Discussing Oppression

I noticed while reading Marilyn Frye’s Oppression that I was agreeing very strongly with much of what she was saying — she was articulating thoughts that have flowed in my mind for years that I haven’t been able to give words to. One analogy she wrote of in particular struck me, summed up by the following quote:

“It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight, but which, by their relations to each other, are as confining as the solid walls of a dungeon.”

This concept of a bird being stuck in a cage initially seemed a little condescending when I first read it, but as Frye went on to further the analogy of being unable to see the cage when looking at a singular wire, I found this to be possibly the most important statement she made. As a woman — particularly one who is not afraid to point out oppressive structures more often than not — I am subjected to some form of being brushed off on the daily. While it is not always men making these claims of “Oh, it’s not that bad!” or “Just get over it!” or (my personal favorite) “I thought you were strong, how can you let that bother you?”, I find that they do make up the hefty majority of those who share such thoughts. It does not surprise me that this is so, for as Frye so efficiently discusses, it is only possible to see the fully oppressive structure once you step back and look at it all — on the other hand, it is very clear to the bird stuck inside the cage that there is an intertwined, complicated set of barriers keeping them from freedom. This is why most men have to try to see said oppressive structure: while I am an intense supporter of the ideology that everyone should be treated as individually as possible, if you’re looking closely at one person through the cage, you may a) only see the one bar that seems quite insignificant, as Frye mentioned, or b) not see any at all, if you’re looking through them. It might seem like I’m taking this analogy very literally, and perhaps I am, but I also do not think it becomes any less accurate the more you delve into it.

Ultimately, I think this concept proposed by Frye is so important because it results in the knowing that a cage would not be able to be pried open without first acknowledging that it is, in fact, a cage. Whether it be by the bird stuck inside (women) or the observer looking in (men), the point is that the cage can either be efficiently opened in some manner or forced apart to incite escape. While the former is obviously the ideal, and what many feminists are working toward, time and patience are major factors in allowing this to happen, and perhaps the latter is a quicker route to take. However, that’s a different discussion that I’m sure Frye would have plenty to contribute to.