Week 7: Male Privilege, Moral Corruption, and Women Hypocrisy

After watching the movie “12 Years a Slave”, how white owners exploit black female slaves sexually and how their wives did not blame their husbands and punish the black female slaves have made me think about the moral corruption of people with power.

 

The movie portrays the physical and psychological torture inflicted on slaves by their owners and how the slaves endured them. Slaves were treated as chattel property, deprived of their identities, and subjected to constant fear and violence. This objectification and dehumanization are starkly contrasted with the more subtle psychological torment, which probably left lasting scars on their psyche. The movie further highlights the unique struggles of enslaved women, highlighting the harsh conditions of their lives, their children being sold separately, and disregarding their cries and sufferings. Furthermore, young women were often sold at higher rates than older women, subjected to nudity, and slept with male slaves. These conditions were inhumane and immoral.

 

Patsey’s story serves as an example of the widespread exploitation endured by Black women, being raped by their White masters while facing the resentment and cruelty of their mistress.

 

This dynamic reveals the deep-seated hypocrisy and moral corruption of the slave-owing class. White men like Epps exploited Black women for their physical pleasure despite considering them inferior. In contrast, white women, like Mistress Epps, directed their anger and jealousy toward slaves rather than holding the perpetrators of abuse accountable.

 

I would sum up by saying that males exploit women sexually, psychologically, and physically, but we women do not hold men accountable. Instead, we hold the victim women accountable. These dynamics highlight male privilege, moral corruption, and women's hypocrisy.