Oppression as a Five-Headed Monster

A five headed monster, Oppression, with each head representing one of Iris Marion-Young’s “Five Faces of Oppression,” or the five mechanisms through which people are oppressed.

Powerlessness, which refers to the oppression of those who lack autonomy and agency,is a professional, represented through his white-collar, slicked back hair, and sinister smile.

Violence, both physical and mental,is a police officer, represented by a pig with a license to kill, wearing a KKK hood.

Exploitation, or the theft of resources or labor by powerful individuals,is represented by the Monopoly Man, the figurehead of the classic game centralized on wealth and property accumulation. 

Cultural Imperialism, or the establishment of a dominant group’s experience and culture as the norm,is a face of white characteristics (blue eyes, a straight and narrow nose, and thin lips), with the words “whiteness” and “Christianity” written on it, almost illegibly so as to highlight the ways in which cultural imperialism often goes unnoticed. 

Marginalization  is represented by the faces of all the US Presidents wearing an Uncle Sam hat, noting the dispossession and negligence of marginalized people on behalf of the government and its institutions that, according to Marion-Young, exacerbate marginalization.  

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