exemplary to be awarded even near status of males. These are but a few ways women are oppressed.

INTERNALIZED SEXISM – Women are conditioned to treat other women as they were treated and oppressed. Women tend to hold one another to stay in the same roles and play by the same rules implicit in the oppression. Women are compelled by the conditioning to collude with the views and “needs” of males, even against one another. The conflict about abortion is an example of this collusion.

CHILDISM – The oppression of young people, from the moment of conception to their adult age. Children are made to feel inferior in intelligence, to not have real feelings, are deprived of equal rights and material, of being listened to and perticipating in decisions. For the record, abortion of a seriously damaged or unwanted fetus or prenatal child, or in order to save the mother’s life, is a lesser oppression than the abortion itself. The life-long daily pain due to serious damage or being unwanted is more severe than the termination of an unconscious, prenatal life.

INTERNALIZED CHILDISM – As children grow they are conditioned by the oppression to pass it on to younger and smaller children. They discount, tease, deprive and bully the younger ones. They often physically hurt the other children and label them with the nasty names and words they have learned from their elders.

MALE OPPRESSION – Men are conditioned to judge their worth according to their “successes” in sexual conquests, material acquisition, in work and sport (“winning is every thing”) in every arena of human activity. Men must not show their feelings (or be labeled as weak or a “sissy”). They must be dominant over women and children. They have to provide material support and to be the final, often the only, decision maker. They are allowed to vent their frustrations and rage on women, children and other men they perceive as weaker than they.

INTERNALIZED MALE OPPRESSION – Men are compelled to keep their fellows in line, to play their conditioned roles, obey the rules and not make waves. They compete with one another for “bragging rights.” They suffer their hurt and pain, their illness and low self worth in silence and despair; regardless of the masks they wear to hide their pain from the world. They feel fear and powerlessness at the threat of not living up to the “male” image.

HOMOPHOBIA - Homophobia derives from sexism in the following manner: the oppression of females by males is an outgrowth of how males are conditioned to act the role of the dominant gender. The male self identity, “manliness,” and acceptance by his peers and society, are tied into this conditioned role. The male is compelled to act out this role vis a vis females.

This conditioning, as is all social (and psycho/emotional) conditioning, is anchored in patterns of chronic distress, especially fear, which compels behavior. When “straight” males respond to homosexual males (this distress goes on unconsciously all the time. It is triggered to the surface when there is a situational trigger) the distress and fear compels oppressive acting out by the male towards the homosexual male. The “message” inherent in the male role conditioning is that he must not harbor the “softer,” so called “feminine” qualities of being human; the male hates his fear and is thus driven to attack (scapegoat) homosexual males. Of course, today, many men are becoming more aware than the vast majority of their brothers, and thus are able to suppress such hostility.

Medical science will some day see that HIV and AIDS are implicated in homophobia. The root of most all illness is in the early conditioned distress syndrome, which starts prenatally, and which attacks the entire physiological system, and especially lowers the immune system.

INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA – The fear of being seen as weak or a “sissy” generates self discounting in the typical male. As is all forms of internalized oppression, the distress is projected out and targets other males. We see this, in lighter forms, as joking about being “gay.” The more severe forms of the distress compel cruel and hostile treatment of other males.

CLASSISM – From the habit of labeling females and children as inferior to males, sprang the habit of labeling the elite, the “chiefs” and the close ministerial groups, the priests, as the ruling class, considered superior, more worthy and intelligent, special. The subordinate masses, the serfs, workers, craftsmen, laborers, farmers were labeled low class, less deserving of the resources of society, respect, material wealth and station. In between the elite and low class, as human society became more complex, were the professionals and independent merchants (business people). The so called lower classes are targeted and deprived intellectually, materially and humanely by the elite.

INTERNALIZED CLASSISM – The dissonance from this distress causes feelings of guilt, and feelings of isolation from one’s brothers and sisters of the “common” people. As in all cases of internalized oppression, self dislike (even hatred) is generated and projected onto others. Working people often discount themselves and one another as stupid and worthless.

RACISM/NATIONALISM – People different in color, in culture and in geographic origin, were seen by the elite as a competitive threat. They had to be suppressed, at least, enslaved or eliminated. The masses of the power society (in the West it is the European “white” population) were brain washed, conditioned and taught that such different groups were inferior and subhuman. Over the centuries the masses internalized the labeling propaganda, the fear, suspicion, dislike and hatred towards such different peoples.

