A Social Worker’s Reflections on Power, Privilege, and Oppression.

By Michael S. Spencer.

The main point of the article that I read is all about how the plight of social
workers and the aspect of self -identification regarding power, privilege, and
oppression that Social workers vary depending on the sector in which they
operate and the nature of their role . They undergo adequate training and
acquire skills based on their work. Social workers play crucial societal roles, like
improvement of lives of disadvantaged communities. They conduct research on
society and offer life skills to people from such societies. Social workers promote
fairness in terms of providing opportunities to vulnerable populations. The
community expects social workers to be committed to and responsible in their
work, as only in this way will they be able to gain the lives of people. According
to Michael Spencer, social workers should be morally upright in order to achieve
social justice. They must be agents of change in order to influence alternative
behavioral aspects. Micheal spencer’s main idea tackles the challenges that
social workers encounter under oppressive systems of power.And according to
Michael Spencer, every single individual, regardless of their race, profession,
the color of their skin, level of education, culture, status, economic reality,
address, gender Sense of fashion, beliefs adhered to, religion, likes and
dislikes, spiritual inclination, and physical and cognitive capabilities of an
individual.Reconciliation requires that all parties involved accept that they are
imperfect and flawed. It moves them to connect to a deep center in their hearts
where all of humanity resides in harmony, where all citizens of the world are
equally valuable and equally human. Reconciliation requires that all parties are
able to acknowledge that every human makes mistakes and deserves
forgiveness, and that those mistakes are merely opportunities for mutual
growth. Reconciliation is only possible when all parties involved have gone
past judgment and into the understanding that no human is neither right nor
wrong. This is why reconciliation requires truth - a humbling truth of equality
that many choose to overlook, where every human being deserves to be
treated with respect, no matter their story or their mistakes. According to the
NASW Code of Ethics (2018) states that "social workers treat each person in a
caring and respectful manner, mindful of individual differences, as cultural and
ethnic diversity. My understanding of the article reflects on how all members of
planet Earth are one and the same, regardless of any physical, emotional, or
intellectual differences between them. We came to Earth to walk each other
home, learning from each other and caring for each other throughout these
wonderful lives.I agree with Michael Spencer that oppression does not have to
be active in order to exist. Passive oppression is ingrained in our society and is
detrimental to it. It is very common for individuals to become victims of
oppression by virtue of race, class, gender, sexuality, political and religious
views, levels of economy, or privilege. Many people are born into oppressed
systems where their families, who are meant to empower and protect them,
continue to promote oppression indirectly by repeating certain customs and
passing on beliefs to future generations.I see how Michael Spencer reminds
me of the power, privilege, and oppression that some individuals experience,
mostly those who are vulnerable and affecting ,Michael Spencer is saying to
us to be empowered to address any situation where oppression is observed
with wisdom, patience, and creativity, understanding that every human is
responsible for putting an end to all oppression cycles in our lives and in
society.

This is the evidence to support, and we will explain that the word
"oppression" is a strong word. Many of us do not know and feel what
oppression is all about. Is it dangerous, yes? Why? Because this is very
dangerous and fashionable, and endangered. It is much misused, and
sometimes not innocently. And based to my understanding of the article, I will
define what oppression is and how it intersects with privilege in my personal
life and experiences. I will explain how I have come to understand it and how
important it is to recognize your own privilege.You cannot understand where
oppression comes from without considering privilege and where it stems. “As
I realized, I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a
disadvantage, but I had not been taught to see privilege, which puts me at an
advantage. Privilege, domination, and oppression come hand in hand and
often intersect on many different levels. You cannot have one without the
other .One of the examples is the gay or transgender person who
experiences privilege daily by presenting transgender woman. but also faces
oppression. Some people think that they cannot experience privilege
because they also experience oppression. I understand he challeges that
transgeder who are victims of oppression. But even though she is oppressed
in some ways, she has certain privileges that to make choices. As a
transgender, privileges are as follows: they can use public bathrooms that are
specifically labeled for their gender without having to worry about being
arrested or verbally abused. And gender is an option on a form. Some people
assume gender identity. As a transgender person, you are not associated with
violent stereotypes when presenting as part of the LGBTQ+ community. All of
these and many more are examples of unearned benefits that one
experiences in the day-to-day life of people who are vulnerable to being
considered as one of the victims of oppression. It is important to relate all
privileges to the disadvantage of others. While not all advantages are
inherently bad, it is necessary to connect the two. If the dominant culture
stays ignorant or oblivious to their privilege, we cannot hope to redistribute the
power that they hold. Michael Spencer's point is that all people in society are
entitled to their freedom of confessing their own religion. He says that he
benefits from his religious beliefs. He criticizes government systems that link
Islam to terrorism. Social workers should fight against religious discrimination in
the state because the freedom of worship is a legal amendment . Michael
Spencer cannot afford a balanced diet due to poverty. Many poor communities
usually experience poor health conditions.Michael Spencer cannot afford
clothes due to poverty. Poor people may not appreciate the usefulness of
education due to the lack of necessities. The government should subsidize the
cost of basic commodities like food, shelter, and clothing to enable people of all
economic classes to afford them. Michael Spencer needs to identify the freedom
that religious organizations should exercise. The government should not allow
religious bodies to engage in terrorist activities. Michael Spencer also highlights
the issue of sexual violence in the state. He speaks against groups that accord
unfair treatment to women.Michael Spencer says that many countries treat men
as superior to women, although women play crucial roles in the development of
the community. Every country should involve them in the development process.
Governments should reinforce measures that protect women from sexual
exploitation in the community.Social workers should be entitled to legal
protection in society. The government has formed a structure that guides the
operations of social workers, such the operations of Social Workers. The body
formulates the code of regulations for social workers.Michael Spencer’s ideas
help one to conduct self-evaluation. The article recommends the adoption of
regulatory measures by governments to reinforce justice for oppressed people
in the community. The state must conduct research on ways of improving social
justice without causing conflicts between the government and civil structures.
The organization requires adequate funding to cater to logistical operations and
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The government should create
communication structures in response to social injustice in cases of
inappropriate occurrences. Because people need to identify with aspects that
improve society, such as love and respect for others. A caring attitude towards
others may enhance the development of the community through inclusivity. The
state should also enable social workers through the adequate allocation of
budget.

This reflection enables one to adopt a caring attitude towards others in society.
The article is all about howto identify the need to incorporate the use of
technology to capture the events that take place in the state. Technological
aspects would help in exposing oppressive communities in the future. The use of
social media would help in the alleviation of oppression in many contexts around
the world. In the future, donor institutions may identify governments that oppress
their people by denying them fundamental freedoms. Governments may
integrate social studies into their curricula to reinforce social awareness among
their citizens. They may impose penalties on people who oppress women due to
the existence of legal mechanisms that safeguard the interests of marginalized
groups like women and children. The government may empower marginalized
groups in the state through affirmative actions and gender mainstreaming
mechanisms. The state may also ensure that women have access to thirty
percent of all government jobs. The state should also accord adequate
representation of women in legislative bodies to help them in the agitation of their
rights.Because the oppressions are very real and privilege still has a lingering
unspoken factor in everything, that’s why I choose to agree with the article
about power, privilege,privilege ,and oppression. I have learned a lot from the
article of Michael Spencer's article understand that the existence of the
opprission can never be stop it’s the real events to our society's systems of
domination is recognizing where you place on this systematic axis of
oppression and privilege.