Sophie Miles

BOSSLADEE50

oppression.pdf

Home >Social Science homework help >Sociology homework help >Sophie Miles

O L

O R

S N

A R

C H

0 6

By Leticia Nieto

and Margot F. Boyer

Ed. Note: The first of a series of columns

addressing personal development, race and

oppression. Send questions for Leticia at

[email protected]

E veryone who has tried to address the

social realities of oppression and privilege

knows that these are tough subjects.

Even saying the word “oppression,” or the more-

loaded “racism,” “sexism” and “heterosexism,”

will get some people’s back up. Many folks

start to feel angry, guilty, ashamed or upset

when these topics are raised, no matter how we

approach them.

But we can’t have a more just society without

talking about injustice. How can we address

these topics in a constructive way that will help

people to listen and grow, not just create conflict

and ill feelings?

In this series of columns, we’ll outline an

approach that can help people grow in their

understanding of oppression, and their compas-

sion for self and others. This approach is largely

a psychological one, and we use the language

of imagery and feeling more than that of politics

or activism. We believe that people can develop

more appropriate and useful skills to address the

issues of oppression just as they develop other

skills, and we’ve found that when people learn

about these skills they find it easier to tolerate

discomfort, change their own behavior and work

with people whose experiences differ from their

own.

This is a complex model, and we’ve greatly sim-

plified it for this space. We teach it in the course

of a one- or two-day workshop, or over an aca-

demic semester as part of a graduate program in

counseling psychology. This column will offer a

sketch of these ideas, which were developed and

synthesized by the co-author of this piece, Dr.

Leticia Nieto, incorporating ideas and models

from developmental theory, diversity models

and her own work as a therapist, teacher,

artist and cross-cultural worker.

We’re all members of many different

groups. Many of these memberships reflect

our choices and lives in ways that are neu-

tral or positive. Some of us come from big

families, and some are only children. Some

of us have pets and some don’t. Some of us

are basketball fans, symphony lovers, veg-

etarians or film enthusiasts. We can enjoy

these affiliations and know that we are

not likely to face discrimination because

of them.

Other social memberships are troublesome.

Because of our socially ascribed memberships

in certain groups – based on gender, ethnicity,

social class and other groups – we will experience

either oppression or privilege. We don’t sign up

to join these groups, nor do we sign up for the

system of oppression and privilege, yet they are

part of our lives. We use the term “Rank” to

describe this system, and we believe that people

can develop access to better skills for responding

to oppression in each of the rank areas. Later on,

we’ll describe those skills in detail, but first we’d

like to lay some groundwork for understanding

how the system works.

In this model we distinguish among three terms

that are sometimes treated as synonyms: Status,

Rank and Power. The “Onion” diagram shows

these as layers or ways to understand social

interactions. Status is the outermost layer, the

one that is easiest for other people to see and

the one we are most likely to be aware of, rank

refers to the system of valuing people differently

depending on certain social memberships, and

power is the innermost layer, related to the core

of our being.

Power relates to our connection to that which

is greater than ourselves, to the numinous or the

divine. It signals our connection to ancestors and

descen-

dents, to

nature and to the

whole of creation.

Any person can have access

to power; it’s not a function of

social role or worldly success. We con-

nect with power through our spiritual prac-

tices and our creative lives, through our mentors

and loved ones, and through anything that allows

us to move from a genuine center. In workshops,

we ask people to envision a person or being that

has this kind of power, and to imagine walking in

their footsteps, as a way of getting in touch with

personal power.

Remembering our power enables us to work

with the challenges of our lives and to cut

through the social constructs of status and rank

effectively. Usually other people cannot see our

power, though they might feel it in some situa-

tions.

Status, in contrast, is the most superficial level

of interactions, one which is easy to observe. We

all know how to take a high-status or low-status

position, and we all get lots of practice in both.

High-status behavior is marked by a dominant

or assertive posture and verbal messages of

assertion, leadership, dominance or knowledge.

Low-status behavior is marked by a submissive or

passive posture, and verbal messages of agree-

ment, compliance, acceptance, and support.

Both high- and low-status moves can be useful

in some situations or destructive in others – these

are fundamental modes of behavior, not good or

bad in themselves.

Like other animals, human beings continually

play status games. Most of us take both high-

ASK LETICIA > R A C E , P O W E R , S TAT U S

Strategies in Addressing Power and Privilege

Leticia Nieto, incorporating ideas and models

from developmental theory, diversity models

groups. Many of these memberships reflect

of us have pets and some don’t. Some of us

descen-

dents, to

nature and to the

whole of creation.

Any person can have access

to power; it’s not a function of

social role or worldly success. We con-

nect with power through our spiritual prac-

tices and our creative lives, through our mentors

Strategies in Addressing Power and Privilege

Understanding Oppression

��

fifthfifthfifthfifthfifthfifth �� Five Year Anniversary� ��

��diversity��

��Boyz II Men�� Tom Douglas�� Paramount Theatre��

fifthfifthfifthfifthfifth

��

O L

O R

S N

A R

C H

0 6

and low-status positions throughout

the day. With close friends, part-

ners and colleagues, status play can

become very fluid, with both parties

taking each position in turn. Certain

social roles evoke particular status

behavior, and we’ll talk more about

those later on.

It’s easy to observe status play at

any bus stop, family meal or busi-

ness meeting. Watch an interaction

unfold, and you’ll likely see people

switching status positions regularly.

This is important, because status is

not a permanent state or role; it’s

a temporary behavior. Unlike rank

memberships, which are generally

stable, status play is mobile.

High-status behavior includes

many positive activities: leading a

group, teaching a class, speaking up

for a principle, asserting connection.

High-status behavior also includes

the whole spectrum of aggression,

from positive action to confronta-

tion and even violence. Violence is

a high-status move, and this is true

no matter who does it. When a per-

son who is a member of a socially

marginalized group commits an act

of violence against someone who is

a member of a socially over-valued

group, we see that as a high-status

move. It’s a temporary situation,

a snapshot of an interaction, that

doesn’t change the underlying

dynamics of societal and institution-

alized inequity.

