TOPIC

Othering



“Othering” is what we call the often-invisible mechanism communities use to exclude other people from joining the community, drawing the line that differentiates between “us” and “them.” When we turn a group of people into the “other,” we are “othering” them. Usually this is done in subtly or overtly dehumanizing ways that presents individuals as “less than”—less human, less worthy of respect, less deserving of political rights, social access, and economic opportunities—than the dominant group. Any reason can be used as a basis for othering, from gender or religious affiliation to which sports team someone roots for. Othering can reinforce bonds and foster a sense of belonging within the dominant community, but it is incredibly harmful to those who are excluded, builds up fear of exclusion and rejection within the community, and is the underpinning of all systemic injustices within a society.

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Take "The Other" to Lunch | Elizabeth Lesser

There's an angry divisive tension in the air that threatens to make modern politics impossible. Elizabeth Lesser explores the two sides of human nature within us (call them "the mystic" and "the warrior") that can be harnessed to elevate the way we treat each other.

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The Origin of Others

America’s foremost novelist reflects on the themes that preoccupy her work and increasingly dominate national and world politics: race, fear, borders, the mass movement of peoples, the desire for belonging.

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Racing into the Future

While we too often and too loudly insist that race does not matter, there is a growing body of research that shows race impacts many of our decisions (many with deadly consequences), and that implicit bias and racial anxiety are likely to be greater for those who cling to the belief of a colorblind...

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FindCenterWhat a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice.

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17:44

Otherness and Belonging | john a. powell | Wisdom 2.0 2016

From Wisdom 2.0 2016 in San Francisco.

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Radical Belonging: How to Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming It for the Better)

Being “othered” and the body shame it spurs is not “just” a feeling.

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Obama’s People and the African Americans: The Language of Othering

To the list of identities Black people in America have assumed or been asked to, we can now add, thanks to this presidential election season, “Obama’s people” and “the African Americans.”

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FindCenterThe propagandist’s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.

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Does Your Brain Care About Other People? It Depends

People are hardwired to dehumanise others but we can overcome this, say David Eagleman and Don Vaughn.

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White Supremacy and Judaism: A Response

After the terrorist attack in El Paso, Rabbi Rami is asked about the Tree of Life Synagogue murders.

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Belonging