Running head: The Targets and Advantages

The Targets and Advantages That Make up Ones life

Rosine T. Niyungeko
Georgia State University

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Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to help us be aware that even within an individual there are
advantages and disadvantages that keep them from being fully fulfilled. Theres always
something that will either keep us from reaching our goals or keep us apart just because we are
who we are. By using groups like subordinate and dominate, we are able to study groups that
help us to understand that there other cultures surrounding us and not just the ones we know and
respect. Theres also things we can do to change the outcome of that occurs.

The Targets and Advantages

The Targets and Advantages That Make up Ones life

Living in this country, Social workers are faced with so much diversity and cultures making
it easier for us as Social Workers to observe the needs of others. We are then given a chance to
recognize our cultures and that of other people. Culture helps us shape our lives, by doing, so we
are met with outside sources that test us and then we are left asking ourselves why things happen
the way they do. That's why it's crucial to come to an understanding that in this world that we
live in they are many factors that make us who we are and what we do. These things are being
born privileged or disadvantaged. It is then that you begin to understand why there are things you
cannot have or can have because you are who you are. In this paper some disadvantages such as
being Female, Black, working class along with privileges such as heterosexuality, able-bodied,
and education will explain why we are put in the situations that we find ourselves in.

1. Being a member of subordinate groups

Women Living in a Patriarchal Society
Being a female makes it hard for women to find their voice in this world that is
surrounded by men. Even though in some parts of the world things are slowly being corrected in
some other areas of the world it's worse than anybody could imagine. Women are still being told
how to dress, denied education and kept away from working to stay home and do housework.
Take, for example, in Israel where women are not allowed to say anything or do anything unless
they are allowed by a male figure. These women cannot question, advice, challenge a man and
when they do they are beaten or killed as a way to suppress them from speaking up. (Haj-Yahia,
2003, P. 2). They have to go by what their husbands or older male figures tell them to do.
In western societies women are the less paid, and portrayed as sex symbols, ignored, cast
aside or marginalized. They are given stereotypes such as vulnerable, men being the
breadwinners and women being the caregivers, insulted, etc. In the article Post-Feminist Era:
Still Striving for Equality in Relationships Aronson and Buchholz talk about how society also
contributes to the inequality of men and women by telling women to stay at home after having
children ( 2001, p. 117). Women are recognized as bad mothers for not staying at home to raise
their children that in turn causes the women to feel the need to attend to society's beliefs. These
changes will not occur until we are ready to advocate and educate that the corporation needs to
change the way they see the roles of men and women.
Being Black
Since colonialism black people have been oppressed by white people because the color of
their skin. At some point in time black people were seen as objects of white men, not as
individuals within a society but as objects they could use however they wanted to. They were
denied the right to freedom to be men, and it carries on to today's society. Even my fellow black
people are treated badly by just about anybody whether it's law enforcement, other citizens or
other people from different parts of the world. In today's society though we as blacks have
achieved the right or the freedom to do anything that anybody else can do. It is still hard for us

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because we are still seen or treated like we do not belong. This is mainly because the black
culture different and other cultures are ready to dismiss us and do not want to learn why we are
who we are or why we do what we do. They have marginalized and discriminated against blacks
because we are black. It's not only white people, but also other groups such as Asian, South
Americans and Africans themselves who have discriminated against us because they are not able
to understand. The only way we can avoid other group members from treating us a certain way
or stereotyping us is through changing and the only way to do that is educating them that not
everyone is the same. That just because certain people choose to behave a particular way doesn't
mean that all black people act like that.

