Kinesiology Physical Activity Experiences

Question :

Write an autobiography exploring the impact that systems of oppression and privilege have had on your life (positive and/or negative), with a focus on physical activity experiences. In this paper, you should make clear how multiple social categories (e.g., class, gender, race, sexuality, (dis)ability) intersect at the micro level of individual experience (with a focus on physical activity experiences) to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro, structural level.

Answer :

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that helps in understanding how social as well as political identities of an individual such as race, gender, ability, sexuality, class, etc. can combine to create a unique way or mode of discrimination. This framework also helps in conceptualizing an individual, a group of individuals, as well as a social problem that is affected by different disadvantages and discriminations (Cooper, 2016). It takes into account the overlapping experience and identities of people for understanding the complexity of prejudice that they face. It is asserted by the theory of intersectionality that an individual is often discriminated against or disadvantaged by various sources of oppression such as gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, class, etc. Therefore, it is very important to understand the theory of intersectionality because with the help of this concept differences within an identity category such as race can be understood. 

There are several factors that have created several unique ways of discrimination and the media has played a very significant role in it. I am a black male and I have experienced discrimination based on my color. My color is a major source of oppression in society because media has portrayed in such a way that it has become a source of oppression. I do not like the way the media portrays Black Americans. The media is biased towards Black Americans. It has also been identified that African American struggled a lot in the early days of film and media to show or represent their own beliefs, stories, opinions, as well as identities because media and film industry was controlled by White people (Lee-Won et al., 2018). The impact of media can be observed on a large scale and hence as they portray Black American, most of the population believe in the same way that leads to discrimination against Black American. Media significantly impact the beliefs, public ideology, assumptions, as well as experience of the mass population. The media have always portrayed Black Americans negatively and this is one of the reasons I do not like media.  

I would like to share my experience in order to demonstrate how systems of privilege and oppression operate in the life of an individual and shape his/her physical activity experience. I would focus on the following three identities to share my experiences such as race, gender, and class. 

Racism can be defined as a belief that a specific race is superior or inferior to another race. It is often believed that white people are superior to black people and it has become a ground for racial discrimination in society (Banton, 2018). On the basis of race, I have faced discrimination in my life several times. The most discouraging experience that I have gone through is being discriminated by shoppers. I have always seen that the White people are served first even if they come last. Once I was at a shop asking for something. But the shopper was not entertaining me at all because he was busy serving the white people. I was waiting for my turn from the last one hour but he was serving the white people who are even coming later on. The most discouraging thing that I feel while being discriminated against on the basis of race is that it affects the mental abilities of individuals because almost all incidents of racial discrimination take place in a public place. There are several similar kinds of incidents that I have faced in my life that has significantly affected my physical activities. Now, I have been used to such kind of discrimination, and hence whenever I feel being discriminated either I move from there silently or wait for my turn in the same manner. So, race (Black) has not been proved to be a source of privilege and always leads to oppression. 

Another identity that is gender has privilege as well as the oppression that can positively or negatively affect the life of an individual and shape his/her physical activity experience. Being male is sometimes a privilege and sometimes oppressed. Women have always been oppressed by their male counterparts (Banton, 2019). Sexism and patriarchy factors play a very critical role in this context. Sexism and patriarchy have oppressed women and girls based on sex or gender through material practices as well as the ideology of individuals, institutions, and collectives. Male believes that being male is a privilege because they can oppress women but I think this is the most significant type of being oppressed as a male. Initially, I also thought that women are to handle and manage household work. I also used to ask them to do household work because I feel dominated over them. But gradually I overcame this ideology and that has helped me to see the real picture. Now, I do not feel dominated but I see them as an equal part of the house and society. I show respect to them and whenever I feel necessary, I raise my voice for them so that they cannot be oppressed anymore. 

Class is also a significant ground of discrimination and many individuals have faced discrimination on the basis of class. Discrimination on the basis of social class includes behavior, attitude, as well as the system of policies and practices of individuals that have been set up to provide benefit to the upper class of the society at the cost of the lower class (Wenz & Hoenig, 2019). I have experienced discrimination on the basis of class. I went to a school in a poor academic urban area that was poorly structured. The infrastructure of the school was very poor. There was a lack of quality teachers in the school. The quality of education was pathetic. It was due to the ignorance of the political system. The political system was not concerned for the lower section of the society and hence education facilities for their children were not an issue for them. They do not provide the fund to such schools. Lack of funds is a very serious concern for quality infrastructure and education.

References 

Banton, M. (2018). The concept of racism. In Race and racialism (pp. 17-34). Routledge.

Cooper, B. (2016). Intersectionality. In The Oxford handbook of feminist theory.

Lee-Won, R. J., White, T. N., & Potocki, B. (2018). The Black catalyst to tweet: the role of discrimination experience, group identification, and racial agency in Black Americans’ instrumental use of Twitter. Information, Communication & Society, 21(8), 1097-1115.

Romero, A. P. (2019). Does the Equal Pay Act Prohibit Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity. Ala. CR & CLL Rev., 10, 35.

Wenz, S. E., & Hoenig, K. (2019). Ethnic and Social Class Discrimination in Education: Experimental Evidence from Germany. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 100461.