Today we see such scapegoating in extreme degrees, which the elite (of every culture) use to discriminate, to make war, cause ethnic cleansing and whip up their respective citizens to support such hostile brutality.

INMTERNALIZED RACISM/NATIONALISM – The effects of the oppression cause people of color or of different culture and nationality to discount their own identity. They act out on one another the labeling and negative treatment imposed on them. People of lighter skin discount those of darker skin within their own race, for example. They use the nasty names and labels learned from the power group (whites in case of the West) against one another. The habits of behavior derived from the struggle to survive in the oppressive society were practiced generation after generation. Today the habits of discounting and attacking (once practiced to prevent individuals from rebelling against the power players and getting killed for it) are acted out, without thought, in communities and neighborhoods, even in families. We see disunity, hostile rivalry and mutual slaughter, for example in so-called gangs. In effect this only serves the interest of the power block.

RELIGIONISM – From all the above, the habit of protecting “our kind” and persecuting different others spilled over into religion. Since it was the “priests” of the ruling groups who ordained that their own elite, and their own kind, were the favorite people of “god,” other religions were seen as threats. Thus persecution of other religions was adapted to as “normal.” As Protestantism grew sufficiently in numbers and power even Catholicism was attacked.

In the case of the Jewish religion, the habit of oppression and persecution of this sect began prior to the advent of Christ and Christianity. It may have begun in the enslavement of Jews by the Egyptian Pharaohnic rulers. It may have been continued by the Babylonian King Nebuchanazzar in 597 B.C. when he conquered Jerusalem and exiled the Jews to Babylon. (Cyrus, a succeeding King ended the Diaspora and returned the Jews to their homeland in 538 B.C.)

The Syrians suppressed the Jews until the Jews successfully revolted (led by Judas Maccabaeus – the Maccabean Revolt in 175 – 164 B.C.).

In the time of Christ, when Judea was ruled by the Romans, some of the high Priests, the Pharisees, threatened by the growing popularity of Jesus, manipulated both the Roman Governor and many of the troubled population to crucify Jesus.

This was the old mechanism of scapegoating at play.

Christianity was born as a sect of Judaism. For roughly one to two hundred years after the death of Jesus, if Gentiles wanted to convert to Christianity they first had to become Jewish and adopt Judaism.

It was only in the latter Gospels by Matthew and Luke that Jews were labeled as “them” and as killers of Christ. From this time through the dark ages Jews were scapegoated, defiled and dehumanized as blood suckers (of children), dirty and enemies of Christianity. They were reviled, exiled, tortured (especially during the Inquisition) and slaughtered. A few Jews were often used as tax collectors and to handle money – it was considered beneath royalty to do so. In this way the Jews were further set up to take the blame (scapegoated) when corruption and disarray among the elite got out of hand.

To this day, so enculturated and internalized in the psyche of society is anti-Semitism, that uncounted people in the world still practice oppression of the Jews in attitude, and too often in deed.

INTERNALIZED RELIONISM – Again one is conditioned to dislike one’s own religious identity, and is compelled to project the negative feelings onto others of the same group. The distress causes “shame,” guilt, distrust and life long isolation from the main body of the human family.

OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION – Even among the Europeans oppressive attitudes and action prevail. Western Europeans look down on Eastern Europeans as inferior. All look down on Europeans around the Mediterranean as low class.

Among whites, people of lighter skin look down on people of darker skin; a legacy of the old “Greek Ideal.”

Many professionals are used as butts of jokes. Such “joking” become internalized in the general psyche as unconscious, oppressive attitudes. Many in the professions have to perpetually struggle against disdain and distrust as a result. This is not to dismiss the unethical behavior of too many professionals, and politicians for that matter.

Reversing and ending Oppression

Modern society is doing pretty well of late in reversing the tracks of oppression. In America, in this year of 2007, we have a woman and a black man, respectively campaigning for the presidency of the United States, and receiving considerable support from white men and women. Still, among the general population patterns of oppression exist to a severe degree.

Through education and persistent awareness raising discrimination is being discredited. Still we see attacks against “affirmative action” and other policies meant to address historical inequality. Those who lead the attacks do not offer real alternatives to address the social problem, but instead rely on scapegoating and exploiting the anger of those of the power block who are negatively affected by the remedial action, to shoot down such policies.

