Systemic Racism: Endless Hierarchy of Privilege and Oppression

Systemic racism, as explored in Critical Theory, is not just about discrimination based on race. It’s an all-encompassing concept that stretches across every aspect of identity—race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, body size, nationality, and more. This framework suggests that society is structured so that certain groups are inherently privileged while others are oppressed. But when you peel back the layers, what emerges is a complex, almost absurd, hierarchy of oppressions and privileges that seem to spiral endlessly, making the concept of “racism” increasingly vague and challenging to grasp.

Race: A Never-Ending Caste System

Let’s start with race, the most familiar territory for discussions of systemic racism. According to Critical Theory, racial hierarchy isn’t just about white people being privileged over non-white people. It’s more like a caste system where, for example, white people are privileged over brown people, who are, in turn, privileged over black people, who then have privilege over Indigenous or native people. Each racial group is positioned on a sliding scale, where no one is oppressed or privileged; it’s all relative.

This perspective raises the question: how useful is a term like “racism” when it’s no longer about clear-cut discrimination but about a complex matrix of relative privileges? If every group is both an oppressor and oppressed depending on who they’re compared to, does the term “racism” even hold any meaning anymore? It seems like we’re left with an endless hierarchy where the concept of racism is stretched so thin it becomes almost meaningless.

Gender: Beyond Simple Sexism

The theory applies the same logic to gender. It’s not just men who are privileged over women. Within this framework, cisgender men are privileged over cisgender women, but cisgender women are still more privileged than transgender men, who are, in turn, more privileged than transgender women. Each step down the ladder introduces a new form of oppression, but also a new level of privilege over someone else.

So, where does sexism end and other forms of discrimination begin? If everyone is both privileged and oppressed depending on the context, the entire concept of gender discrimination becomes a tangled mess of contradictions. The term “sexism” loses its punch when it has to accommodate this endless, ever-shifting hierarchy.

Sexuality: The Complex Dance of Privilege and Oppression

Sexuality, too, is caught up in this endless cycle. Heterosexuals are deemed the most privileged, but even within non-heteronormative communities, there’s a hierarchy. Homosexuals are seen as more privileged than bisexuals, who are more privileged than transgender individuals, with transgender men having more privilege than transgender women.

At what point does this stop being a useful framework for understanding discrimination? When every identity within the LGBTQ+ spectrum is ranked against each other, it seems like we’re just splitting hairs. The idea that every identity group is both privileged and oppressed depending on the perspective makes the term “sexual discrimination” more of a philosophical exercise than a practical tool for social change.

Class: Economic Oppression Without End

Economic class, often seen as a straightforward form of discrimination, becomes another layer in this convoluted system. The wealthy are, of course, privileged over the poor, but even within economic classes, there are layers of privilege. A middle-class person has more privilege than a working-class person, who has more than someone living in poverty. And within poverty, race and nationality might further stratify who is more or less oppressed.

If every economic status is another rung on a never-ending ladder, where does economic oppression begin and end? By endlessly subdividing people into increasingly specific groups of privilege and oppression, we risk losing sight of the bigger picture: that the real issue might not be about splitting hairs over who has marginally more privilege than whom, but about addressing the systemic structures that perpetuate inequality.

Ability: The Fractured World of Ableism

When it comes to ability, Critical Theory suggests that able-bodied people are the most privileged, but even among those with disabilities, there are layers. Those with less severe or less visible disabilities might be more privileged than those with more severe or visible ones. And, as with other categories, other aspects of identity, like race or gender, further complicate who is more or less privileged within the disabled community.

But does this really help us address ableism, or does it just create more divisions? If every difference is another point of contention, how do we ever find common ground to make meaningful change? This fracturing of groups into ever-smaller units of privilege and oppression might serve to complicate our understanding of ableism, but it does little to advance the cause of equality.

Body Size: A Hierarchy of Fatphobia

Body size, too, is subjected to this endless subdivision. Thin people are privileged over those who are overweight, but even within larger body sizes, there’s a hierarchy. Someone who is mildly overweight might be seen as having more privilege than someone who is obese, who then might have more privilege than someone who is severely obese. Add in race, gender, and class, and you’ve got yet another convoluted web of relative privilege and oppression. (See Fat studies)

At what point do these distinctions stop being useful? The idea that every aspect of identity can be dissected into a hierarchy of oppression and privilege seems to turn the concept of “fatphobia” into a never-ending analysis that ultimately distracts from the real issue: societal biases against certain body types.

Nationality: The Privilege of Being Born Somewhere Else

Nationality is another area where Critical Theory applies its endless hierarchy. Someone born in a wealthy, stable country is seen as privileged over someone from a poorer, unstable country. But within each nation, different ethnicities, regions, or immigration statuses create new layers of privilege and oppression.

So, is nationality really about where you’re born, or is it just another excuse to create more layers of hierarchy? The concept of privilege and oppression becomes so diffuse when applied to nationality that it risks becoming irrelevant. Instead of addressing real issues like immigration or refugee crises, we’re caught up in a never-ending debate about who has marginally more or less privilege based on their nationality.

Conclusion: an Endless Hierarchy

The framework of systemic racism in Critical Theory suggests that every aspect of identity can be endlessly divided into layers of privilege and oppression. What starts as a discussion about race quickly expands into a complex, almost absurd, hierarchy that touches every part of a person’s identity—gender, sexuality, class, ability, body size, nationality, and more.

But does this endless subdivision of groups into privileged and oppressed categories really help us address the root causes of inequality? Or does it just create more divisions, more hierarchies, and more confusion about what the term “racism” or “discrimination” even means? When every group is both privileged and oppressed depending on the context, it becomes increasingly difficult to take the concept of systemic racism seriously.

Instead of simplifying and clarifying issues of inequality, this framework seems to lead us down an infinite rabbit hole, where the real problems get lost in an endless debate over who is marginally more oppressed than whom. In the end, this approach risks making the very concept of racism meaningless, turning it into a tool for endless division rather than a means for meaningful change.