Blog Post 3 - 02.04.2024
Reflection on The Four I’s of Oppression by Luna Malbroux
Let’s chat about bone structure. If you have unfortunately stumbled upon the weirdest parts of Reddit on a cold, dark night, you may be aware that there is a social phenomenon in which we as humans use skeletal structure to defend our varying beliefs. We assign meaning to the space between our brow and hairline, to the placement of our cheekbones, and the protrusion of our lips. Communities all across the world use bone structure as a valid and explanatory reason for the differences between certain groups of people. This is especially common in online spaces, specifically ones where prominent bigotry and bias can be found. In Luna Malbroux’s discussion of the Four I’s of Oppression, this type of prejudice can be loosely defined as biologism. Biologism is the interpretation and understanding of human life from a strict “biological” viewpoint. It ignores the prevalence of social construction and argues that everything in life, who ends up in the one percent of society and who struggles on food stamps, is predetermined by your biology. It is an increasingly dangerous type of thinking in the modern age.
Popular leftist Youtuber Contrapoints, also known as Natalie Wynn, proposed a theory on this topic in her video essay on the Incel community in 2019. Wynn states that “Once bigotry and self-loathing permeate a given community, it is only a matter of time before deep, metaphysical significance is assigned to the shape of human skulls.” (Wynn, Incels, 6:07, 2019.) Essentially, the moment prejudice enters a group of people, the members of the community will rely on biologism to defend their viewpoints. In Wynn’s video, she discusses the relationship between bone structure and the Incel community. Within online spaces such as Reddit and FourChan, bigotry is a deep-seated foundation that can mutilate with the rallying of envious and raw groups of non content people. Men who have never had a close relationship with a woman, men who are deemed unattractive by Western ideals and therefore allow their loneliness to rot within themselves and contort into deep hatred for the opposite gender. Men who feel so angry, alone, and hopeless that they turn towards violence against themselves or others.
Why do these men feel there is truly no other option? Why do bigots and racists defend their beliefs as “scientific” or the “way God intended?” Why do groups of transgendered men and women tear each other down in online forums under the guise of “helping?” It all comes down to bones.
Admittedly, all is a bit of an exaggeration. There are a multitude of societal, cultural, and environmental reasons why bigotry can grow within communities of lonely, angry people. However, it is genuinely shocking and concerning to me the amount of bigotry that can stem from the human skull. Incels for example blame their inability to interact with or entertain women on the space between their eyebrows and their hairline. They claim that they are biologically doomed from the beginning with no escape and that those few inches of bone can be assigned all responsibility for their celibacy. On the contrary, it is popular in spaces with heavy racism that bigoted people will claim that the African American skull is biologically inferior to that of Caucasians. Scientists and politicians used the bone structure of skulls of various races to defend and determine which racial groups belonged where in society.
Though we know that race is a complete societal construct, it is almost impossible to argue with those who believe in biologism. There are a few good debates to be had with someone who wholeheartedly believes that social hierarchies are the result of predetermined bone structure.
With this post, I’ve included a hyperlink to the video essay mentioned, as well as an example of one post founded on biologism. Please check out these items, they help to deepen the understanding of what I’m grappling with in this post, and also the video essay is incredibly interesting and a great watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0&t=284s
To Share: What do you know about bone structure and biology in bigoted communities? How does biologism appear within the classroom? How can we consider the intersectionality of oppressed groups to self-loathing, prejudice, and biologism? What are the dangers of online spaces in relation to bias?
Audrey, your blog posts always make me think. I enjoy how you bring outside resources into your writings, as they are interesting and relevant. I must now go watch some of Natalie Wynn's videos...
ReplyDelete