Similarly, when someone who is

a member of a socially over-valued

group or holds social privilege takes

a low-status position in a particular

interaction, that does not change

the rank memberships of the people

involved. To use an extreme exam-

ple, a slave-owner could be kind,

friendly or submissive to a particular

slave in a given situation, but that

would not change who was the

owner and who was the slave.

It’s helpful to keep discussions of

status and rank separated to better

understand the issues in both areas.

Often when people talk about rank,

examples of status play come into

the conversation. However, the fact

that some members of devalued

social groups experience success

and exhibit high-status behavior

does not change the underlying

dynamics of rank.

The middle layer of the Onion,

rank, is complex. Because rank

is difficult to discuss, we use a

series of metaphors to attempt to

understand how it operates. One

metaphor is that of an essentially

mechanical system, a conditioned

response that everyone is trained

to make when they are very young.

We call it the Rank Machine. It

operates like an old-fashioned

clockwork or a primitive industrial

system, like an assembly line of 100

years ago, but it happens within

and around us.

The rank machine does only

one thing: It sorts people into two

piles, a small pile of people who

are overvalued and a larger pile of

people who are devalued. We call

these two piles Agents and Targets.

Since the rank machine is part of

our deep conditioning, we rarely

become aware of what it does, or

even that it’s operating. The effects

of rank would need to be measured

in nanoseconds. We meet a person,

and the rank machine has assessed

them as well as us, and categorized

them and us, often before either of

us speaks. We don’t have control

over this; it just happens. What

we do have some control of is our

awareness of the rank machine, and

Ask Leticia If you would like more

information about these ideas,

please contact Dr. Nieto at

[email protected]. If you

have specific questions, situa-

tions you’d like us to address

in future columns or thoughts

on these concepts, e-mail us at:

[email protected].

Deadline is April 28th. For more information, and to apply, visit:

www.bgiedu.org Or call, Aly Tibbetts, Director of Admission at

206-855-9559

Why are Bainbridge Graduate Institute & ColorsNW Magazine offering these scholarships? To help future leaders obtain a cutting edge MBA in Sustainable Business. To promote greater diversity within BGI’s MBA program, particularly from underrepresented people of color, and ultimately to promote diversity as a corporate and social value.

How much are the awards? Will award up to 6 scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each. A scholarship is renewable from year to year if you remain in good standing. And you will also be eligible to receive additional need-based fi nancial aid.

How do I know if I am eligible? The most important requirements are an under- graduate degree (it doesn’t have to be in business) and to be accepted by BGI into the 2- or 3-year MBA in Sustainable Business program.

Bainbridge Graduate Institute & ColorsNW Magazine

$5,000 to $10,000 CAPA COLORSNW MBA

SCHOLARSHIPS

M A

R C

H 0

6 C

O L

O R

S N

��

how we respond to the categoriz-

ing that goes on in ourselves and

others.

In the United States, the rank

machine sorts people in nine dif-

ferent categories. We use the

acronym ADRESSING (developed by

Pamela Hayes) to remember them:

Age, Disability, Religious Culture,

Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Social

Class, Indigenous Background,

National Origin and Gender. In

these nine categories, people are

classified as either agents or targets.

Agents receive advantages or privi-

lege, while targets receive liabilities

or oppression.

One problem with this whole

rank system, of course, is that the

categories are ridiculous and false.

People don’t fit well into binary,

yes-or-no categories. To use one

obvious example, racial categories

are only social constructs, and many

people have ancestors from many

places and connections with many

ethnic groups. People are not either

“white” or “people of color;” we

are various and complex. This is

the truth.

At the same time, this rank

system, as absurd as it is, has a tre-

mendous effect on our lives. Being

categorized as male or female, as

straight or gay, or any other rank

assignment, can make a difference

in the access, opportunities and

comforts of our lives. This is the

reality for life in the U.S. As you

read about these models, we’ll ask

you to keep both of these in mind:

the truth that rank categories are

absurd and false, and the reality

that rank categories affect our lives.

In our next column we’ll take a

look at how we can build skills, and

examine the specific agent and tar-

get skill sets. n

Have a question for Dr. Nieto?

Send it to [email protected].

About Dr. Leticia Nieto Leticia Nieto, M.A., Psy.

D. was recently named

Outstanding Faculty of

the Year at St. Martin ‘s

College. Dr. Nieto brings

an innovative approach to

her training and facilita-

tion work. She draws on

expressive techniques to

involve participants deeply and provide opportunities for them to open

to insight and change. She has successfully brought her skills to higher

education and other learning communities, to service providers in help-

ing agencies, to workplace teams, and to many community groups.

Leticia has been a practicing psychotherapist since 1983, and is

involved in training counselors as a core member of the faculty of

the Saint Martin’s University Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology

program in Olympia , Washington . As a teacher, consultant, and stu-

dent services professional, Leticia has been associated with a number

of higher education institutions on the Pacific coast of the U. S. and

in Mexico . Leticia earned a B.A. in theatre and psychology, an M.A.

in human development, and a Psy.D. in clinical psychology. Her areas

of specialty include developmental psychology, expressive and arts

therapies, psychodrama, sociodrama, anti-oppression, and cultural

awareness in counseling.

www.wcsap.org/events/trainingseries.htm

O L

O R

S N

C T

O B

E R

0 6

by Leticia Nieto and Margot F. Boyer

In our last column, we talked

about Status, Rank, and Power

– three different layers of interac-

tions between people. To make

sense of systems of oppression and

privilege, such as racism, sexism or

homophobia, we find it helpful to

separate these elements.

In our model for analyzing social

dynamics, Status refers to the

superficial level of interaction that

humans share with other animals,

the one-up, one-down dynamics

of day-to-day interactions. Status

dynamics are fluid and change from

one moment to the next, and most

anyone can take a high-status or

a low-status position in a given

moment.

We use Power to refer to our

connection to source or the sacred,

our core. Anyone can have access

to this kind of Power; it’s not a

function of social role or posi-

tion. Power is usually invisible, but

sometimes we can see it in action.

It’s not a temporary condition, but

something we can strengthen over

the course of our lives.

The Rank layer of interactions is

the most complex and troublesome.

