Marilyn Frye, Peggy McIntosh, and Joseph Mabry all individually speak on the overall ideology of oppression but also go into depth about oppression and how it relates to privilege. Before reading these articles I had strong definitions of oppression and privilege and in ways I am right however, I’ve learned there is much more than what’s just on the surface when it comes to oppression and privilege. In the article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh obviously focuses on white privilege but McIntosh also zooms in on identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in her life as a white person. Peggy acknowledges that since we have hierarchies in place throughout our society then there was most likely an occurrence of white privilege that has frequently been denied and protected. An important topic Peggy points out is her own personal examples of her white privilege throughout her everyday life; she also points out how her skin color was an asset throughout her life instead of it hindering her. McIntosh states, “My skin color was an asset for any move I was educated to want to make. I could think of myself as belonging in major ways, and of making social systems work for me. I could freely disparage, fear, neglect, or be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms. Being of the main culture, I could also criticize it fairly and freely.” This statement truly spoke to me in a deep way because McIntosh was evaluating all the pros that come with having white skin; she does not have to worry about her skin color working against her because white skin has been favored for centuries. In addition to her acknowledging and understanding that her white skin rules in her favor. She also points out and understands that even though her specific racial group was taught to be confident, comfortable, and oblivious to the oppression in society in return, it made other racial groups unconfident, uncomfortable, and essentially alienated throughout society. I think it’s extremely important for people of white descent to speak on the idea that white privilege not only exists but it has and still is causing continuous damage and trauma to people of other races. When society can truly come to one accord and agree with this idea then I believe we can start the conversation of making steps to change society and the systematic way of thinking about race. In the article, “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye, informs us of oppression and the oppression of women throughout society. An important analogy Frye uses to describe the oppression of women to the situation of a bird in a cage. The analogy focuses on the aim that a woman can constantly become caught in a bind where despite her best efforts she will constantly have obstacles put in her path that will be difficult to overcome. These obstacles are difficult to recognize due to the constant fronts that are put up in society to hide these ideas. Even though both men and women are oppressed in their own ways, women somehow become more oppressed due to the simple fact that the system as a whole benefits men, as it always has. In the article, “When Privilege and Oppression Intersect” written by Joseph Mabry touches base on his own experiences of both privilege and oppression being a blind white man. This article taught me that not only can privilege and oppression cross paths but Mabry also taught me that intersectionality is a theory that also plays a part in oppression. Mabry states, “Intersectionality is a theory that explores how individuals can face multiple categories of discrimination when they belong to more than one marganlized group. Everyone possesses multiple identities, and these identities work together to shape each person’s societal and cultural experience.” This idea goes into detail about how intersectionality is involved in oppression simply because not one person just has one identity, they have many, and they belong in more than one group. Therefore, it does not mean that people with white skin can’t experience oppression, they can just in different ways since they attach different aspects to their identity that make them who they are. And even though white people can experience oppression it does not mean that that specific type of oppression can compare to what other racial groups experience in their everyday lives. Mabry helped me think more deeply about ways in which I may have experienced oppression and although I don’t consider this specific experience actually a form of oppression it certainly made me feel out of place, uncomfortable, and in a way embarrassed. As a hispanic woman who has lived in Park Slope all my life where it is fairly populated with mostly people of white skin, people have sometimes looked at me as though I did not belong in that neighborhood or on their specific block. One day when I was walking home from school as I did everyday, I finally reached the block I lived on; as I was walking up the block to my apartment building I was being looked at and watched by a couple on the block. They whispered to each other as I walked past them asking each other if they’ve ever seen me before. It made me feel as though I did not belong there, I did not deserve to live in such a nice and fairly expensive area to live in. I was also a bit shocked that I was being judged essentially based on how I looked; my race. It didn’t make me feel good and that experience alone made me realize a small part of how others feel on a day to day basis as they are oppressed in more horrific ways then I may have been.