Of the Oppressor and the Oppressed.

It has been usual for men to think and to say, "Many men are slaves because one is an oppressor; let us hate the oppressor!" But there is amongst an increasing few a tendency to reverse this judgment and to say, "One man is an oppressor because many are slaves; let us despise the slaves." James Allan

The truth is that oppressor and slaves are cooperators in ignorance, and, while seeming to afflict each other, are in reality, afflicting themselves. A perfect knowledge perceives the action of law in the weakness of the oppressed and the misapplied power of the oppressor.

In an earlier article I wrote about customer service in Kenya. I noted how many customer service attendants blame their condition (low wages, bad working environment etc) on their bosses and therefore use that excuse to extend their malice to undeserving clients. I went on to highlight that these customer service attendants are not forced to take these jobs, so I do not find their excuse acceptable. For if they hate their working conditions so much, they can simply walk away.

I also mentioned that it is good to accept and appreciate our current situations as we work towards a better tomorrow. If we can not carry out our “mediocre” current responsibilities well, how can we expect to carry out higher level “more demanding” responsibilities? “Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it.”

As for the oppressor, his/her attitude towards the subordinates will only lead to: mistrust, suspicion, always cracking the whip since no subordinate will go out of the way for you, short-term success instead of stability.

I tend to agree with James Allan that the oppressed and the oppressor attract each other. Free people look for areas to maximize returns “a win –win situation” not a win-lose or lose-win situation. He/she will (if he is the boss) try to make employees like they own the company; like the company cannot function without them and their ongoing efforts. If it’s the employee, he/she will make every effort to make the company a success for he/she knows that if the company is successful he/she will get financial rewards and tenure (stability). He/she understand the larger picture and knows that the little activities that he/she does will lead to either achievement or failure of the larger picture.

So if the “could be” oppressor and oppressed understand their positions in the larger picture and how playing their role well and unselfishly will lead to success, they wouldn’t allow an “oppressor and oppressed” environment to exist.