The behavior of the oppressed is a prescribed behavior, following as it does the guidelines of the oppressor.
Paulo FreireRead
The oppressors do not perceive their monopoly on having more as a privilege which dehumanizes others and themselves. They cannot see that, in the egoistic pursuit of having as a possessing class, they suffocate in their own possessions and no longer are; they merely have.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how the desire for excessive wealth can dehumanize both the oppressor and the oppressed.
Paulo Freire's quote critiques the mindset of oppressors who fail to recognize that their accumulation of wealth and privilege comes at the cost of humanity. In their vain pursuit of possessions, they not only strip others of their dignity but also become trapped in a hollow existence where their value is defined solely by what they own, rather than who they are as individuals.
Themes
OppressionPrivilegePossessionsHumanityEgoism
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about socioeconomic inequality.
More from Paulo Freire
All quotes →How can the oppressed, as divided, unauthentic beings, participate in developing the pedagogy of their liberation?
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Critical and liberating dialogue, which presupposes action, must be carried on with the oppressed at whatever the stage of their struggle for liberation. The content of that dialogue can and should vary in accordance with historical conditions and the level at which the oppressed perceive reality.
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This is the sense in which I am obliged to be a listener. To listen to the student's doubts, fears, and incompetencies that are part of the learning process. It is in listening to the student that I learn to speak with him or her.
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This pedagogy makes oppression and its causes objects of reflection by the oppressed, and from that reflection will come their necessary engagement in the struggle for their liberation. And in the struggle this pedagogy will be made and remade
Paulo FreireRead
Education is an act of love, and thus an act of courage
Paulo FreireRead
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