how does oppression hurt the oppressors?

the idea of oppression hurting the oppressors as well as the oppressed isn’t new. and in anti-oppression circles, it’s an idea that is popular.

yet, the next step of identifying how oppression hurts oppressors is rarely taken. and if it is, the examples usually pale in comparison to the damage done to the oppressed. for example, sexism hurts men because it keeps them from understanding their feelings… but it kills women.

and still, it feels necessary that the only path forward is to have the oppressors understand their own damage. and then enlist them in tearing down their own systems of oppression (via the leadership of the oppressed).

today, i finished the intersection podcast episode about football. in it, i heard a powerful example of how masculinity hurts men. young boys are often forced to play football. many of them go on to then experience head trauma (concussions). they are then often penalized (by having to sit out) when they are honest about their concussions. so they don’t. in the end, they could even end up with CTE. in essence, they are causing physical damage to themselves in order to perform masculinity as societally understood.

:O