Reflection: Marginalized to Oblivion

After this week's class, it became more evident to me of the need for a real insight in this country, and the world for that matter, into the issues of marginalization of groups, before its too late.  I'm not talking about the Tea Baggers, and how their rights haven't been respected, even though this abrupt anger almost directly coincides with the election of a Democratic president.  Anyway, I speak of real oppression.  There are countless examples across the world, whether it be in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and even in some parts of Europe (Balkans) where the large proportion of population that likely make up the majority have been suppressed from achieving their own self-interests.  I wish that Dr. Howard's presentation came after our discussion on Friday, because it would have been interesting to hear a view of the State Department when it came to the political suppression of populations world-wide.  He talked about how Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East Peace Process are the priorities facing the department, but it makes you wonder if the State Department even has on its radar the fact that poor citizens in many nations face poverty, disease, genocide, and oppression.  It's especially important in areas that the US deems important for its own success, like China or the Middle East.  While Iran and Iraq are facing (or did face, respectively) political suppression, there cannot be any neglect of the similar problems millions of people face around the world.

While we think of oppression as synonymous with a dictator like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Pinochet, etc, there's actually a new culprit in this modern era of globalization.  Economic forces and "the invisible hand" have provided despair to nations such as India and China, where poor workers must work in unsanitary work environments in order to scab out a wage that is not even enough to live on.  Even in our own nation, as referenced by Elle with the Moral Underground book, there is evidence of such economic forces providing a large segment of the population with negative consequences.  We need to remember that the 1990s were a great ride for some, but for many living at, near, or below the poverty line, their lives were stagnant or became even worse.  Remember, wealth isn't "created," it is taken.  There's only so much money in the world.  Governments of the world should, in my view, be very wary of such a growing income gap, particularly among near-developed or developing countries.  We can't take a blind eye to the growingly un-silent majority that could threaten the global economy with ease.