The Three Levels of Oppression: March 8, 2010.

After a series of peulot and a siyur around Tel Aviv and some peoples devastating situation, was time to dive in even deeper, and ask the real questions. These questions were just the beginning, as the answers were a perfect opportunity to take a look at ourselves and see what our role is in all this, if we have a role. Again, going back to Herzl's vision, he dreamt of a place where the rich take responsibility for the poor, and where the government took responsibility for those who needed it, rather than selling those problems off for a profit. Maybe this will help us understand:
-The Three Levels of Oppression: Ilan Gur Ze'ev: My thoughts are at the end of every level in italics.)
The First level:
In our opinion, the first level of oppression, primitive oppression, is expressed by inflicting aggressive force (physical violence) in order to force someone to act against their will and interest. Uprising against this kind of oppression is possible with different levels of success. It is possible to diminish its influence and there is hope for liberation from this level of oppression.
In this type of oppression the oppressor is the more oppressed than the one he is oppressing.
-Gur Ze'ev is making a point that in any type of system where people are being oppressed, this oppression is for a reason. The one inflicting oppression, as he explains, in reality is oppressed by some other force that person does not know how to deal with, and this oppression is a response to their being oppressed. In other words, they are scared, they turn their fear, (fear of approval,greed, etc...) into oppression. The question that needs to be asked, is why is the oppressor oppressed? Maybe it could be a simple flaw, such as their lack of skill and care for communicating with the people whom they are leading. This oppression is limiting the leader to reach his full potential.
The Second Level of Oppression:
The second level of oppression is ideological oppression, in which the oppressor manipulates (lies) the oppressed to the point of identification, the oppressed identifies with the values and interests of his oppressor. The identification is an important element in blurring the consciousness of the oppressed to the existence of the oppression. This system lowers the oppressed self-consciousness partly because of his own actions. These actions are drawn to the system's existing movement, it straightens and sophisticates the existing order and then rebuilds its boundaries. Examples are ideological expression as a nationalism, "free initiative" and Marxism. Against this exisxisting oppression there is a hope to activate (as Marx in his time) a critical ideology (creating awareness) and to raise the oppressed to resistance against his oppressor. This level of oppression, moves from the personal level (private) to the class or group level, from the personal to the collective, it is far more efficient than the first level of oppression, because it exceeds physical oppression as the oppressors main means of manipulation. In correlation the liberation from the second level of oppression is more problematic and as usual evolves into a more sophisticated type of oppression. As long as the uprisers are weak, they will focus their actions against the systems structure. Once stronger and their control is more established, the oppressed will take over the roles of judges and legislators, and teachers and psychologists will be sent against their enemies to mainly treat the soul. Yet there is still place for hope.
Gur Ze'ev brings up a point that whether we are aware of it or not, we can all be faced with the second level of ideological oppression, being told what's right and what's wrong, without being allowed to search for other belief's. In other words, by simply by manipulation and lying, the oppressor forces his corrupt point across. Furthermore he explains, that once this propaganda becomes engrained in the oppressed' mind, they use their previous rebellious values as a new method for oppression.
Third level of oppression:
The third level of oppression, is a faceless oppression without class identification, successful enough to be accepted by the oppressed with internalization and devotion. This oppression is conditioned by the "narrowing of the dialogue" and sterilization of the antagonist dimension in the taken-for-granted well know reality, and their undisturbed actions of controlling forces in the system. Markuza is on the verge of pessimism in view of what we call oppression of the third level, in which the structure of the oppressed, up to the point of where the need or capability of rebellion will not exist. This is described as the rooting and destruction of the new: diseases, necessities and needs; illness, drugs and poisons, antidotes to create a new world of symbols that sum up the founding of "new man" that will never want or be capable of emancipation.
Strangely enough, after discussion, thinking, and arguing, seems to be very present in most of our lives. This third level of oppression is explaining that in so many cases in our life, there is a force that hangs over our heads, and dictates our lives in so many aspects, that we don't ever step back to ask the necessary questions, or even the natural questions. Somewhere down the line, something happened where norms of conformity took over, and in some cases eliminated peoples ability to not see beyond norms that could be dictating our life. This can be seen in the following lines: "Narrowing of the dialogue" and sterilization of the antagonistic dimensions in the taken for granted well known reality." To me, this is why we don't ask the questions. In some way, the dialogue has been narrowed, there is simply no dialogue, no questioning our reality. Here are some examples that came to mind: Alcohol, college, getting a job, clothing.In the society of teenagers and college students, and even in other peoples minds, alcohol is such a large part of peoples lives. Rarely, are the questions asked, until a bad decision is made. Another example is with college, or the army in Israel. There are so many other ways of living a life of education, or a life of service, but yet the norm is leaves little room choosing an alternative. Not to say the norms are necessarily bad, but the important questions are rarely asked.
-Ilan Gur Ze'ev.

Here are more of my thoughts. So many of our actions and thoughts are dictated by other peoples fortunes. Depending on how one chooses to look at it, from this perspective of Ze'ev, weather it be the tabloids we read, the movies we see, or the clothing we wear, its possible that our thoughts and actions are a result of a culture which does not necessarily stress appropriate values enough of the time. These things are taking away our ability to reach our full potential. It is even possible in some situations, that there is a force in society that is narrowing our dialogue, by using people to advertise for them. After the peula, most of us realized that there are many things in our life which do oppress us, and its important, as difficult as it may be, and as out of the ordinary as it may seem, that we are capable of stepping out of our comfort zone and asking the questions of why is our reality the way it is? or,
Is there eve a problem with the way we live? Maybe things are good how they are, but maybe not?
what is our role in this?
How can we create an alternative?
These are the question we must ask ourselves.