chapter two
Naming the Problem
“At the core of every humiliation and indignity is a mental error, not just a habit… Nothing can be done until it is noticed, until it is named. Naming creates distinctions, distinctions create the capacity to change. Naming rankism transforms everything.”
—Paul Hawken, author of Natural Capitalism
Humans have been violating others’ dignity for millennia. We have raped and pillaged, trafficked in slavery, and otherwise abused our fellow creatures. Colonialism; segregation; apartheid; torture; ethnic cleansing; corporate corruption; monopolistic pricing; sexual harassment; discrimination based on race, gender, age, appearance… The list of ways we have violated the dignity of members of our own and other species goes on and on.
So why would we think we can stop it now?
The reasons are simple:
- We have already made progress in this area as a species. As bad as things may sometimes seem, in much of the world we now have laws that disallow such behavior. Compared to the world of even a few hundred years ago, modern humanity does have a few things going for it when it comes to dignity.
- A “right idea” at the “right time” with the “right tools” to make it a reality can change the world. And we now have a new idea and new tools to stop indignity.
Think of the invention of the airplane and the state of commercial flight today, or the manufacture of the first telephone and the complexity of global communications now, or the progress made in the United States toward equal rights for women since the 1960’s. When a new idea is introduced into the collective consciousness of a people along with the tools to make it easily accessible to many, that new idea or phenomenon has a decent chance of taking hold.
In this book we’ll be introducing a word that has recently entered our language—a new “tool” that allows us to address with unprecedented effectiveness the age-old tendency of humanity to infringe on others’ dignity. We also have new mass communication tools, as well as experience with non-violent social movements to uplift humanity. Which is to say, we now have the right tools at our disposal and enough experience as a species to really change the world.
The Crucial Tool: A Single Word
In 1963, Betty Friedan characterized the plight of women as “the problem that has no name.” Within a few years, the problem had acquired one: sexism. Only after naming the source of gender inequality did the movement to disallow gender-based discrimination grab hold of the collective consciousness. Once named, the problem was identifiable, visible, discussable—and actionable. And, ultimately, it became preventable.
Rankism: Abuse of the Power Attached to Rank
The word for the source of dignity violation is rankism. Rankism is abuse of the power attached to rank. When a boss shouts at an employee, that’s rankism. When a doctor demeans a nurse, that’s rankism. When a customer is rude to a waitress, that’s rankism. When a professor exploits a graduate student, that’s rankism. When a company executive has an intimate relationship with an intern and she loses her job over it, but he doesn’t, that’s rankism.
On a societal scale, rankism may take the form of political and corporate corruption, sexual abuse by clergy, maltreatment of elders in nursing homes, humiliation of prisoners by guards, large nations intimidating smaller nations into serving the larger country’s interests, or genocide. In short, rankism is when those of higher rank, i.e., those with power over another, treat those of lower rank in ways that violate their dignity.
The Power of Naming
To have a name is to be.
—Benoît Mandelbrot
Once the word rankism had been coined, people started talking about it on a website devoted to identifying and disallowing it. [See www.dignityforall.org.] Here are some of their comments:
- “Rankism gives a name to something we’ve all experienced but probably not given much thought to. Once you have a name for it, you see it everywhere.”
- “Recognizing rankism makes you more conscious of your dignity.”
- “Rankism is so ingrained, so common, that it’s hard to even notice it.”
- “I have begun using the term rankism, explained it to my friends, and now they are using it, too.”
Sometimes rankism is unconscious; a simple, unwitting misuse of power. But often, the misuse of power occurs because the perpetrator feels “special” or “better than” someone else and believes that this position of superiority carries with it license to diminish the other person’s dignity. Common, everyday snobbery falls into this category, as do racism, sexism, classism, and other “isms.” Feeling superior to others for any reason usually gives rise to rankism.
The Root of All “Isms”
The word rankism gets at the heart of what all the other “isms” in our lives are about. Rankism is an umbrella term that encompasses racism, sexism, classism, ageism, and any other ism that sets one group or individual apart from another and then claims superiority. These more specific “isms” are subspecies of rankism. With all “isms,” one person or group believes itself to be “better than” another, and uses its perceived rank to deprive others of their dignity.
“Rankism is the ‘ism’ that, once eradicated, would pretty much eliminate the rest of them.”
—from www.dignityforall.org
Rankism: A Concept that Both Progressives and Conservatives Can Love
The concept of rankism is indispensable for progressives and conservatives alike. It enables us to resolve a confusing core issue central to both society and our personal lives—hierarchy vs. equality. For decades, our value of equality in relationships and desire for “flatter” organizational structures has been challenged by our daily experience of rank and hierarchy, such as the natural hierarchies of parent-child, staff-volunteers in nonprofit groups. The concept of rankism gives us a way to distinguish between appropriate ranking and the abuse of rank (rankism) and set aside the latter in our personal relationships, our organizations, and our international relations.