Rank refers to a socially constructed

system in which some people are

socially overvalued (sometimes

called “privileged”), while others are

systematically undervalued and sub-

ject to oppression. We call these

two groups Agents and Targets,

respectively.

Of course, none of us signed up

to be part of the Rank system. As

small children, we learned a par-

ticular set of social rules, which we

follow in a mostly unconscious way.

We learned what Rank member-

ships were assigned to us (based

on our gender, our ethnicity, our

having or not having a disability,

etc.), and how we should behave

as members of those groups. We

also learned to sort and categorize

other people based on their social

membership assignment, and to

expect certain behavior from them

because of their Rank makeup.

Even as adults, we frequently react

to these categories before we have

a chance to think about them – we

respond to people in nanoseconds,

automatically, based on the social

rules we internalized as children.

When we respond this way, our

actions are mechanical and scripted,

even robotic. We don’t have much

consciousness or choice about what

we perceive, nor about the subtle

aspects of what we do and say.

Overcoming this social condition-

ing takes a lot of work. We can

learn to see through the Rank cat-

egories, to act from a deeper, more

conscious, real self, our Power,

regardless of the social memberships

assigned to ourselves and those

around us. With practice, we can

get better at responding to each

situation with integrity, bringing cre-

ativity and wisdom to the challenges

presented by oppression and privi-

lege, the whole system of Rank.

Like other kinds of learning,

the ability to struggle

against oppression, to

respond effectively

to Rank dynamics, means

gaining specific skills. The skills we

internalized as young children often

won’t serve us well in taking on the

difficult situations we encounter

as adults, but we can learn bet-

ter, more effective skills. One set

of skills applies to us in our Target

memberships, and a different set

relates to places where we have

Agent membership.

The Agent/Target Rank chart

shows the way that Agent and

Target Ranks are assigned currently

in the United States. There are

nine categories in which people are

ranked. These are socially ascribed

memberships – we don’t get to

choose them. Most of them are

permanent and can’t be changed

by our actions. Take a look at the

chart and notice the places you are

assigned an Agent rank and the

places you are assigned a Target

rank. Most people will find they

have been given both Agent and

Target assignments. That means

we all need to develop both kinds

of skills.

The model of skill sets here does

not describe “stages” of develop-

ment that we stay in permanently,

but a set of skills inside skills like

a set of nesting bowls or nested

dolls. As we grow and practice our

anti-oppression skills, the skills we

learned earlier don’t disappear, but

they are included in a repertoire,

which also includes more mature

skills. The larger skill sets give

us more choices, more possibilities

for action, and a truer sense of our-

selves and others. The earlier skills

are still with us, though, and we

will still use them much of the time.

This process of growth that incor-

porates earlier stages into later ones

is sometimes called a “holarchy,”

and the process of moving to more

inclusive skills is called “transcend

and include.”

A similar process happens as we

learn to read. As small children

we learn the alphabet. Later, we

learn to read short words, then

longer words and sentences. As we

grow up, we might master read-

ing novels, computer manuals and

social theory. Yet the fundamental

skills of knowing the alphabet and

decoding short words remain part

of our repertoires.

It takes more effort to use higher-

level skills, and we tend to choose

the easier path that uses less-devel-

oped skills. Many people find that

if we are not required to read dif-

ficult books for school or work, we

gravitate to newspapers and exciting

novels rather than complex techni-

cal or theoretical works. When we

have the flu, we might find a book

too demanding and choose to read

magazines or just watch TV. We

don’t always make use of our ability

to read challenging books, and the

less energy we have, or the more

stress we are dealing with, the less

likely we are to utilize our high-level

reading skills.

Like reading skills, our ability

ASK LETICIA > R A C E , P O W E R , S TAT U S

Strategies in Addressing Power and Privilege Second Installment: Skill Sets for Targets

skills. The larger skill sets give

us more choices, more possibilities

for action, and a truer sense of our-

Understanding Oppression

O C

T O

B E

R 0

6 C

O L

O R

S N

to respond to Rank dynamics can

develop over a lifetime, yet we will

often opt for the less-demanding,

more familiar and automatic skills

that use less of our energy. We

learned the basic skills that fit our

Rank roles when were growing up,

as part of our social conditioning.

We learned certain skills that fit with

our Target social memberships, such

as so-called appropriate behavior for

a girl, or for a person of color. We

learned other skills that fit with our

Agent memberships, such as the

recognized behavior for a boy, or

for a member of the middle class.

We also learned which social

groups are overvalued, the Agent

groups (adults, able-bodied persons,

heterosexuals, non-immigrants,

White people and so on). We

learned which social groups are

under valued, the Target groups

(children and elders; people with

disabilities; Jews, Muslims and other

non-Christians; people of color,

gay/lesbian and bisexual people; and

so on). The adults in our lives prob-

ably passed on these rules without

much explanation, nor awareness

that they were teaching us so much

about how to be in the world.

Since most of us have both Agent

and Target role assignments to ful-

fill, the rules are complex.

In our Target memberships, we

learn skills that help us fit in with

Agent expectations for our group.

Some of us may have many Target

memberships, while some of us

have only one or two. (The small

minority of people who have no

Target memberships at all are often

referred to as “mainstream,” which

says a lot about how the system of

privilege works.) The description of

Target skills will be easiest to follow

if you look at the Agent/Target chart

and identify just one Target mem-

bership that you hold right now.

Think about the Target skills from

the point of view of just that Target

membership that you know very

well. (Any readers who hold no

Target memberships can think back

to the experience of being a child or

adolescent to understand the skills.)

Bear in mind that the skills described

here apply only to the members of

Target groups within those specific

Target memberships.

We call the first skill set for

Targets Survival. Survival skills

enable us to stay alive and in rela-

tive safety by conforming to Agent

expectations. There are two ways

we express Survival skills. The first is

to approximate Agency – to move,

think and talk like a person who has

Agent membership. In doing this,

we unconsciously attempt to meet

the goal of this skill set, which is to

make members of the Agent group

comfortable and to meet demands

based on the Agent group’s defini-

tion of what is normal or okay.

The second Survival skill is to fit

the stereotype that the Agent group

has of our Target group: to move,

think and talk in conformity with

Agent expectations for our group.

