1st passage: “In short, people ought in general to reflect critically on their first-order desires and preferences (Dworkin, 1988, p. 20) and to accept or change those desires in light of one's higher-order values. They should, at the same time, be procedurally independent, meaning that their decisions must not have come about as a result of undue influences which disrupt the agent's ability to make their own decisions. “
Relation: It's important to want to go after things because you, as an individual, are truly craving that change. As part of Gen Z, there is a lot of judgment that's placed on individuals when they decide to do things that don't tend to align with the perspectives or desires of others, which is why I think you must always move forward with your own wants and needs because you are the one who will be undergoing that change.
2nd passage: “As Diana T. Meyers contends, individuals do not necessarily capitulate to oppression, even where they do not visibly resist the oppressive systems under which they are unjustly placed. It still takes the kind of agentic skills necessary for autonomy for someone to be able to navigate and cope with the “obstacles their circumstances present and to take advantage of their opportunities.”
Relation: I believe that this can be incredibly true because one can be raised with certain beliefs and made to practice those beliefs in their day-to-day life, but an individual doesn't always, or may not, agree with all that falls under that umbrella, especially if they are actively experiencing oppression from that particular situation. I see this displayed a lot in different religions, and for me, this can be said with my personal experience with catholicism.
3rd passage: “the fact that privileged (or ‘superordinated’) groups such as men and cis-gender straight people can be the harassers of subordinated, ‘harassable’ groups like women and trans persons mean that women and trans subjects “have a social status that constrains their autonomy.” (Johnston, 2017, p. 323) In short, it is the fact that oppressors and those they oppress are unequal in their social standing (Lee, 2022, p. 7) which we ought to target as the problem that places certain subordinated groups' autonomy at risk.”
Relation: Straight white males in society will never be equal to other groups. As mentioned at the beginning of the reading, women are constrained to certain stereotypes and thus will never fully have autonomy to the degree that men do. I have been in positions where a man's word was taken over my own, and the only thing separating the two of us was our gender.