Don't
Nobody Anybody
- The Basics of
Rankism
"From the moment a child gets out of bed in the morning until she is
safely tucked in at night, there's one central mission: the avoidance of
humiliation at all costs. We have to be so careful not to subject children to
public humiliation." - Dr, Mel Levine, Oprah Winfrey Show
When the somebodies of the world abuse
their power, the nobodies lose their dignity. Without dignity, people lose heart
and can become angry and hostile. When we respect each other, we can have
peace.
"Pulling rank over others may be the
ultimate cause of violence in the world today." - Robert W. Fuller
Robert Fuller's new book Somebodies
and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank has been garnering a good
deal of interest as he tours North America. He recently included NSP
headquarters on his itinerary and we were delighted to host him over lunch as he
talked about rankism. The June issue of Fast Company is also featuring
the book in its "Stuff off the Month" section, as follows:
Book: I'm a Somebody - Get Me
Out of Here!
Everybody
wants to be somebody - even if it's only for 15 minutes. That's not just the
American Dream: It has become an inalienable right (not to mention the
prevailing logic of prime-time TV). The problem is, almost every rise is
accompanied by a humiliating fall. The most illustrious somebody is made to feel
like a Nobody at some point. And here's the twist: In a world where everybody is
striving to be Somebody, Nobodies might have the edge. That's the intriguing
argument that Robert W. Fuller, former president of Oberlin College (and a
self-described "former Somebody", makes in his bold new book, Somebodies and
Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank (New Society Publishers).
Like a Betty Friedan for the 21st
century, Fuller sets out to debunk the "Somebody mystique." The problem is that
whether we idolize J. Lo or J. Welch, our hero worship doesn't get us any closer
to success in our own lives. What's more, Fuller argues, it obscures the true
definition of greatness: In order really to be Somebody (who's famous for more
than being famous), you have to continue to grow, to venture into the unknown,
to learn from others who are more expert than you. In other words, you have to
be willing to be a Nobody again (and again).
- Polly LaBarre, Fast Company
magazine, June, 2003.
In addition, some 14 points to consider:
Note: Canada is not far behind in this (although hidden) when one views the
actions of our elected officials.
"FASCISM ANYONE?" - The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
Dr.
Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, p.20
http://www.secularhumanism.org/fi/
Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political
scientist, studied the fascist regimes of
Hitler (Germany), Mussolini
(Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia),
and Pinochet (Chile). He
found the regimes shared 14 identifying
characteristics of
fascism:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist
regimes tend to make
constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols,
songs, and other
paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag
symbols on clothing
and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the
Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies
and the need
for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that
human rights
can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people
tend to look
the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions,
assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3.
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are
rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a
perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities;
liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4.
Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic
problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government
funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service
are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of
fascist nations tend to be almost
exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist
regimes, traditional gender roles
are made more rigid. Opposition to
abortion is high, as is homophobia and
anti-gay legislation and national
policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is
directly controlled by the
government, but in other cases, the media is
indirectly controlled by
government regulation, or sympathetic
mediaspokespeople and executives.
Censorship, especially in war time, is
very common. (Look what's happening
at the F.C.C. under
Powell jr. right now! K)
7. Obsession with National
Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by
the government over
the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -
Governments in fascist nations
tend to use the most common religion in the
nation as a tool to manipulate
public opinion. Religious rhetoric and
terminology is common from government
leaders, even when the major tenets of
the religion are diametrically
opposed to the government's policies or
actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and
business aristocracy of
a fascist nation often are the ones who put the
government leaders into
power, creating a mutually beneficial
business/government relationship and
power elite.
10. Labor
Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the
only
real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated
entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for
Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote
and
tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not
uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested.
Free _expression_ in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse
to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
- Under fascist regimes, the police
are given almost limitless power to
enforce laws. The people are often
willing to overlook police abuses, and
even forego civil liberties in the
name of patriotism. There is often a
national police force with virtually
unlimited power in fascist
nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes
almost always are
governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint
each other to
government positions and use governmental power and authority
to protect
their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist
regimes for
national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even
outright
stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent
Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a
complete sham.
Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns
against or even
assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation
to control voting
numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation
of the media.
Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to
manipulate or
control elections.