—Bill Moyer, author of Doing Democracy
Objections Raised
Some people, upon hearing the word rankism, reflexively exclaim, “We don’t need another ‘ ism!’ ” That’s understandable, given the proliferation of “isms” and the fact that they have sometimes been used to label or attack others. But what if, as explained above, this “ism” is not in competition with the others, but instead encompasses all of them? Rankism may well be the overarching “ism” that finally allows us to liberate ourselves from the entire range of specific problems the other “isms” describe.
Some people at first object to the concept of rankism because they fear it may undermine progress in eradicating other forms of social prejudice. But rankism need not undermine any of the groundbreaking, often painstaking, work that so many are doing on behalf of those who suffer discrimination of particular kinds. Instead, the concept of rankism can be a powerful tool to help solidify gains humanity has already made in those areas, while simultaneously helping to make dignity for all a new standard for the human species.
Question for Contemplation:
When have you felt “better than” someone else? Has that feeling of superiority ever led you to treat someone with less dignity than you would want to be treated?
Why the Concept of Rankism Is Important
The concept of rankism is important because it allows us to change attitudes and behaviors that cause suffering—in ourselves and in society .
Suffering occurs in the world, with or without rankism, but rankism produces unnecessary and avoidable suffering. Starving children suffer, but they suffer needlessly when corrupt government officials divert food shipments to the children in exchange for cash for their own personal gain. A school child may feel hurt by a classmate’s inadvertent slight, but greater suffering is inflicted when one child deliberately bullies another and nothing is done about it. Teenagers grapple with the challenges of entering adulthood, but their struggles become all the more painful when other teens ridicule, ostracize, or demand conformity to group norms.
Rankism causes suffering, and rankism can be stopped.
What is Dignity?
Dignity is not always easy to define, but it’s easy to detect. We know it when we see it, and when we experience it. Dignity involves respect—respect for oneself and for others. It also has to do with worthiness—a sense that we and others are worthy. While it is true that we can maintain our dignity even when others treat us with indignity, treating ourselves and others with dignity means treating everyone as if they matter and are worthy of our respect.
Dignity can also involve recognizing our right to belong. In this sense, dignity is knowing there’s a place for us. Then dignity and recognition are two sides of a coin. Dignity is the sense of belonging, of inclusion, of being valued, that comes when we know that we have contributed something of ourselves to a group and that our place in it is secure. We experience dignity and belonging as threats of exclusion and banishment are removed.
The Relationship of Dignity to Rankism
Like other abstract nouns (for example, liberty and justice), dignity is sometimes more easily understood in the negative. Everyone has felt the sting of indignity. We’re fine-tuned to detect it—even in small gestures, like an eyebrow arched in disdain—precisely because such signals are precursors of rejection. Not so long ago banishment meant death.
Indignity results not from rank differences per se, but rather from abuses of rank. We call these abuses of power “rankism.” Indignities are due to rankism; rankism results in indignity.
Creating a Culture of Dignity
We establish a culture of dignity by disallowing indignity—which means disallowing rankism. In the same way that we build a multicultural society as we overcome racism, we build a dignitarian society as we overcome rankism.
A dignitarian society does not make everyone equal in rank, but rather disallows rankism, thereby making everyone equal in dignity, regardless of their rank.
The Golden Rule—Do unto others as you would have others do unto you—is a precept found in many religious and philosophical systems. It is an operating principle for a dignitarian society. As we treat others with the dignity we ourselves desire and deserve, we create a culture of dignity.
Implications of Creating a Dignitarian Society
Not only is the principle of equal dignity for all fair and just, it also results in greater creativity, productivity, health, and happiness. In short, dignitarian organizations and societies gain a competitive edge.
Like love, dignity can best take hold in the absence of abuse and discrimination, exploitation, and predation. But once dignity is secure, it can help carry us from liberty to the justice that still eludes many democratic societies.
KEY POINTS:
- It’s now possible for humanity to take a giant step toward creating a dignitarian world because we have new tools.
- These tools include (1) a new word—rankism—and (2) mass communication systems that allow ideas to spread quickly.
- Rankism is abuse of the power attached to rank. It is the “ism” that underlies all other “isms,” such as racism and sexism.
- The concept of rankism is useful because it identifies the cause of so much unnecessary suffering in the world.
- Once rankism has been identified, we can take concrete steps to prevent it.