I dislike the concept of 'discrimination' for several reasons.
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I dislike the concept of 'discrimination' for several reasons. 1: It gives the impression that merely perceiving difference is the problem. Discrimination simply means being able to distinguish between different things. The problem with racism is not that people are not color-blind. As many colored people who grew up in a white world will tell you, it can be very alienating to perceive your own difference in the mirror, but everyone around you pretends the difference is not there.
2: "The problem" is not one single other thing. My approach is to have more concepts available. But generally, I would say "discrimination" can often better be described as either contempt, disgust for or paternalization of differences. Contempt and disgust are the easiest to spot. Paternalizing difference can be more tricky. It's when well-meaning (but perhaps slightly demeaning) men insist on "helping" a woman with something she's perfectly capable of.
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2: "The problem" is not one single other thing. My approach is to have more concepts available. But generally, I would say "discrimination" can often better be described as either contempt, disgust for or paternalization of differences. Contempt and disgust are the easiest to spot. Paternalizing difference can be more tricky. It's when well-meaning (but perhaps slightly demeaning) men insist on "helping" a woman with something she's perfectly capable of.
There's also the case of putting too much focus on difference in a context that's not ready for it. Foreigners - or people that just look "foreign" in a very homogenous setting - are sometimes bombarded with questions about where they are from. It makes the exchange very uneven - and uneven is a close companion to unequal.
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There's also the case of putting too much focus on difference in a context that's not ready for it. Foreigners - or people that just look "foreign" in a very homogenous setting - are sometimes bombarded with questions about where they are from. It makes the exchange very uneven - and uneven is a close companion to unequal.
When all the communication (questions, comments) is directed toward one person in a room, that person is in some way excluded from the community. The underlying message is (without anyone else realizing): You're not one of us. Anyone who's tried becoming an exotic object like that knows how unsettling and unsafe it can feel. Coming in to a new group of people and being told by everyone "you're not one of us" - it makes sense you don't feel safe. Again, the people can be entirely well-meaning!
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When all the communication (questions, comments) is directed toward one person in a room, that person is in some way excluded from the community. The underlying message is (without anyone else realizing): You're not one of us. Anyone who's tried becoming an exotic object like that knows how unsettling and unsafe it can feel. Coming in to a new group of people and being told by everyone "you're not one of us" - it makes sense you don't feel safe. Again, the people can be entirely well-meaning!
I think this phenomenon of "producing the outsider" can also be grouped with the other examples of what we normally mean, when we talk about 'discrimination'. I think of it as "telling the difference" a bit too much, too soon.
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I think this phenomenon of "producing the outsider" can also be grouped with the other examples of what we normally mean, when we talk about 'discrimination'. I think of it as "telling the difference" a bit too much, too soon.
@malte I like your description. It might not cover all aspects (can any description), and you haven't said much about the underlying difference in power — which creates an asymmetry, the reason why there is no "racism against white people".
Some terms that can help to read more about the concepts you bring up, if anyone is interested:1/4
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@malte I like your description. It might not cover all aspects (can any description), and you haven't said much about the underlying difference in power — which creates an asymmetry, the reason why there is no "racism against white people".
Some terms that can help to read more about the concepts you bring up, if anyone is interested:1/4
@malte "Othering" is how you produce and mark the outsider, in your mind and in a group.
"Micro-aggressions" are the questions you are bombarded with that mark you as different, the consequence is that you can experience "minority stress", the burden of sticking out and being different.2/4
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@malte "Othering" is how you produce and mark the outsider, in your mind and in a group.
"Micro-aggressions" are the questions you are bombarded with that mark you as different, the consequence is that you can experience "minority stress", the burden of sticking out and being different.2/4
@malte This is something many white cis hetero people also can relate to, but experiencing it because of how you look and who you are (e.g. black or trans), instead of your choices (e.g. being vegan or left) is on a different scale — you never know when it strikes next.
Foe me, learning about these concepts really changed how I thought about "discrimination". But it is important not to forget that it is not merely about the relation of majority, but also about structures of power.
3/4
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@malte This is something many white cis hetero people also can relate to, but experiencing it because of how you look and who you are (e.g. black or trans), instead of your choices (e.g. being vegan or left) is on a different scale — you never know when it strikes next.
Foe me, learning about these concepts really changed how I thought about "discrimination". But it is important not to forget that it is not merely about the relation of majority, but also about structures of power.
3/4
@malte A single white person in a group of people of color might experience minority stress, but never racism. A single man in a group of women might experience minority stress, but never sexism. So it is not just about being different and sticking out, but also about the broader context, the structures that control how often and where you experience this and what the consequences can be.
4/4
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I dislike the concept of 'discrimination' for several reasons. 1: It gives the impression that merely perceiving difference is the problem. Discrimination simply means being able to distinguish between different things. The problem with racism is not that people are not color-blind. As many colored people who grew up in a white world will tell you, it can be very alienating to perceive your own difference in the mirror, but everyone around you pretends the difference is not there.
@malte The term "colored" is in many contexts considered offensive, a racial slur:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColoredIn an international context like here a respectful way would be to use for example "people of color".
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@malte The term "colored" is in many contexts considered offensive, a racial slur:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColoredIn an international context like here a respectful way would be to use for example "people of color".
@skatan Thank you for that context. English is not my mother tongue and I didn't know the meaning between "Colored people" and "People of Color".
