chapter eight
Detecting Warning Signs of Rankism
Some rankist behaviors are so prevalent that they deserve special mention as signs to watch out for when building a culture of dignity. The following practices and behaviors are often used— knowingly or unknowingly—to put or keep others down.
Secrecy and Silencing
Both secrecy and silencing are commonly used by people in power to maintain the rights and privileges associated with their rank. Dictators and despots, prime ministers and presidents, lay and clerical religious leaders, school administrators, CEOs and mid-level managers—all these and many others may use secrecy about their own activities and silencing of dissenting voices to maintain power or control. They may or may not be conscious of doing it.
Secrecy keeps rankism invisible
When leaders make decisions in secret, take actions in secret, or hide the truth about events that should not be secret, others are unable to examine the leaders’ actions to determine whether they are fair and just and honor everyone’s dignity. The Federal Open Meetings Laws offer one kind of safeguard against the rankism that secrecy breeds. The statutes specify the conditions under which certain agencies and committees of the government, including a public school district’s governing body, may meet to discuss business. The laws include a requirement that business be transacted only at meetings which members of the public and press are permitted to attend. It also includes regulations about the percentage of members required to be in attendance for discussion of board business. If more organizations were to follow the Open Meetings model, there would be fewer opportunities for them to fall into the patterns of secrecy that foster rankism.
Silencing creates an environment in which rankism thrives
Silencing is a companion to secrecy. By silencing or ignoring voices that may raise questions, call attention to potential problems, express disagreement with the actions of those in decision-making positions, or offer creative solutions to vexing problems, rank holders “keep the people in their place,” maintain their own authority and control, and insult the dignity of others.
The human need to be heard is violated when avenues are not created through which all involved may express their voices and be genuinely listened to.
Many leaders fail to understand that secrecy and silencing are never healthy practices for an organization. They create an environment in which rankism thrives, and the consequences are organizational dysfunction. Often, people who have dared to raise their voices or expose rankist practices are blamed for the organization’s problems, when in fact the source of dysfunction is the system’s tolerance of practices that support rankism.
Snobbery
Snobbery is a form of elitism
Snobbery is making oneself out to be “better than” others, and treating them accordingly. Snobbery, of course, is rampant at all levels of society. Children learn it early in life. They learn, for example, to treat classmates who live in “less desirable” areas of town or who don’t wear the latest fashions as if they are inferior.
Snobbish behavior is often displayed by cliques. Most people know the indignity of being ignored, snubbed, insulted, banished, or barred from inclusion because they weren’t part of “the right group” or power elite; or did not have the right occupation, education, point of view, financial status, clothes, or family history. Snobbery treats individuals and groups of people as if they are not as worthy, valued, or valuable because they lack certain characteristics which a self-identified “elite” group has deemed important.
The psychological toll snobbery takes is huge
Rankist attitudes are often internalized by those who are treated with this kind of disdain, resulting in low self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. Hurt, anger, sadness, grief, or the wish to “get even” are some of the emotional responses snobbery may evoke. This form of rankism often begets further rankism, as victims of the snobbery make internal vows not to remain at the bottom of the heap, learning instead to climb higher in the hierarchy—doing unto others as they have been done unto.
Bullying and Intimidation
Bullies use bravado, intimidation, and sheer force to maintain control and get their own way. The bully may be a kid on a playground calling another child names, a boss making clear to his staff that they are not free to express their views, or a superpower pressuring a smaller nation to support its U.N. resolution if it wants humanitarian aid. Bullying is a form of rankism and needs to be recognized as such, whether it is at home, on the playground, at the office, at worship, on reality TV, or on the big screen of global politics.
When bullying occurs, it is appropriate for others to help the one being bullied. Children, for example, need to be able to count on adults to stop bullies in their tracks and to help mediate disputes when necessary. It is also appropriate for higher-ranking individuals, organizations, or nations to use their rank to stop the bullying that occurs in the adult world. However, good judgment and care also need to be exercised. Sometimes our efforts to help can backfire and end up doing more harm than good (for example, in global relations).
Blackballing and Blacklisting
Blackballing and blacklisting (sometimes referred to as “white-listing” in communities of color) refer to the act of excluding someone from participating in a group, organization, or activity, usually on the basis of rank. Typically, blackballing and black- or white-listing are rankist behaviors because they illegitimately maintain the rank of those in power, perpetuating the elitism of the group. They exclude potential questioners, ensuring that any rankist behaviors will remain unchallenged.
Blackballing may not be overt. For example, people may be placed on a “mental blacklist”—not an actual, physical list—when they express opinions counter to those held by the people in higher ranking positions. Because leaders may be uncomfortable with disagreement, individuals who have expressed differing views may not be invited to participate in important meetings, sit on certain committees, or otherwise participate in the key workings of the organization. This kind of exclusion can be subtle and may not always be intentional. Sometimes rank-holders are simply avoiding the discomfort of having to deal with multiple perspectives. However, whether rankism is intentional or not, it is still rankism.
Backslapping and Its Derivatives: Backscratching, Old Boys’ (or Girls’) Networks, Nepotism, Friends Helping Friends
Friends and business associates exchange favors, tips about job openings or investment opportunities, special purchase deals—what’s wrong with that? It’s good to help others, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. However, the behavior becomes rankist when it is exclusionary; and unfortunately, it is often more exclusionary than people realize.
People of similar rank and social or economic status tend to associate with each other. Hence, it is often not easy for others to “break in” to elite circles. Those who are not in the core group cannot gain access. The privileges and perks of rank, including the power that comes with it—which rank holders often take for granted—are denied to those who may not have had the same opportunities to acquire it.
Federally mandated Equal Employment hiring practices, affirmative action plans, and other strategies to open up exclusionary networks are intended to give individuals and groups of lower rank a more even chance to acquire the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of rank.
KEY POINTS:
- Secrecy and silencing are common forms of rankism. They create unhealthy environments that breed further rankism.
- Snobbery is a form of elitism that produces damaging psychological and emotional effects.
- Bullying and intimidation are also forms of rankism and therefore must be disallowed, whether on the school playground or in the international community of nations.
- Blackballing and black- or white-listing are rankist because they illegitimately maintain the rank of those in power, perpetuating elitism.
- “Backslapping” and its derivatives are rankist when they are exclusionary. “Friends helping friends” often becomes inadvertently rankist.
- Whether rankism is intentional or not, it is still rankism.