For girls and women, this means

About Dr. Leticia Nieto

Leticia Nieto, M.A., Psy.

D. was recently named

Outstanding Faculty of

the Year at St. Martin ‘s

College. Dr. Nieto brings

an innovative approach to

her training and facilita-

tion work. She draws on

expressive techniques to involve participants deeply and provide oppor-

tunities for them to open to insight and change. She has successfully

brought her skills to higher education and other learning communities,

to service providers in helping agencies, to workplace teams, and to

many community groups.

www.wcsap.org/events/trainingseries.htm

O L

O R

S N

C T

O B

E R

0 6

meeting the requirements of socially

expected “feminine” behavior: to

have the right size, the right tone of

voice and, especially, the right atti-

tude towards men. In other words,

as women using Survival skills, we

do whatever is necessary to make

men comfortable, including uncon-

scious, though sometimes verbal-

ized, agreement with sexist norms.

Everyone gets practice in Target

Survival skills, because everyone

has been a child, and all children

are age Targets. For a few people,

age Targetship is the only type they

ever experience. Most of us experi-

ence other areas of Targetship, so

we’ve experienced using Survival

skills in those memberships too.

Although we’re usually not aware

that we’re using them, Survival

skills are exhausting because they

require us to constantly change our

shapes to conform to the expecta-

tions of the Agent group and the

Agent-dominated environments we

encounter every day. Yet, we get

so much practice in these skills that

we become very good at them, and

when we feel threatened or stressed

we are likely to unconsciously fall

back on Survival skills.

Part of using Survival skills is to

be unconscious of Rank dynamics.

Using these skills, we may say that

there is “no such thing” as sexism

or racism or classism, whatever form

of oppression operates against our

Target group. We might assert to

ourselves and others that we have

never experienced discrimination

because of our Target member-

ships, or that we don’t let those

experiences affect us or get in our

way. As Targets using Survival skills,

we will even criticize ourselves or

other Targets for failing to meet the

expectations for our group. This

is sometimes called internalized

oppression. For example, as women

using survival skills, we may assess

and criticize our own appearance

and that of other women to make

sure we meet the social expecta-

tions for our group. Survival skills

for Targets can also include hori-

zontal oppression, which is when as

Targets we direct hostility, prejudice,

discrimination or even violence at

members of our own Target group.

The second skill set for Targets

we call Confusion. Describing

Confusion as a skill may seem

strange, but moving from Survival to

Confusion takes work. Confusion

skills arise when we notice how

exhausting it is to use Survival skills,

and begin to realize that some-

thing is amiss. We might spend a

long time going back and forth

between Survival skills and the start

of Confusion before we notice that

some people are valued differently

than we are, that we are encoun-

tering oppression. We begin to

see the Rank dynamics, and in our

hearts we know that the subtle and

not-so-subtle inequity we experience

is real, and that we should not have

to conform to it

. Yet understanding and respond-

ing to oppression is a huge task,

one we may not yet be ready to

take on. We know that we’re

encountering inequity, but we do

not yet have the language or the

support to make sense of it. This

mixture of knowing and not-know-

ing we call Confusion. We may

still present ourselves in the ways

that Agents expect of us, but we

also begin to notice, for example,

that the leadership at work is white

while the workers are Latino and

African American, or that the men

in our organization earn more than

the women.

Using our Confusion skills, we

may contradict ourselves and doubt

the evidence of our senses. We say

things like, “That doesn’t seem fair,

but there must be a good explana-

tion.” We might even say, “I’m

confused,” or “I don’t understand”

or “I’m taking this personally.” We

admit the possibility that something

is wrong, but we do not yet call it

sexism, racism or a violation of our

S A

F E

C O

J A

C K

S O

S T

R E

E T

C E

N T

E R

S A

F E

C O

J A

C K

S O

S T

R E

E T

C E

N T

E R

S A

F E

C O

J A

C K

S O

R E

A C

H IN

G O

U T

Safeco Jackson Street Center 306 - 23rd Ave South, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98144 206.925.1864

www.safeco.com/safeco/jacksonstreet

IN S

U R

IN G

Y O

U R

C O

M M

U N

IT YSafeco Jackson

Street Center actively recruits employees and agents from the community, providing jobs and career development opportunities. We have insurance agents on site.

Come visit us for all your insurance needs.

O C

T O

B E

R 0

6 C

O L

O R

S N

civil rights. We might still act in the

ways assigned by our Target role,

following those rules we internalized

earlier in our lives, but sometimes

we think or say or do things that do

not fit the role.

As long as our skill repertoire

is limited to only Survival and

Confusion skills, we remain sub-

ject to internalized and horizontal

oppression. We may act in ways

that are hurtful to ourselves and to

people who share our Target mem-

berships, and we will probably not

know that, nor why we are doing it.

These skills reflect unconsciousness

of the whole Rank system and lack

of access to our own Power.

Shifting to the next skill set,

Empowerment, takes an enormous

amount of energy from within and

without. It can feel like waking up

from a deep sleep or responding

to a life-threatening situation. To

make this big move we must have

access to Empowered Target-only

space, a place where people who

share a common Target member-

ship get together to talk about what

we face, how it feels and what do

to about it. This could take the

form of a women’s group, a black

students alliance, a GLBT center,

a labor union or any space that

belongs to members of our own

Target group. Those of us who

hold multiple Target memberships

may need to join several groups

to become Empowered in each

of those memberships. (For orga-

nizations that want to empower

Targets, supporting access to this

kind of space is a critical step.)

In Empowered Target-only space,

Targets listen and talk about our

common experience, what happens

to us every day, and often we see

others nodding in recognition even

before we finish the story. We talk

about the historical roots of the

problem, the social conditions that

support the status quo and so on.

Using our Empowerment skills, we

need to talk about our experience

of oppression, especially the subtle

but constant marginalizations,

sometimes to the exclusion of every-

thing else. It’s painful, but it keeps

us awake, like pressing on a bruise

to see where its edge is and how

it hurts. When we speak about the

oppression we wake up more and

more, which can help us avoid slid-

ing back into the unconsciousness

of the earlier skills.

