Diversity And Isms
Today, I found a card on top of our mailbox, it read “Love your race”, and the back read”Stop affirmative action” with a link to a website that spewed hatred, with messages as: “We must have new societies throughout the White world which are based on Aryan values and are compatible with the Aryan nature. We do not need to homogenize the White world. What we must have, however, is a thorough rooting out of Semitic and other non-Aryan values and customs everywhere.”
I stopped for a second in disbelief, not because of the intolerance, and hate messages but because it was so blatant, and destructive.
When cultural differences present themselves in any community it can go either way depending on the surrounding factors. They can become an advantage; conflicts can arise or even worst the symptoms of “Isms” start showing when people don’t coexist peacefully.
Racism is perhaps the most problematic of these “Isms”. Simply put, racism is hatred without bounds. It affects all types of organizations and societies.
Racism is when people dislike others simply because of their race, color, religion, gender or even sexual orientation. Those infected by this hatred cannot work well in a diverse environment as they are overcome by their "ISM."
Sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, xenophobia and ageism are also other "Isms." Although homophobia and xenophobia are not necessarily "Isms," they are based on hatred.
Many of the "Isms" are the result of a lack of understanding of the various cultures in society. Many individuals confuse culture with race, and lack of communication or knowledge regarding that particular culture creates additional turmoil due to this lack of understanding.
Culture is not only about race or ethnicity but is about common characters such as age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, education, marital and parental status that allow people within a group to have a common identity.
For example, some Native Americans are raised in a tribal group that does not permit compliments in front of peers in public. Therefore, a Native American individual may exhibit displeasure at a public compliment, not because they are unappreciative, but because it is against their beliefs. However, if the person complimenting him does not understand that, they may take offense to it.
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