With the release of Ginny and Georgia’s third season earlier this month, I was reminded of the infamous “Oppression Olympics” scene from the first season. In all honesty, I have never actually watched the show and don’t really have any intentions to buttt through the extensive clips I’ve seen on my feed, I feel that I’ve already gotten the gist. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the specific scene I’m referring to, it goes like this: Ginny, the half-Black main character, and Hunter, her half-Chinese classmate argue about their identities and the microaggressions they face. This soon escalates into the following back and forth:
Ginny: You don’t get it. You are closer to white than I’ll ever be.
Hunter: Together we make a whole white person.
Ginny: Your favorite food is cheeseburgers and I know more Mandarin than you do; you’re barely even Asian.
Hunter: Sorry I’m not Chinese enough for you, but I’ve never seen you pound back jerk chicken. Last time I checked, Brody twerks better than you. And I liked your poem, but your bars could use a little more work, homie. So really, how Black are ya then?
Ginny: Excuse me.
Hunter: What? Literally what? Because if we’re gonna play that game, let’s do it. Oppression Olympics. Let’s go.
Yes, typing that was just as painful as listening to it, but extremely poor dialogue aside, this uncomfortable confrontation does begin to shed light on the very real issue of minorities’ struggles being put against each other, while we forget that the real enemy is white supremacy.
The term “Oppression Olympics” was first used by Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez in 1993 and refers to the competition between people for the title of “most oppressed.” This kind of comparison is a more common pastime than you think, and it's crucial to understand how unproductive it is in the broader movement of equality.
Many fail to recognize that oppression can happen in multiple ways at the same time. To use Ginny and Hunter’s example, Black and Asian Americans are both subject to an intense amount of prejudice and hate in this country. Hunter and Ginny’s individual experiences dealing with such are valid, but the way they went about discussing it by attacking each other and utilizing harmful stereotypes was not.
On a larger level, in 2020-2021 the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements overlapped in terms of timeline and themes of discrimination. Although many called for the solidarity of these activists, many saw BLM and SAH as opposing movements, claiming that one was more important than the other or one was getting more media coverage than it deserved, etc. Just because their existence overlapped, we saw self-proclaimed “left-leaning” individuals resort to discrimination themselves rather than simply acknowledging that both movements are important and can be discussed simultaneously. A similar situation has happened between the gay community and the trans community, where queer TERFS and conservatives alike chose to separate themselves from the “T” in LGBTQ, causing harmful infighting within the community.
I’ve seen almost everyone of these oppression arguments and have yet to find one that ends with agreement - because it’s impossible. Everyone has personal experiences and reasons why the adversity they face might feel stronger than that of another group. But unless you are in both communities, it’s impossible to truly compare. And even then, you still only have your own experience, and no one person can speak for a whole group even if they’re a part of it.
I’m aware it's easier said than done, but it would be a million times more beneficial for us minorities to stick together. Under such a dangerous administration, ingroup fighting will get us nowhere and even weaken our cause.
Just remember - there is a way to share your experience while also not putting down the struggles of someone else. Refusing to listen to a minority's side because “you’ve faced worse” or what they’ve been through “isn’t important enough” makes you no better than the oppressor who chooses to say those same things about BOTH of your communities. By fighting against other minorities, we’re forgetting that the real enemy is the white supremacist patriarchal structure we live under, not our also otherized and oppressed neighbors.
A few other articles on this topic that you should read ~
https://www.cicf.org/2021/08/02/oppression-olympics-the-game-that-needs-to-end/
https://harvardpolitics.com/in-the-oppression-olympics-dont-go-for-the-gold/#google_vignette
https://medium.com/counterarts/how-oppression-olympics-harms-us-all-2e02703ad9e2