Target group members using

Empowerment skills will bring up

the issue of oppression in many

different interactions. We seek out

information about our own group

and the history of oppression we

have faced, and express solidarity

with other members of our group.

We express anger at Agent norms,

Agent institutions and individual

Agent members. This constant focus

on the issue keeps us activated. The

energy of Empowerment helps us

mobilize to resist oppression, take

action, learn everything there is to

learn about the nature of supremacy

and how to counter injustice. Yet,

constant focus on the dynamics of

oppression is often exhausting for

the Target and everyone around

us. There’s a sense that there’s no

down time. We may bring it up in

many environments and at moments

that are unproductive, even in situa-

tions where we risk our own safety.

As we use Empowerment skills,

we may notice that we can’t sustain

the energetic demand of constantly

confronting oppression head-on.

We begin to evaluate what works

and what doesn’t, and to make

more conscious choices about

when to bring up the issue, when

to walk away, when to concentrate

on other matters. We call these

Strategy skills. Using Strategy, we

start to choose our battles and sort

out the most effective action: when

to work with other Targets, when

to make demands of social institu-

tions, when to confront individual

Agents, when not to act. We align

ourselves with the best values and

norms of our own Target group

and spend less time reacting to the

Agent group and Agent expecta-

tions. Strategy skills free us to make

choices that support our group and

ourselves. We can appreciate other

members of our group because

of their personal qualities, rather

than the Target group membership

itself. We find we can selectively

appreciate individual Agents who

show themselves to be allies in our

struggle. Strategy skills conserve

our energy and maximize our effec-

tiveness in anti-oppression work.

As we continue to use Strategy

skills, we begin more and more to

discern our own optimal, liberating

norms and values from oppressive,

dehumanizing ones, and to support

members of our own and other

Target groups. We acknowledge

the significance and impact of ineq-

uity due to Rank memberships and

make increasingly congruent and

adaptive choices. We find more

ready access to our true Power,

and are able to bring it to bear

on our daily lives. We call these

the Re-Centering skills. Using Re-

Centering skills, we collaborate with

other Targets and with ally Agents

to challenge system of oppression

in the most effective, humanizing

and streamlined ways. We use our

understanding of systems of oppres-

sion to move into leadership roles in

our social-change work.

Few Targets get to use Re-

Centering skills, and even the most

wise and skillful Targets use these

skills only some of the time. As

Targets with access to all of these

skill sets, we use each one, depend-

ing on the situation and how

much energy we have in a specific

moment. The goal is not to always

use a certain skill set, but rather to

use the skills that are most function-

al in a given moment. Each skill set

has some value. We can support

ourselves and other Target group

members best when we have appre-

ciation for the value and necessity

of each skill set. When we receive

appropriate support for the skill set

we are currently using, it becomes

possible to shift into higher skill

sets, and to create more effective

solutions to the challenges posed by

the Rank system.

Anti-oppression work aims to

free everyone from the harmful

and dehumanizing effects of the

Rank system. As we develop better

skills, we gain the ability to liberate

ourselves and others and to move

through the world as whole human

beings in spite of the limiting defi-

nitions that societal conditioning

tends to impose.

In our next column, we’ll take a

close look at the skills used by mem-

bers of Agent groups. n

� ��

��

� ��

www.ecww.org

O L

O R

S N

A R

C H

0 7

by Leticia Nieto and Margot F. Boyer

I n previous columns, we’ve dis-

cussed Status, Rank and Power

– three separate layers of inter-

actions between people. We envi-

sion these as a model of concentric

circles, like layers of an onion, with

Status on the outer surface, Rank

under that and Power in the center.

We use the term Power to refer

to our connection to our core, our

authentic self and the person we

are at our best moments. A person’s

ability to be grounded, to exercise

compassion, to use humor in a heal-

ing way, to love without demands,

and to support themselves and

those around them can indicate the

presence of Power.

Status play refers to the up-and-

down dynamics of interactions, a

type of behavior that humans share

with other animals. Status play can

be as light as teasing among sisters.

It can also be hurtful, upsetting and

dangerous. Actions that assert our

own importance, value or point of

view are high-status moves. We

can do this in a way that is helpful

and positive for those around us,

by exercising leadership, speaking

out on injustice or teaching a skill.

Likewise, low-status behavior can

be positive and supportive, as when

we actively listen to someone else’s

story, lend our support to another’s

idea, or share our appreciation for

someone. High-status behavior can

be used in harmful ways too – the

ranges of aggressive actions from a

verbal put-down to a violent assault

are high-status moves. Similarly,

low-status behavior is not always

benign. Passive-aggressive behavior,

refusing to acknowledge someone

or ignoring a problem are low-status

moves. High-status and low-status

behaviors are not, in themselves,

good or bad; they’re just part of

what it is to be a human being.

The key to identifying status play

is to ask “when did it start” and

“when did it stop.” Status-play

interactions come and go; we may

play high-status in one situation and

low-status in another. Our status

style preferences reflect our individ-

ual personality, and also our profes-

sional roles, our family and cultural

background, and the styles of our

geographical region. Many people

in Seattle use a low-status style,

sometimes described as “polite but

not friendly.” It’s a cool, correct,

introverted way of relating. People

who move here from other regions

sometimes find it chilly, and many

say that it’s hard to make friends

with Seattleites. New Yorkers, in

contrast, often have a high-status

style that is both friendlier and more

aggressive. This style is hotter, loud-

er, more likely to embrace and more

likely to fight. Visitors to New York

may find this exciting or frightening

– depending on their status prefer-

ences.

Status-level

interactions

can grab our

attention in a

given moment,

but we can

change them

by shifting our

behavior. One

strategy for

getting

along with

people is

to notice the style preference

of the person we’re with, in that

moment, and to let them have their

preference. When both people insist

on taking a high-status position,

there’s likely to be conflict. When

both choose the low-status position,

the interaction can be stagnant and

the pair may find it impossible to

make decisions or move forward.

Flexibility in status play can enhance

our interactions, free up conflict and

allow more vitality and energy in

our relationships. Movies, television

and theater are full of changeable

and dramatic status play, which can

be fun to watch and to participate

in – especially when we don’t take it

too seriously.