Part of the Working Class

Being part of a working class is very hard. It's always up and down so you never know
where it's going to take you tomorrow. It's a very hard job because even though I'm not fully out
in the woods by myself because of my family, but I can see how each of us contributes to making
it work. Whereas with money, you can pay bills and be able to have enough left to do other
things such as Medicare, etc. As a member of the working class, I always feel like there's no
means to an end. Every day it's a struggle, and there are times when I really thought that we were
going to be homeless. For example, recently when there was a problem with the social welfare
shut down because the computer machine that they installed had problems. My family was
affected because regardless how much we all in the house contribute it's never enough to have
some left for food. Another example would be when I got sick last year and because I'm over 19
years of age I cannot get insurance. I couldnt do anything about it if I go to the hospital they are
going to charge me a lot of many that I cannot even pay for. Luckily my extended family was
able to contribute a little, so I was able to go to the hospital, and now I'm better. There's always
some stereotypes of people who do not understand that being poor is not a choice but a person
finds themselves in it, and it takes a while to put yourself together. Some people even give up
because it takes time and patience for you to get to a particular place. Some ways that I've felt
marginalized, and invisible would be when my family kept going to the Social Welfare office,
but they kept giving documents to documents. Whenever we turn it in, they give us another one
and all along we are just hungry. The only to change this is through improving the Social
Welfare system and Medicare for the poor and recognizing that the working class didn't choose
to be poor it is what it is and instead of treating them like they deserve or belong there we need
to strategize and find ways to improve their help.
2. Being a member of a Dominate Group
Heterosexual
Being a member of the heterosexual group is amazing compared to people who are gay,
lesbian, bisexual or transgendered because we are not terrorized as much as they are. I feel that
as members of society we have no respect for members of other sexes and that we are ready to
get rid of anything that we don't like to justify our actions better. For example, I'm a member of
the Catholic Church it's always surprising how the priest will stand there in front of the

The Targets and Advantages

congregation preaching to us how we are not allowed to support other forms of sex because they
are not right. In the Catholic Church, other Christians or members of other types of religions
believe that you cannot be anything else except from being heterosexual and that it's a sin to be
gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual. In other countries, these members of the subordinate group
are killed. The justification is always that God would want them to do it. What they forget is that
the bible itself says Thy shall not kill." So if you think about it there's no reason anybody is
allowed to take somebody else's life. If these people are to be judged let them be judged on the
Day of Judgment. I think that as a member of this dominate should help bring awareness to my
fellow members of the same group.
Able-Bodied
Able-bodied has a lot of advantages compared to those we are disabled. As a member of
the able-bodied, I feel like it is our responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves. We
need to create more resources for the disabled. It's not their faults that they are the way they are.
Situations occur that are out of our hands and in the end we end up where we are. Sometimes you
are even born that way. Yes, there are programs to help the disabled, and Im happy that we are
now starting to recognize and to correct some of the mistakes we've neglected about the
handicapped. Just the other day I was walking to Georgia Perimeter College in Dunwoody, and I
saw that they were now building pavements where people with wheelchairs can pass. Even
though, that one act is not enough at least, we are starting to correct our wrongs.

Formally Educated
The education system is one that nobody will ever take you away from. As long as you are
willing to learn you are always going to be part of something exciting and always changing. We
acquire new things every day and everywhere just as long as you are willing to learn or educated.
Education is not just what we do in school but also other places. We can be taught through
history of our people and many different cultures. Persons who are educated are more likely to
be open-minded whereas people who are uneducated know, what they know and there's no way
of changing them. I see that in some of my family members. Sometimes it is difficult to explain
to them that there are other beliefs in the world and that there's are not superior from theirs. I
primary define myself as a person who is willing to learn to know about other cultures because I
know that everyone is not the same and that regions have their own systems of beliefs which
need to be appreciate for what they are. I see the dominate group going in both ways, either the
negative or positive. For example, when Europeans started going to other countries they made
sure that they force they people in other countries to believe what they found or adapt to their
culture. So yes it depends on who the educator is and what their interests are.

3. Reflecting on Subordinate and Dominate Group

Being part of the dominant group today makes me feel so guilty. It makes me recognize
that even though I clearly have some problems of my own, there are other people who have it

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much worse than I do. Some cost and benefits of belonging to the dominant group is that I can
decide what happens in a society whether negative or positive. I become aware of the power of
the dominant group through educating myself using my life events. Before this assessment, I
never thought of anything else that was going on around me. I just thought of myself and my
own problems but now that I have observed through comparing dominate groups and subordinate
groups I now see that there's a lot that I as an individual and other members of the dominant
group can do to help out in our community.

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References

Haj-Yahia M. M. (2003). Beliefs About Wife beating Amon Arab Men from Israel: The
Influence of Their Patriarchal Ideology. Journal Of Family Violence,
18(4), 193-206.
Rodman Aronson, K.M., & Buchholz, E. (2001). The Post-feminist Era: still Striving for
Equality in Relationships. American Journal Of Family Therapy,
29(2), 109-124. doi: 10.1080?01926180152026106