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Trinity Harwell

Mrs. Bowyer

Expository Writing, Period 2

27 March 2017

Superiority versus Inferiority, and the Power of Speech

Worldwide there is a power struggle between races, genders, cultures, sexualities, and

pretty much any other defining class one can think to identify with. This power people seek is

not power to control someones life, or to gain riches and victories, but rather to feel a higher

sense of esteem for themselves. Unfortunately, however, this strive for superiority often develops

through judgement towards other people, as superiority cannot exist without inferiority.

Consequently, the downtrodden look into their mirrors feeling self-conscious, yet indignant

towards the judgements made about them, while those in power stare at their reflections trying to

pinpoint more reasons to affirm their superiority.

In a clip from her YouTube video, phylosophe, Judith Butler tells a story of a young

man whose hips move[d] back and forth in a feminine way when he walked (Butler 115).

While a persons stride does not seem like a cause for too much alarm, the fact his walk was

considered feminine was enough to provoke two other boys to [throw] him over a bridge and

[kill] him (115). Butler believes this reaction was due to an extremely deep panic or fear, an

anxiety that pertains to gender norms, however, Butler does not address how such fear exists

outside of gender norms as well (115).

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The extremely deep panic or fear Butler mentions is applicable to almost any scenario

in which one party does not comply with the expected social norms (115). People who break the

social norms, or who speak out against it, create a social imbalance and make others fear a loss

of their own power. Thus, people feel the need to reaffirm their own places in society when they

see someone breaking social norms, as it is more comfortable to exist in a world where things are

status quo. This is not to say the young man who Butler speaks of is to blame for his own

murder, but rather to indicate the power of speaking out against social norms.

Audre Lorde, an African American lesbian, acclaimed as a librarian, writer, poet, teacher,

and feminist, writes of the importance of speaking out against tyranny in her speech, The

Transformation of Silence into Language and Action, from her book The Cancer Journals. She

states, I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be

spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood (Lorde

117). She does not explicitly state what is it she speaks out against, and for the purpose of her

speech, it does not matter. Speaking and acting against social norms are actions powerful enough

to provoke murder, as in the story Butler mentions, and if enough voices are heard, they are

powerful enough to create change as well.

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in all 50 states of America

due to the gay communitys persistent protesting, and decades ago, segregation ended due to

outcries from the African American community, proving that speech is not a new tactic, but still a

powerful one. People oppress others because they recognize differences between them and want

to feel superior, but Lorde states that when it comes to ending tyrannies, it is not difference

which immobilizes us, but silence, and she is absolutely correct (119).
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An example which proves it is silence rather than differences that immobilizes is present

in the movie Sabah, about a Muslim family living in Canada and trying to uphold their cultural

ideals. The women in the film must comply with their brothers commands to maintain the

Muslim ideals, specifically of wearing clothing with full coverage in public and of only dating

Muslim men. The brother arranges a marriage for one of the girls, and she purposefully displays

an exaggerated image of a good Muslim girl so as to embarrass her future husband and drive him

out of her life. Another woman in the film, Sabah, secretly dates a Canadian, and despite her

brothers threat to eradicate her affiliation with the family, she admits to her hidden relationship

and remains with the man. Both girls also break their cultural standards by showing an immodest

amount of skin, and in the end of the film, their words and actions have an impact on the brother

that causes him to allow the family to live a more Canadian lifestyle (Sabah). Breaking social

norms is dangerous, but it is a risk society as a whole needs to take to create change, as silence

creates a stagnant community.

All fear-driven injustices prove the need for change, and as every contrasting opinion is a

spark for change, the need for it will remain constant. Speech is a powerful tool, as Butler,

Lorde, and the movie Sabah all prove, though one voice can only spark a match; it takes many

voices to build a fire and create change. People abuse their power because they are afraid to

admit that sometimes, despite any advanced experience they may have, they are wrong, and

sometimes things must change. If more people spoke out against this unjust ignorance and

silencing, I believe one day society as a whole could reach a middle ground and a mutual

understanding.