Our focus here is on issues of

Rank, as distinct from Power or

Status. When specific discriminatory,

exclusionary or prejudiced acts can

be seen as discrete in time, we can

examine the function of Status play

in that

interac-

tion. Rank

dynamics, though,

are operating full-time.

Rank describes how society

systematically and consistently

advantages the same people while

marginalizing others. Because Rank

dynamics are not as distinct in time

as Status dynamics, we have found

it useful to envision Rank as an

essentially mechanical system that

sorts people into two groups. The

system automatically (and mostly

unconsciously) favors some people,

who we refer to as Agents. Agents

are members of groups that are

socially overvalued. Sometimes this

is referred to as having “privilege,”

but because the Rank system is

mostly unconscious, Agents rarely

notice being privileged. It takes a

lot of work to perceive the ways

that the Rank system overvalues,

favors or advantages us.

The system also categorizes

some people as Targets, who are

members of groups that are socially

undervalued, sometimes referred to

as “oppressed.” Because the experi-

ence of being socially undervalued

or oppressed is unpleasant, Targets

are more likely to notice the Rank

system, even when we don’t have

words for it.

ASK LETICIA > R A N K , P O W E R , S TAT U S

Strategies in Addressing Power and Privilege Part 3: Skill Sets for Agents

given moment,

by shifting our

behavior. One

in that

interac-

tion. Rank

dynamics, though,

are operating full-time.

Rank describes how society

systematically and consistently

advantages the same people while

marginalizing others. Because Rank

dynamics are not as distinct in time

Understanding Oppression

M A

R C

H 0

7 C

O L

O R

S N

Another helpful metaphor is

to think of Rank like a barcode

beneath our skin that is scanned in

many subtle ways in all situations.

This happens so quickly we don’t

even notice it. One small part of this

scanning process is our scanning of

each other: In the instant of meet-

ing, we identify the age, ethnicity,

gender and other “rank” roles

that each person plays. If we can’t

figure out how to classify the other

person, we might feel uncomfort-

able or even ask “What are you?”

This discomfort reveals how much

we rely on knowing how to classify

each other in order to figure out

how to relate. It can be useful to

think of Rank as being made up of

all the socialized messages we have

internalized about the groups we

belong to and those we don’t.

We use psychologist and author

Pamela Hays’ ADDRESSING frame-

work to remember nine rank

areas currently important in the

United States: Age, Disability,

Developmental and Acquired

Disabilities, Religious culture,

Ethnicity, Social class, Sexual

Orientation, Indigenous background,

National origin and Gender. Most

of us have been assigned Agent

rank in some areas, and Target rank

in others. We don’t get to choose

these memberships; they are stuck

to us by society, or socially ascribed.

Each of these Rank areas, or social

memberships, is constructed – that

is, invented as ways to categorize

people. Our position is that they are

fairly faulty rather than accurate,

but that they operate as if they

were valid, so we must deal with

them.

Most of these Rank memberships

are permanent. Age changes in the

course of our life; we experience

Targetship growing up, acquire

Agency when we become adults,

around age 18, and are again clas-

sified as Targets around the age

of 65. Disability rank may change,

for example, if we experience tem-

porary or permanent ability loss

through an accident or illness. Most

of our Rank memberships are pretty

stable throughout our lives. This is

important to remember because,

unlike Rank, Status can change

moment to moment, giving us the

illusion of a much more flexible or

moveable social system.

Because most of us are classified

with both some Agent and some

Target memberships, effective

anti-oppression work requires us to

develop better skills on both sides.

The skills for Agents and Targets

are different; we need both sets of

skills, but we use them in different

situations. These skill sets are like

toolboxes. The early skill sets resem-

ble a small toolbox, with only one

or two tools in it. As we grow and

practice our anti-oppression skills,

the early skills don’t disappear, but

we get new tools to add to our col-

lection. We still use the earlier skills,

but we have more ability to choose

appropriate skills that will serve our

anti-oppression purposes. These

are not “stages” of development

– we don’t gain some new skills and

then use them reliably 24 hours a

day. Rather, we are more able to

respond effectively to oppression,

more of the time, when we have a

bigger toolbox. We are more likely

to use our high-level skills when

we are feeling calm, supported

and well. Anything that causes us

distress, like being hungry or tired

or angry, makes it more difficult

to use the high-level skills. For this

reason, we see taking good care of

ourselves as an important dimension

of anti-oppression work.

In this article, our focus is on anti-

oppression skills for Agents, mem-

bers of groups that are socially over-

valued. From childhood, part of our

training in being an Agent is to be

unconscious of the whole Rank sys-

tem and of the ways we are overval-

ued by society. Even as adults, we

don’t know that this is happening,

and the people around us often pre-

vent us from figuring it out. Usually,

they don’t know they’re doing this

because they are also unconscious

of the rank system. We learn to not

notice differences and the way that

they affect our experience and our

access to resources.

Before you read the rest of this

article, identify one area where the

Rank system identifies you to be

an Agent. Stay in that “channel”

as you read the skill descriptions

– think about how you might have

experienced these skills as an Agent.

(For the Target skill sets, please

check out the October 2006 issue of

this magazine.)

In our Agent memberships, we

learn skills that allow us to make

ourselves and people who share

our Agent rank comfortable. We

learn not to notice the existence of

the Rank system and the ways in

which we are socially overvalued.

We learn to not notice members of

the Target group, and to not value

them as much as we value ourselves

and other Agent group members.

Most of this training is unconscious

on the part of other people around

us; often they are passing on behav-

iors and attitudes that they are not

aware of. We absorb these mes-

sages unconsciously, too.

The first skill for Agents is

called Indifference. When we use

Indifference skills, we are able to

not notice the existence of Targets

and their life conditions, and the

whole system of Rank. It can be

as innocent as saying, “I don’t

know any _____ people.” A person

who lives in a small community

might have a similar attitude, “I’ve

never met any _______.” “There

aren’t any ________ around here.”

Often, however, a person using

Indifference skills will not notice the

existence of a person with Target

rank, even when they are talking

directly to them. Saying, “I’ve never

met a _______” while talking to a

member of the group being named

is an extreme, but not unusual,

example of Indifference skills at

work.

