Language is important, and maintaining consistency to our words is an essential part of useful discourse.
So what about the word ‘oppression’?
I see this word thrown around so often these days, usually to describe the non-oppressed lives of modern day privileged Westerners.
Because, to me, a sexist asshole boss is not oppression, mansplaining is not oppression, being unable to #freethenipple is not oppression.
So I wonder if we’ve become entirely walled off to what oppression actually is?
And perhaps we should open the history books, or look past our privileged Western shores to remind ourselves?
Has the very concept of human rights, oppression and equality been colonised by the West?
Amongst the stretch marks, body hair and ‘manspreading’, have our SJWs failed those who really need us, especially the women that actually do live in oppressive societies?
Have we lost sight of our own priorities?
And is this addictive culture, that is infatuated with Western oppression olympics and recreational victimhood, even empowering anybody?
What do you think?
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Images by the British Library, from Unsplash.