I’ll admit that it was a little difficult for me to get into this text at first, possibly due the translation or the repetitive nature of the writing. This was one of the first pieces we’ve read this semester that wasn’t directly tied to writing or teaching, but its message is still incredibly relevant in those fields.

Paulo Freire starts off the first chapter of his book by explaining his main idea, which is that dehumanization of people is humanity’s biggest problem. This begs the question of whether true humanity, a world in which no one is oppressed by anyone else, is even a realistic possibility.

Freire asserts that there is definitely a need for humanity, as seen by the desire of oppressed groups to achieve freedom and justice from the exploitation and violence of oppressors. He assures readers that dehumanization is not humanity’s destiny just because it has happened so frequently in the past, and that is something that can be overcome.

Due to the inhumane practices that oppression results in, Freire claims that the oppressors themselves are also dehumanized, leaving the task of ending dehumanization and oppression to those who are oppressed. When the world has to rely on oppressed people to first recognize their oppression and then band together to solve it, it’s no wonder oppression has persisted for centuries, especially when you take into consideration the risks that oppressed people face when tackling this task. First, they obviously face retaliation from their oppressors, which could lead to even more violence against the oppressed. This could hinder the oppressed from perceiving their oppression as “a limiting situation which they can transform” (Freire 49). They also tend to distrust their own judgement due to their oppression, making recognizing the oppression even more difficult. Then there’s the risk of the oppressed turning into the oppressors because that’s the only model they have for how things work. And then even if the oppressed do manage to enact change, the former oppressors may feel oppressed because their “rights” have been taken away. (Which rights? Only their “right” to treat other people as subhuman.)

Freire acknowledges that sometimes oppressors can be made to recognize their power and become allies to the oppressed, but there are very specific markers of true solidarity that move beyond the “generous” type of oppressors who don’t see their own faults. Essentially this just boils down to the former oppressors seeing the oppressed people as humans rather than objects, as well as recognizing that throughout history, violence has never been initiated by the oppressed.

I think that Freire certainly understands the root causes of oppression and does a decent job explaining them. It all just seems pretty unfair that the responsibility of ending dehumanization and oppression lies solely on the shoulders of the oppressed. And yet, this fact rings true even today. It is constantly the oppressed groups bringing their oppression to the notice of the oppressors and bystanders, rather than the oppressors coming to the realization that they’re oppressing others. Whether oppression is based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other determining factor, it remains the oppressed groups themselves that are trying to enact change. This should bother more people, but centuries of oppression prove it doesn’t.