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SUMMER MAGAZINE 1984
On The Oppression Of A Majority
By Charles Ingram
OHP ’84 Summer Program Participant
The anti-semitic atmosphere during the
early thirties in Germany gave rise to one
of the worst incidents of man’s inhumani
ty to man: partial genocide. This
holocaust involved the slaughter of six
million human beings. Essayist Bruno
Bettelhiem gives an awakening, personal
account of the oppression and degrada
tion of a people. Although gruesome and
inconceivable in its nature, this kind of
disintegration is not unique to Jewish
people. Caucasians, specifically European
whites, have historically oppressed almost
every race of people on this earth.
Christopher Columbus, a Portuguese
explorer, felt that the natives of the
“newly discovered” America were so
hospitable that he repaid their generosity
by sending them to Portugal to be the
Queen’s servants. The British believed
that the Commonwealth of India should
not have the responsibility of running
their own country. They were, in effect,
masters in someone else’s house. Black
Americans were and still arethevictimsof
seemingly infinite incidents of oppres
sion. The oppression of a race of people
manifests itself through violent
dehumanization and second-class
citizenry. The need to oppress stems from
a psychological need to feel superior and
a misconceived perception that “white is
right.”
The abusive channel of expressing
one’s own egoism is personified by a
destructive superiority complex. A con
structive superiority complex is evident in
a system of desires or psychological needs
which must be satisfied by rank or
position. This complex is said to be
commonplace among those in positions
of authority. The net result of this is
usually a structured and ordered society
based on social status. A destructive
superiority complex is best observed in
the demeanor of a devout racist. This
particular complex is destructive in its
nature because it inflicts needless harm
and humiliation upon one whom a racist
perceives as social subordinate. The social
status of a racist is not gained by in
creasing the standard of his living, but by
decreasing the standard of living of those
who are beneath him on the scale of
society. This situation is a must in order to
satisfy the needs of a destructive
superiority complex. The collective
manifestations of such degenerate
systems of thought are characterized by
the principles upon which the third reich
movement was based. In the essay, “The
Victim,” the SS private was the superior
and one called Bettelhiem was the
subordinate. Battelhiem was continually
deprived of his humanity. The effects of
this deprivation were a lowered standard
of living for Bettelhiem and social accep
tance for the SS private.
The preconceived notion that “white is
right” developed over many years of
implanting into the minds of the majority
that the white minority is psychologically
as well as physiologically more capable
than any other race of people. This
misconception is based on trivialities such
as hair texture, skin color and religious
preference. The real question does not lie
in determining which is the most attrac
tive skin color: it lies in the contemplation
of what one’s contribution to society will
be. The physical appearance of a person
or his religious preference should not
predetermine his social worth.
References in the Bible, for example,
suggest that servants should serve their
masters wholeheartedly. White people
consider this as one of their key
justifications of slavery. This interpreta
tion seemingly has added validity to the
assumption that white people were
“God’s chosen people.” However,
masters and overseers conveniently
neglected the biblical reference to the
equality of all men. They also overlooked
the passage that asserts that Cod created
man in his image — which including
Blacks, Whites, Jews and Gentiles. All
things considered, there is no moral
justification for white oppression.
Oppression is a somewhat significant
part of history as well as society today. It
still exists in both extreme and subtle
forms. An extreme example would be the
present condition of South Africa. The
power structure is white, yet the popula
tion is predominently black. The white
population reaps the benefits of South
Africa’s natural resources, yet the native
black population is still poor and poorly
educated. Subtle examples of oppression
are present in American business where
women are invariably paid less than white
men and where segregation is still present
in urban and suburban communities and
schools. Oppression has diminished from
being an omnipresent element of life. It is
still, however, a significant social concern.
But even with the bleak memories of
yesterday and the harsh realities of today,
a look towards the future is reassuring
because one of the constants of life is
change: and when there is change, there
is hope.