The physical posture we associate

with this skill set is a simple shrug

of the shoulders that says, “I don’t

know,” “It’s not my problem” or

“I don’t know what you’re talking

about.” The key to understanding

Indifference skills is to remember

that we all must select a portion of

About Dr. Leticia Nieto

Leticia Nieto, M.A.,

Psy. D. was recently named

Outstanding Faculty of

the Year at St. Martin ‘s

College. Dr. Nieto brings

an innovative approach to

her training and facilita-

tion work. She draws on

expressive techniques to involve participants deeply and provide oppor-

tunities for them to open to insight and change. She has successfully

brought her skills to higher education and other learning communities,

to service providers in helping agencies, to workplace teams, and to

many community groups.

www.wcsap.org/events/trainingseries.htm

Margot Boyer, left, Leticia Nieto

O L

O R

S N

A R

C H

0 7

the information and stimuli that we

are exposed to. Through condition-

ing as Agents in various social areas,

we learn which elements “matter”

or are “relevant.” These tend to be

Agent-related elements. The result

is that Target-related elements are

out of our consciousness without us

even trying to ignore them. It is not

difficult to notice that what bolsters

indifference is a socially enforced,

passive aversion and devaluing of

Targets and Target-related aspects

of life.

Indifference skills require the least

amount of energy from us. They are

the skills we default to in the areas

where we have been assigned Agent

membership. When we encounter

Target group members and can no

longer use Indifference skills, we

use the next skill set – Distancing,

which allows us to hold members of

the Target group at arm’s length, to

keep them “away” from ourselves.

Our feeling is that when we do this,

we are actually trying to distance

the awareness of our own unearned

advantage, rather than those who

have been labeled “other.” Using

distancing skills, we emphasize

the difference between the Target

group and ourselves. We notice how

much they are not like us.

This skill set is more complex

than Indifference; it has three dif-

ferent positions. One is “distancing

out.” The physical gesture of this

skill is holding our arms in front of

us, rigidly, as if holding something

away from our bodies. The words

sometimes verbalized as, “I don’t

have anything against _____; and

the sometimes unsaid next thought

may be, “I just don’t want to live

next door to them.” Or it may take

this shape: “They can do what they

like as long as they stay in their own

neighborhood.” The feeling here,

sometimes just beneath the surface

and often unconscious, is of disgust,

perhaps dislike, or fear. “Just keep it

away from me” is the message.

The skill of “distancing down”

is the one we are most likely to

recognize as bigoted or oppressive.

The gesture of distancing down is

holding our arms rigidly and down,

as if trying to push a lid down on

something, trying to close a garbage

can, or trying to shove something

down into a container. This skill set

is verbalized with overtly negative

messages toward the Target group:

“They’re sick,” “they’re dirty,”

“they should be in jail.” Sometimes

people using this skill set learn not

to verbalize these feelings, but

this doesn’t necessarily change the

underlying attitude. Another ver-

sion of this skill set is the attitude of

wanting to “help” or “convert” or

“heal” the Target away from their

Targetship and towards something

resembling Agency.

The third Distancing skill is “dis-

tancing up.” Distancing up allows us

to see members of the Target group

in a pseudo-valuing way, perhaps as

special, beautiful, even spiritual or

magical. The gesture is of holding

our arms up and away from us with

our hands open as if to frame a

beautiful view. The verbal messages

of such distancing up express appre-

ciation for the group’s special quali-

ties – but without awareness of the

Rank system, the fact of Agent privi-

lege – or for the individual qualities

of target group members. Verbal

messages associated with this skill

include “_____ are so spiritual,” “_

_____ seem really close to nature,”

“_____ make beautiful music,” or

___ are so amazing, exotic, heroic.

Often this skill is accompanied by

appropriation of things associated

with the Target group, such as col-

lecting art or music by Target group

members or imitating a cultural style

from that group.

Like holding our arms rigidly raised

for hours, Distancing skills take a lot

of energy. They don’t come easily.

Organized hate groups, societies

organized around oppression and

difference, are ways of providing

group support for the difficult act of

maintaining the distancing posture.

But distancing is uncomfortable,

especially when we find ourselves

interacting with Target group mem-

bers a lot. At that point we are likely

to shift into the next skill set, which

feels like a big relief.

The skill set of Inclusion offers

some advantages over distancing.

Using Inclusion, we focus on the

similarities between Target group

members and ourselves. We use ver-

bal messages that emphasize simi-

larity and connection, like “We’re all

children of God,” “fundamentally,

we’re all the same,” “treat everyone

as an individual,” and “every human

being suffers.” The physical posture

associated with Inclusion is arms

open, as if to embrace members of

the Target group. As Agents, we

experience Inclusion as liberating.

It feels like we’ve finally gotten out

of the oppression business. We can

appreciate members of the Target

group. This seems terrific, to us.

It takes a while to notice the

limitations of Inclusion skills, and

Social Rank Category Agent Rank Target Rank

Age Adults (18 – 64) Children, Adolescents, Elders

Disability Able-persons Persons with Disabilities

Religion (relates to religious culture ) Cultural Christians, Agnostics and Atheists Jews, Muslims, and all other

non-Christian religions

Ethnicity Euro-Americans People of Color

Social Class Owning and Middle Class (access to higher

education)

Poor and Working Class

Sexual Orientation Heterosexuals Gay men, Lesbians & Bisexuals

Indigenous Background Non-Native Native

National Origin US Born Immigrants and Refugees

Gender Male Female ,Transgendered, and Intersexed

AGENT/TARGET RANK Rank memberships can be deciphered using the acronym ADDRESSING as a guide to where Agent and Target ranks are ascribed.

These social memberships are assigned by society, not chosen by individuals.

