Itsnotallblackandwhite

It’s Not All Black and White

Diversity and Discrimination

Presented By:

Catie Wilson

Assistant Residence

Director

Plymouth State University

March 2007

Diversity: A

Definition

1. The state of fact or being diverse; difference;

unlikeness.

2. Variety; Multiformity.

3. A point of difference.

Wikipedia.com

Discrimination: A Definition

The word discrimination comes from the Latin "discriminare", which means

to "distinguish between". However, discrimination, as used in this article, is

more than distinction or differentiation; it is action based on prejudice

resulting in unfair treatment of people. To discriminate socially is to make a

distinction between people on the basis of class or category without regard

to individual merit. Examples of social discrimination include racial,

religious, sexual, weight, disability, ethnic, height-related, employment

discrimination and age-related discrimination.

Distinctions between people which are based just on individual merit (such

as personal achievement, skill or ability) are generally not considered

socially discriminatory. Consequently, prohibitions against such

discrimination generally will not prevent a government from acting in a

legitimate and justifiable way based upon the merit of an individual person.

Race and Racism

“Racism has always been both an instrument of discrimination and a tool of

exploitation. But it manifests itself as a cultural phenomenon, susceptible to cultural

solutions, such as multicultural education and the promotion of ethnic identities.

Tackling the problem of cultural inequality, however, does not by itself redress the

problem of economic inequality. Racism is conditioned by economic imperatives,

but negotiated through culture: religion, literature, art, science and the media.

... Once, they demonised the blacks to justify slavery. Then they demonised the

“coloureds” to justify colonialism. Today, they demonise asylum seekers to justify

the ways of globalism. And, in the age of the media, of spin, demonisation sets out

the parameters of popular culture within which such exclusion finds its own

rationale — usually under the guise of xenophobia, the fear of strangers.”

— A. Sivanandan, Poverty is the new black, The Guardian, August 17, 2001

Gender and Sexism

The emotional, sexual, and psychological

stereotyping of females and makes begins when

the doctor says, "It's a girl." or “It’s a boy.”

~Shirley Chisholm

Weight and Weight Prejudice

"...Weight prejudice is a true form of bigotry in every sense of

the word. Like racism, it is based on visible cues; i.e. that fat

person is discriminated against primarily because of the way

he/she looks. Like anti-Semitism, it defines an entire group of

people numbering in the millions within a narrow range of

negative characteristics and behaviors. Like sexism, it

elevates the status of one group of people at the expense of

another. And like homophobia, it serves as a vehicle of

projection for the bigot's own anxieties, frustrations, and

resentments, in effect using the hated outsider as a repository

for the bigot's emotional debris and refuse..." [excerpt from

W. Charisse Goodman, author of The Invisible Woman]

Age and Ageism

“It's just something that I like to do, and I

also don't buy into the ageism theory.”

~ Joan Collins

Disability and Ableism

Ableism is a term used to

describe discrimination

against people with

disabilities in favour of people

who are not disabled.

~Wikipedia.com

Religion and Religion

Discrimination

Religious discrimination is valuing a person or

group lower because of their religion, or treating

someone differently because of what they do or

don't believe. While many religious and secular

authorities nowadays tend to stress that religion

is something personal, the highly social nature

of most religions makes conflicts between

religious groups, and thus discrimination, still

very probable.

~Wikipedia.com

Sexuality and

Heterosexism

The roots of

homophobia are fear.

Fear and more fear.

~George Weinberg

Ethnicity and Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is the tendency

to look at the world primarily

from the perspective of one's

own culture.

~Wikipedia.com

Social Class and Classism

Classism is any form of

prejudice or oppression

against people as a result of

their actual or perceived social

class (especially in the form of

lower or higher socioeconomic

status) within a class based

society.

~Wikipedia.com

Adults and

Adultism

Adultism is a predisposition towards

adults, which some see as biased

against children, youth, and all young

people who aren't addressed or

viewed as adults.

~Wikipedia.com