There is No Such Thing as Politically Neutral

            On page 37 of the Kumashiro reading he states, “To fail to work against the various forms of oppression is to be complicit with them,” This sentence really stood out to me because it reflects something that I have had on my mind a lot lately. I used to think neutral meant neutral, but I have come to believe that it you see a problem and make no effort to change it, then you are on the problematic side.

Throughout this program, we have been learning a lot about different forms of oppression within the education system. A lot of this oppression was invisible to me previous to the start of these classes. Since I’ve learned more about the tragedies that are born from the oppression of students, I have become more and more enraged. I now am starting to see inequity in every aspect of life and I cannot help but to insert “politics” into everything I do. Many of the people in my life who are not experiencing the same educational program as I am don’t always see why people like me choose to make everything “political”. I have had many conversations where friends or family have said something along the lines of, “I don’t like politics,” or “I try to stay out of politics,” or “Why do some people have to make everything political?” When I hear comments along these lines, it really gets under my skin. I think part of the reason it bothers me so much is because it reflects what I might have said a few years ago. Also, phrases like this clearly tell me the speaker comes from a place of privilege. They view these issues as just another thing to cause arguments, rather than issues that are actually ruining lives.

The true tragedy of people who claim to be apolitical is that these are often people who hold power, people who could really make a difference if they wanted to. When I hear my friends and family identify with being apolitical, I try to explain to them how it is irresponsible to be apolitical in a world with such lop-sided suffering. I have found that I can’t really tell them this in a general or abstract manner, because they typically move on from the conversation without giving it a second thought. Instead, I’ve come to bring up specific examples of what is going on in the world. For example, I might tell them about how public school funding is directly linked to standardized test scores and how those standardized tests cater to middle class, white kids. When I bring up specific issues, the person I am talking with often stops for a moment to think about how what I just said is a major problem. They don’t always move on to try and fix said problem, but I think awareness is the first step.

I think everyone should be made aware of the different forms of oppression in the world and how oppressive systems have served to hinder or benefit their own lives. As a future teacher, I feel as though it is almost more important for me to understand how oppression works than the average person. If I fail to see how systems of oppression, especially our education systems, function in our society, I could easily ruin countless student lives without even trying. This is why there is no such thing as being neutral in politics. If I don’t notice and stand with those who are oppressed against those in power, I will be allowing an oppressive system to continue without any resistance.

This week, I’d like to share with you a piece of writing, entitled “If You Don’tFight Against Oppressive Structures, Then You Support Them”, by Hafsa Musa, published in the Huffington Post. They write about their experience as someone who identifies as “queer, non-gender conforming, trans, black, [and] mentally ill.” As someone who holds a lot of privilege in our society, I found this piece to be really impactful and eye-opening. It furthers my belief that I should stand and fight with those who are oppressed by our society.

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