M A

R C

H 0

7 C

O L

O R

S N

many of us never do. In society as a

whole, Inclusion is often seen as the

height of intercultural appreciation,

diversity and liberation. Yet Inclusion

is still an Agent-centric skill. Using

Inclusion, we do not recognize

the Rank system, the ways we are

consistently overvalued, and the

consequences of our privilege and

of Target marginalization. Without

realizing it, we see our own group,

and its values and norms, as the

standard, and expect everyone

to align with Agent-centrism and

Agent-supremacy. We want others

to meet our expectations. We may

host an intercultural potluck, but we

will likely feel annoyed if the people

who come bring up the topic of

oppression. We feel happy to

welcome Targets – but we uncon-

sciously expect them to conform to

our expectations, to make us com-

fortable and to avoid issues that we

don’t want to talk about, and even

to be grateful to be included.

One danger of the Inclusion skills

set is that, being very clear that we

do not subscribe to or hold negative

views about Targets, we can resist

the perspective that oppression is

essentially a supremacy problem,

rather than one of prejudice and

discrimination. When we use

Inclusion skills we are not conscious

of the Rank system, and we can’t

work effectively against oppression

until we wake up.

Moving beyond Inclusion requires

us to move well out of our comfort

zone and out of the conventional

rules of our culture. It’s a difficult

transition that we’re unlikely to

make without a powerful moti-

vation. Usually it takes a strong

personal relationship with a Target

group member – a close friend,

lover, family member or mentor

– to care enough about the issue

to confront our internalized Agent

supremacy and step into the next,

most difficult skill set, Awareness.

Awareness is initially experienced

as unpleasant. When we access

Awareness skills, we feel cold, para-

lyzed and even disoriented by emo-

tions such as guilt and shame. We

see the reality of the Rank system

and realize how much it favors us

as Agents, and we notice the work-

ings of oppression and privilege all

around us. We realize the many

ways we have been overvalued in

our lives, and we see the ways that

the Targets around us are under-

valued. We are likely to remember

incidents in the past, situations

where we used lower skill sets,

where we failed to speak up about

injustice, where we took advantage

of our privilege. The whole Rank

system is revealed to us, and we

are rightly horrified, particularly

because it becomes readily obvious

to us that we are going to continue

to use Indifference, Distancing and

Inclusion skills for the majority of

the time.

The physical posture of Awareness

is immobile or frozen. We may feel

nauseated or panicked, and we

may verbalize horror and shame.

“I can’t believe I never saw this

before.” “Everything I say is oppres-

sive, because I’m the oppressor.”

“I should have done...” Awareness

skills are difficult to stay with,

because they are so uncomfortable.

Usually, when we access Awareness,

we will shift back to Inclusion at the

first opportunity.

Practicing Awareness skills takes

determination and support. Most

settings in society discourage us

from using Awareness skills, so it’s

helpful to have friends, allies and

colleagues who can confirm the

reality of oppression regardless of

our perceptions. Awareness skills

are, at heart, an opportunity to

listen to and learn from the experi-

ence of Targets. Using Awareness,

we realize that we don’t know

what it’s like to experience oppres-

sion in this particular Rank channel

(even though we may experience

other kinds of Targetship). We can

practice what writer and priest Henri

Nouwen called “learned ignorance”

by thinking and, when appropriate,

saying, “I don’t know what that’s

like. Would you tell me more?” We

can notice the discomfort we feel

when we use Awareness, name it

and stay with it as long as we can.

The Agent Skills Model As Agents develop anti-oppressive consciousness, they build better skills for understanding and responding to oppres-

sion. This development is a holarchical sequence of skills sets, as shown below. Each of these skill sets represents

some tools for dealing with oppression. As we move toward Allyship, we have more and better tools to work with.

Experience of Allyship Awareness

Indifference Distancing Inclusion Awareness Allyship

Agent-centric Skills

Agent-relative Skills

��

q��q��

��q��q��

��

�

��

� � � � � � �

�

��

� � � � � � � �

��

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

��

O L

O R

S N

A R

C H

0 7

It’s a good opportunity to pay atten-

tion to what Targets have to say

about their experience.

If we can tolerate the discomforts

of Awareness, listen to the experi-

ences of Targets, believe Targets

who speak about their experience

of oppression (especially when their

experiences do not fit with our

sense of the world), and delay a

shift back into Inclusion, we may be

able to access the precious skill set

of Allyship. Using Allyship skills we

are, for that moment, fully aware

of the reality of oppression and

of the privilege we receive under

the rank system. We acknowledge

that we can never fully understand

the experience of Targets in that

rank area. We see the Rank system

operating within us and in others,

and we recognize the dehumanizing

effect this has on all of us. At the

same time, we remain able to think

and to act. We are not paralyzed;

we can choose to work against

oppression, to midwife other Agents

in developing anti-oppression skills

and to support Targets. The key to

understanding Allyship skills is notic-

ing the shift from dreading experi-

ences of Awareness to a stance

of welcoming such experiences.

Another way to describe this shift is

a growing sense of being comfort-

able only when being uncomfort-

able – which signals that Awareness

is happening.

Using Allyship skills, we can take

on the challenging process of help-

ing other Agents wake up to the

reality of the Rank system. We can

listen to Agents we might describe

as bigots and help them move to

the next skill set – increasingly with-

out judgment. We recognize the

need for, and can support, Targets

in creating Empowered Target-Only

space. We can use the social agency

of our rank to change the system,

to challenge the social hierarchies

that favor ourselves. Allyship can

mean listening. It can mean speak-

ing out on injustice. It can mean

gently helping other Agents to gain

access to a new skill set.

Even if we sometimes can access

Allyship, we will not use those skills

all the time. When we are busy,

distracted or caught up in the dra-

mas of our own lives, we probably

aren’t doing anti-oppression work.

Our commitment to Allyship means

a process of waking up, over and

over again, to the Rank system and

its operation in our lives. As we see

that we ourselves don’t always use

our best skills, we can practice lis-

tening to other Agents and helping

them, too, to wake up to the reality

of rank and privilege.

In future articles we’ll share ideas

on ways to help ourselves and oth-

ers develop more comprehensive

skills. n

Summer Programs for grades 1-12, June, July,

& August

Programs include: Summer Experience

(grades 1-5), Song Writing (grades 1-6),

Geometry (grades 9-12), Algebra (grades 9-12), College Essay Writing

(grades 10-12), and More!

For more information: www.bush.edu/summer07 Gary Emslie 206-326-7749

��