What is the root of oppression?

Question

All wars are stemmed from war of the class. There are two classes, the ruling class and the working class. (especially true today where the middle class are disappearing) The ruling class oppresses the working class. How they do this is with passing fear in the form of race and religion. While we're constantly bickering about racism and where God is, we are distracted from the real oppression that the ruling class puts us under. No affordable healthcare, minimum wage is low, education is cruddy in urban areas...yet, we are fed crap about immigration and being jesus like. How many agree the real oppression with race, it's with the difference of class. When you don't get treated with respect, it's because you're not in the upper class...not because ur a minority...or being run down by minority. right or wrong?

Answer 1

One more step up my friend - 'the federal reserve bank'

Answer 2

I don't think your question's broad enough. You restricted it to humans and human society, but I think you'll find "oppression" in every facet of nature.

The basic root of "oppression" is greater power, whether it's physical, financial, intellectual, artistic, organizational, etc. Whoever or WHATEVER is stronger will always oppress the weaker.

You can see this in the animal world, especially with the soldier ants that actually make organized war on weaker colonies and enslave the smaller ants.

In the plant world, an ancient, magnificent oak tree can be strangled by the greater strength of smaller but more deadly parasitic vines, or creeper vines like kudzu that can totally exterminate competing plants as we've seen in the American South.

At the top of the ladder of "oppression" stands man, but it follows from the stronger to the weaker all the way down the chain of life to microscopic paramecium

"Oppression" is just another word for one of the most basic facets of the nature of life on this planet.

The one positive aspect of this, though, is that man is the ONLY creature on the planet that recognizes and attempts to find remedies for this.

We don't always succeed, but at least we try . . . !

Answer 3

I think this is really an oversimplification. In the United States, we have the freedom to make something of ourselves. If we don't, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Don't let people make excuses for you. Achieve! You can. Sometimes there are two classes of people, in some nations, and you are right about that. But not here. The root of oppression is sin. Some people will always try to take advantage of others. Don't let them! Work hard. You can make it. I don't have health insurance, and I don't want it. That's because medical care has never been beneficial for me. I would rather spend my money on remedies that work than on health insurance. Work hard, stash away as much money as you can, and get on the internet and study, and go to the library. All true education is self education anyway. You are obviously able to read and write English. So don't let your surroundings dictate who you are. Vow to rise above your circumstances. Many great people have. So you do it, too!

We have two nonwhite sons. I told them NEVER to take advantage of Affirmative Action, but ALWAYS to work hard and achieve, and do their best. And they are both OUTSTANDING in their field. They followed our advice, and they are great men! I am proud of both of them. We often had to struggle just to pay for food. But I taught them both to read, and read they did, and THEY achieved what they went after. One of them is a very talented musician. He plays violin, viola, trombone, piano, organ, and handbells, and he sings opera and conducts. The other is a paramedic, and he is highly gifted in his field and intends to go back to school and become an RN. We gave the SAME advice of achievement to our other five children, who are not nonwhite. And they did likewise.

I have never met you. Is there any reason why I should pay for your health care? Would you come to my house, knock, and when I answered the door, point a gun in my face and demand I turn over my money to you so you could buy health care? If you wouldn't, don't ask the government to do your dirty work for you. I don't owe you anything. And the government has no right to plunder me on your behalf, and you have no right to steal from me by proxy.

If our sons can do it, so can you! Don't make excuses. Just DO it.

Answer 4

Read "War is a Racket," by Two-Time Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient: Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC [Retired]. It pretty much proves your point.

http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

EXCERPTS:

"In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

"How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

"Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill."

And . . .

"In the World War, we used propaganda to make the boys accept conscription. They were made to feel ashamed if they didn't join the army.

"So vicious was this war propaganda that even God was brought into it. With few exceptions our clergymen joined in the clamor to kill, kill, kill. To kill the Germans. God is on our side...it is His will that the Germans be killed.

"And in Germany, the good pastors called upon the Germans to kill the allies...to please the same God. That was a part of the general propaganda, built up to make people war conscious and murder conscious."

Answer 5

Greed

Answer 6

The root of oppression is THE MAN.

Answer 7

So, if I understand your question correctly, you are asking if we agree with you that racism is actually classism?

Yes, in general, I agree with this.

Although I think that prejudice in general stems from a lack of understanding that all people are children of God.

Answer 8

Rich rule poor drool, money talks . it's the route of all evil.

All cliches, there are loads of them, and they all say the same thing.

Money is the problem, more than class.

Answer 9

Humans are stupid, that is the root of oppression.