Reflections:
The 10th OHP Summer Program
By Leisha Stewart
’84 F.E. Mapp Scholar
As the ending of the tenth Annual
Morehouse College Health Professions
Summer Program draws near, we feel
mixed emotions of happiness and
sadness. We are happy because we are
finally able to go home and start our
summer which slipped away from usas we
ended our academic year at our respec
tive high schools and then launched into
the eight-week Morehouse College
Health Professions Summer Program. We
are also sad because the end of the
program means the wrapping up of the
wonderful experience of taking college
courses, making new friends, living in a
dormitory, and having the freedom to
make our own decisions.
We all experienced highs and lows
during the course of the program. We
were disappointed and depressed when
we received a “C” on a Chemistry test or a
seventy-five on a Precalculus quiz, but we
exclaimed in delight when we finally
made an “A” on an English essay or an
“A” on a Reading quiz. These highs and
lows felt like an academic rollercoaster,
yet we learned that the highs and lows are
a part of the college life experience.
The Morehouse Health Profession
Summer Program provided the ex
perience we needed in order to be
successful in college. We feel that we are
very fortunate to have been selected as
participants in an experience that
happens only once in a lifetime. We are
especially fortunate to have been given
the insight into what college life is really
all about — the rigorous academic
requirements, the making of new and
exciting friends, and thefreedom to make
our own decisions.
The rigorous academic requirements
were quite different from the re
quirements we were accustomed to. We
had previously come from an academic
background that basically allowed a
student to get by (meaning passing with a
D or C-) without really living up to his full
potential. We were in for a rude awaken
ing when we arrived at the Morehouse
Program. There, we soon found out that a
D was really an F in disguise and that it (D)
was not accepted as a passing grade in a
Morehouse College course. Only A, B,
and C were considered passing grades
and we had to have a C in every course or
our stipends would be withheld. The
possibility of our stipends being withheld
was enough incentivetostartonourwork
right away, but we soon found out that
this was easier said than done. We quickly
learned that college courses require
studying — a feat we somehow managed
to avoid in high school. We soon learned
the consequences of avoiding studying
when we received the grades on our
homework assignments and tests. Disap
pointment and depression filled us
because previously we could do an
assignment or take a test without studying
and still make an “A.” We found out the
hard way that a college course requires a
student effort, through studying, which is
very different from that in a high school
effort, through studying, which is very
different from that in a high school
course.
One definite advantage in the
Morehouse program was the making of
new and exciting friends. Making new
friends, combined with the dormitory
environment, strengthened the
friendships in spite of the loud music next
door, the insistent ringing of the
telephone, and occasional childish
behavior such as water-gun fights.
Friendships formed not only within the
dormitory, but also in the classes,
tutorials/and during social activities such
as campus parties and trips to Lake Lanier
and Six Flags. Friendships even formed in
the cafeteria between the cooks and
ourselves, thus illustrating how friendship
can reach all individuals. We feel that the
friendships we have made will extend
beyond the Morehouse Program for years
to come.
The Morehouse program has also
granted us the freedom to make our own
decisions. We decided when it was time to
do our homework and time to socialize.
We decided when it was time to wash
clothes or dean up our rooms. We
decided when it was time to go to bed. We
pondered whether to go to class on a
particular day, knowing the conse
quences of what would happen if we did
not go. Although our curfew was at
midnight Sundays through Thursdays and
two o’clock in the morning on Fridays and
Saturdays, we still had to decide for
ourselves the appropriate time (within the
curfew) to return to the dormitory. We
did not know it at first, but with freedom
came responsibility. The two words are
inseparable. Since we felt that we were
old enough to handle more freedom in
making our own decisions, then we were
old enough to handle just that much more
responsibility. By granting us this
freedom, the gmorehouse Program has
made each one of us become more
mature in our thoughts and in our.actions.
The tenth Annual Morehouse College
Health Professions Summer Program has
been very instrumental in helping us gain
useful knowledge and personal ex
perience about college life. The program
has really been an eye-opening ex
perience for us because of the rigorous
academic requirements, the making of
new friends, and the freedom to make our
own decisions. Through the Morehouse
College Health Professions Summer
Program, we learned firsthand what
college life is about and what college
requires to make it work for us. We can
now enter college knowing what to
expect and how to prepare for it.