It is true that, for example, a more experienced or qualified white worker may be passed over for promotion in favor of the “minority” person, or a white student passed over in favor of a “minority” student. But instead of addressing the historical condition that produces social discrimination and limits to opportunity and access, and trying to fix this, the reactionary block cannot think outside the box (of its own conditioned attitudes) and is compelled to devalue and destroy remedial attempts.

The phrase “reverse discrimination” was invented to serve the scapegoating efforts, and cloud the debate, by the anti-progressive block. Historically there cannot be “reverse discrimination”, since oppression has always moved in one direction: from the power block to the oppressed group.

Yes, indeed, there is injustice and anger when an innocent person of the power population is hurt by being passed over, but the remedy is not in returning to the old status quo, but in fixing the social condition by increasing the prospects of access and opportunity across the board in education, the private sector in the political arena.

The major effort for eliminating oppression, however, lies with the individual. Each one of us must try to raise our awareness to the effect that every molecule of nature is a miraculous and precious phenomenon. How could it not be so?

Think about the infinite workings and complexity that makes up the stuff of matter, especially living matter. Think of the manifold miraculous-ness of intelligent living matter of which human beings are the “poster beings.”

This entire discussion is about how fear of non-survival and its spawn, oppression, has undermined and sabotaged our natural view of our human worth and greatness, in ourselves and in our differences.

It is, then, the happy opportunity and self-obligation of every individual to give her/himself the gift of healing the internalized scars of hurt and oppression. This self gift to free her/him from the chains of life-long chronic distress and social conflict; to gift her/himself and to encourage loved ones and friends to do likewise, is within every person’s capability.

With such a flood of courage and commitment that dream of how life can be for humans, for our cousin creatures, and our treasured planet and universe will be ours within far less than one lifetime.

Individual Liberation and Healing of Oppression

In this document “Life, Love, Health and Happiness,” especially in the first five chapters, the information and strategies of human and personal healing is amply laid out for the reader to study and apply.

Once the reader is ready to apply the processes of healing she/he is ready to undo the tracks of internalized oppression, which, in fact, is the same as the internalization of early chronic distress and its resultant patterned behavior.

The major strategy of undoing the hurt of oppression is to work on how one was her/himself first oppressed – this happened in early childhood.

The process includes self questioning and allowing oneself to discharge (talk, cry, tremble, sweat, utter sounds and words of indignation, pound on the pillow, laugh, think and remember) the psycho/emotional content of the hurt
It is best to set up a Listening Partnership (Chapter V) with a trusted other(s) willing to take a turn at the process, with your support in return.

Question #1

How was I oppressed (hurt) as a young person? Scan all the memories you have available (the more you do this the more discharge will come, more memories will emerge).

Do this process again and again until a state of freshness and freedom is achieved. This could take one or many sessions to achieve. If you do this by yourself, record the process and play it back later for even more healing results. If you are in a team of two or more, each one take a substantial turn of 30 or more minutes. Maybe to gain confidence in the process, start out with taking five or 10 minutes each. At the top of your session share what is good in your life, small to big things. (See Chapter IV).

Question #2

Once having discharged sufficiently you will be ready for this question. You may feel hesitant to deal with this one, but with enough discharge on the first question you will handle it well. If you can’t, no problem, go back to question #1 and work it some more, you will get free to work this question.

How have I been oppressive to others in deed, thought or fear to step up? (You are not to blame for any of this, it is a result of how you were oppressed, as a child, and hurt by your own kind).

Scan you memory of the thoughts, jokes, deeds or times you witnessed oppression and remained silent. You will discharge on these. The more you do, the easier the process will become.

Question #3

If I could go back to that memory (or memories) and I had the power to do the right thing in word, deed or thought what would I have done or said to stand up against the oppression?

(Example, someone told a racist or sexist “joke.” I would have said “Wait, you know you’re too good to talk like that - you may have to repeat this a few times until the teller gets it – you may think that it’s just a joke, but it reinforces the hurtful assault to one’s identity, self-esteem and safety in the world. Promise me you won’t do that again. Like I said you are too smart, too good and too caring to do that.”)

The “oppressor,” in your imagining this power situation, may just try to rationalize, dismiss it, or even ridicule you. Stick with it, - you’re the writer of this story -especially the “You are too good...” part. It will reach into the deep mind of the “oppressor” and touch the human being inside.

Step #4

Do this process again and again over the next weeks. You will be amazed at the freedom and cleansing you will feel. You will be amazed at the flow of new insights, creativity, ideas and action that will become free to emerge from that great mind of yours, to delight and fulfill you; to help create that world that you knew as a child could and should exist.