Transcript Chapter 5
Appreciating Diversity In the1960s women, gays, lesbians, Chicanos and Native Americans followed on the Civil Rights movement to express and publicize the discrimination they felt By the end of the 20th century, society and its institutions became more inclusive. Books, magazines, commercials, television shows, and movies begin to feature minorities Why Appreciate Diversity? • Interactions with other groups are more productive and satisfying if they come from a basis of understanding and respect. • Culture is an important determinant of human behavior. • Much can be learned from different world views. • Understanding and eliminating oppression • Respect for fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all people compels community psychologists to attend to issues of diversity. Language of Diversity Not everyone in our society has a voice • Minority groups • Diverse • Oppressed groups • Marginalized groups • Under-represented groups Power of Naming • Group labels • Labeling is done by dominant groups • Reflection of power • Self-name - change the speech of the oppressors • Send message to the dominant group Words that Dichotomize Dichotomy – a separation into two divisions that differ widely from or contradict each other Words that put people into opposing groups and reinforce antagonistic relationships between the groups Black Men Minority Oppressor Subordinate Agent Group White Women Majority Oppressed Dominant Target Group Social Identities Agent Target Sex Male Female Race White Racial/Ethnic Ethnicity Euro-American Minority Religion Christian Non-Christian Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Gay/Lesbian Ability Status Able-bodied Disabled SES Middle/Upper Working class Age Young/Middle Child/Old Adult Dualisms Dualism – a state in which something has two distinct parts or aspects, which are often opposites Inter-category affects: • SES - Race Assumes homogeneity: • Working class, poverty stricken • Wealthy, middle class • Blind, quadriplegic, mild/severe retardation Agent/target boundaries blur: • bisexual, biracial Oversimplify reality, render some people invisible Tend to create hierarchies, superiority Stereotyping Stereotypes are generalizations about groups in which all members are seen as having similar characteristics regardless of the variation with in the group Prejudice is the term used for negative attitudes about people based solely on their membership in particular groups Discrimination consists of harmful actions toward people based solely on their membership in particular groups Silent Majority “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect” Mark Twain How can we as community psychologists address the issue of the silent majority? • Facilitating expression • Learning to listen • Expertise – it comes from the target group • Intent vs. Impact – agent privilege • Allies