Overcoming Systemic Prejudice and Discrimination by J. Dawson Williams D. Min

Author:J. Dawson Williams D. Min.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2021-03-19T13:46:15+00:00

Chapter 6

Personal Strain

Prejudice and discrimination are both double-edged swords capable of simultaneously cutting both the attacked and the aggressor. Sociologists tell us that individuals suffer anguish and sometimes resort to uncharacteristic behaviors due to the strain of having to struggle too hard and too long in the process of gaining the necessities of life. This theory on the effects of excessive strain helps clarify ways that both the fast-climbing team member and the side-tracked team player suffer from their unequal circumstances.

In an almost contradictory way, sociologists also show that strain alone is not so damaging because humans have a natural ability to be resilient. They have found that resilience appears to be a common phenomenon resulting in most cases from a basic human ability to adapt and overcome (Zolli & Healy, 2013). It appears that there must be additional elements of anguish and distress if strain is to override the natural human capacity for overcoming stress. Most of the counselees I have received, who faced any form of stress, seemed like they could have handled their stressful load were it not for the unethical, unjust, and unequal factors involved. Several particularly egregious manifestations of systematic discrimination follow as indications of ways human resilience is overridden by master manipulators of bias and bias mongers.

Stigmatize, Ostracize, Somatize, and Then Penalize

One particularly intricate pattern of bullying surfaced as I cross-referenced reports given by counselees over several years. The pattern is most often used in support of a self-fulfilling prophecy and begins with stigmatizing a targeted individual. Stigmatization can be accomplished by having a toxic leader (supervisor, teacher, preacher, public official) single out an individual and exaggerate anything about the individual’s performance or behavior that can be identified as a fault. Any response from the individual is then pointed out as open defiance, and all others in the group are put on alert that the targeted individual is in trouble. Anyone seen being friendly with the individual runs the risk of being viewed as an ally against the offended leader. In effect, the stigma of being in trouble makes others begin to quietly ostracize the targeted individual. Why is this such a big problem? It is huge because social networking is a natural part of our human function as social animals and we do not turn off that function when we enter the workplace, the school, or the church (Brooks, 2012).

Stigmatizing and ostracizing can eventually produce psychosomatic symptoms such as loneliness, self-doubt, and anxiety. At this point, the problem can worry an individual into becoming physically ill. A significantly somatized individual might develop problems dealing with nerves, joints, sleep, mental health, digestion, and any number of other bodily functions. Hypervigilant behavior sets in as the targeted individual attempts to watch every detail related to the work they are doing while watching everyone around them—since they begin to feel that they cannot trust anyone. Short-term memory becomes erratic and errors inevitably pile up due to the overloaded brain missing obviously important details while trying to watch everything and everybody at the same time.

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