Millennials' Guide to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion by Jennifer P. Wisdom

Author:Jennifer P. Wisdom [Jessfer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisdom Consulting
Published: 2021-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

See also:

Chapter 5: How do I Define Myself?

Chapter 21: Privilege

Chapter 25: Being an Ally and an Advocate

Chapter 23.

A guide to -isms

The “-isms” refer to ways of understanding the world, whether positive or negative. They can be casual or systematic, and they can wreak havoc on our communities.

Racism includes prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on a difference in race/ethnicity and presumed superiority because of race. Since racism involves the use of power to isolate, separate, or exploit others, racism is usually perpetuated by people of white/European descent groups against persons of color. “Reverse racism” e.g., people of color not liking white people, isn’t a thing because there’s no component of power over the other group. Racism confers certain privileges on and defends the dominant group, which in turn, sustains and perpetuates racism.

Sexism is the prejudices and discrimination towards a person based on their sex or gender. This includes the belief that one sex is superior or of higher value than the other. An example of this is a woman receiving derogatory comments for continuing her career instead of being the main caretaker of her children. On the other side is an example of a man receiving derogatory comments for taking on the primary caretaker role for his children. Sexism can be insidious and systemic, such as women being skipped over for promotions because they had a child or because they might have a child; assumptions about loss of work time due to maternity leave and mothering often rely on women’s higher burden of childrearing and perpetuate a system that discriminates against women.

Heterosexism (homophobia) is a range of negative attitudes, feelings, and behaviors toward homosexuality or people who identify as LGBTQ. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or antipathy. It is often based on irrational fear and ignorance and related to religious beliefs. It is referred to as homophobia by combining homosexual with -phobia, meaning “fear” or “aversion.” The extreme forms of homophobia have resulted in several countries criminalizing homosexuality with imprisonment, torture, fines, or the death penalty. Homophobia contributed to the refusal to take the HIV/AIDS epidemic seriously when it first started.

Ageism is stereotyping and/or discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age, usually referring to older individuals. Indeed, U.S. federal law describes age discrimination as discrimination against individuals 40 years or older because of their age. This can be combated by having younger generations connect with older generations to dispel the stereotypes of the generational gap. It helps change the youths’ perspective about aging and shifts their respect for older generations by gaining insights and knowledge at a personal level.

Adultism is a new term referring to prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions against young people in favor of older people. Young people have opinions and perspectives that matter and should be valued as much as older people. Adults can do their part to listen and respect the voices of the youth.

Ableism is the belief that people with a disability are inferior to individuals without

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