Book Study: Is Everyone Really Equal

I have always had an interest in books, documentaries, and research that relates to intersectionality and social justice, so I was very excited to read this book.

I feel this book offers a great introduction to inequalities in society to teacher candidates. It touches on areas such as social justice, oppression, privilege, and discrimination.

There are a few sections that caught my attention the most. One of these sections is Chapter 7, which discusses “discourses of sexism in music videos” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 133) and “normalizing sexism” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 134). I was intrigued by this section because I find it interesting how women in music videos have transitioned from being fully clothed and dressed in full pants and long-sleeved flannel shirts in the 1990s, to the music videos of today where women are nearly completely naked. I also agree with the authors that “men become desensitized” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 134) to sex in real-life by the emotional and physical degradation of women they see in pornography, and I personally feel that music videos are not far off from what is in pornography.

This book looks at different views and ideas which helps readers to understand different perspectives. For example, the authors discuss differing views and opinions when it comes to things such as music videos; While one person may argue that music videos should not be sexualized, another may argue that we “can choose not to watch” them (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 211). 

One point that stuck with me from the book is the authors’ argument that “oppression [is] difficult to see” when we “focus on individual people or issues, rather than on broader patterns” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 138). Moving “beyond isolated incidents” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 162) allows us to look at the systematic and institutionalized power and patterns (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 138) that perpetuate inequities. 

My previous university degree from the University of Ottawa is a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Criminology with a minor in Law, and prior to beginning the Bachelor of Education program, I had started a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Feminist and Gender Studies. In addition to this, I have a history of working with women who have experienced family violence, and individuals who have experienced discrimination and exploitation. Through my education and work experience, I have learned that systems of oppression are so deeply rooted in our history, societal institutions, cultures, and laws, to the point that oppression has become normalized. This is supported by the information provided by the authors in this book. 

I feel that one type of power at the foundation of racism, oppression, and discrimination is “institutional power” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 169). In this reading, the authors suggest that men “dominate… major institutions of society” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 90) and that “these institutions are interconnected and function together to uphold male dominance across the whole of society” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 90). Men have historically been viewed as strong and aggressive, where women are viewed as caretakers and subordinate.  

Understanding institutionalized oppression is important when it comes to our youth because institutionalized oppression leads to behaviours such as bullying and prejudice and acknowledging this can help us determine a plan of action that relates to education and skill development to support our students. Through education, we can help our students gain confidence and develop skills to deal with inappropriate and oppressive behaviour, but we can also help students understand the importance of equality and what it means to have equal rights and opportunity.

I like how this book provides examples and relates theoretical ideas to real-life. For instance, the authors discuss Fred Korematsu who was an individual of Japanese descent who was denied the opportunity to serve in the US military during World War II. He argued that this decision was made because he didn’t “look” like an “American” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 164), which was supported by the US Supreme Court when they decided that the incarceration of Japanese-American individuals was “justified due to military necessity and was not motivated by racism” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 164).

I believe this book offers many opportunities for discussion among educators, and among students in the classroom as well. For educators with little or no background in social justice, imbalance of power, and discrimination, I feel that this book provides an easy-to-understand overview of important theories and concepts that relate to inequality. 

REFERENCE:

Sensoy, O., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal? (2nd ed.). Teachers’ College Press.