Harro Response

People face the situation of oppression, which comes from socialization. The article “The Cycle of Socialization”, Bobbie Harro comments that: “we are each born into a specific set of social identities”. Social identities are not ones that we can make, rather that they are ones that have already been made for us, as a way to separate ourselves from others via gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, economic class and ability/disability status. There are two groups who are known to us are the agent group, as Harro puts it, “men, white, middle- and upper-class, abled, middle-aged people, heterosexuals and gentiles” and the subordinate group, known as “women, racially oppressed groups, gay, lesbian, transgender people, disabled, Jews, elders, youth/children and people living in poverty”. (Harro 17) People are subjected to the social norms that are laid out for them to follow, and anyone who goes against it, are consider troublemakers. Most people don’t think about opposing the social norms because what’s the point? The point would be the cycle of socialization, because it is what has been taught and what is learned.  I agree with that oppression continues to exist, and that people don’t know exactly how to change it, because it is unconsciously and consciously taught to us so how can we change it? Changing the norms known to us requires people who have the same beliefs to work together to fight against the social norm. Thus by breaking the cycle of socialization, “We can change the world.” (Harro 21)