# Intersectionality and the Oppression Pyramid **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 7, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intersectionality-and-the-oppression-pyramid/1018016 "2025-05-07T16:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 29
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intersectionality-and-the-oppression-pyramid/1018016/29 "2025-05-08T10:40:15Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > It’s proper that it exists and therefore silly to pretend it doesn’t. The demonization comes from cishet whites (mainly men) who are distressed at the knowledge that there’s one social hierarchy that we can’t dominate. Or _just maybe_ people don’t like being demonized, silenced or threatened _regardless_ of their gender or skin color. This is classic “dehumanization of the enemy”, putting forward a theory that white males don’t think like human beings or react like they do. Because white males aren’t people, and don’t react like people or have the same motives as people. So when they apparently act like people there _must_ be some hidden nefarious reason for it. It reminds me of strategic bombing in WWII, when both sides simultaneously indiscriminately bombed the other side because that would somehow break their will, while _at the same_ time being outraged and more determined when the enemy did the same to them - and never even considered the inconsistency. The scale is different of course but the psychology is the same; treating the Enemy Other as not thinking or reacting like a human. Which of course leads to the people doing the dehumanization to completely misread their opponents, and being blindsided when they do in fact act like human beings. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intersectionality-and-the-oppression-pyramid/1018016)._