The pursuit of social justice inevitably involves working to dissolve the many "isms" of injustice and oppression. The following list is an introductory survey of the isms upon which the Center places its primary focus.

Ableism

is a pervasive system of discrimnation and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Like other forms of oppression, ableism operates on individual, institutional and cultural levels. Deeply rooted beliefs about health, productivity, beauty, and the value of human life, perpetuated by the public and private media, combine to create an environment that is often hostile to those whose phsycial, emotional, cognitive, or sensory abilitites fall outside the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable. No word perfectly describes what the range of people with diabilities experience. We use the terms ableism or disability oppression because they reflect the viewpoint that people with disabilities or with physical or mental limitations, are considered to be inadequate in meeting expected social and economic roles.

 

Questions to consider: How accessible is our campus? As the cold weather lingers, how could accessibility be improved both on campus and in St. Louis? Do you know any students with learning disabilities? How accessible is your professor’s style of teaching for students with learning disabilities?

Ageism

is the pervasive oppression of people based on their age. Discrimination comes from the societal myth that older and younger people cannot perform certain cognitive or affective standards in the same way simply because they are younger or older. Therefore, based on people's ages, they have unfairly prescribed roles.

Questions to consider: Are you too young or too old? Why are young children told to wait until they grow up and older people told they are incompetent? When does the cycle end?

Classism

is the institutional, cultural, and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value to people according to their socio-economic class; and an economic system which creatives excessive inequality and causes basic human needs to go unmet. The class continuum is the ranking of individuals or families in a society by income, wealth, status or power; the range of experiences out of which particular class identities are defined. Lines may be drawn at different points along this continuum, and labeled differently. Class is a relative thing, given that we can look both up and down the continuum. However, is clear that everyone at the top end is mostly dominant/agent while everyone at the bottom end is mostly subordinate/target.

 

Questions to consider: Who accumulates wealth and how does that differ from income? As we consider programming opportunities and social outings, have you considered the cost and if those around you can afford more or less than yourself? Are there organizations that you are involved in simply because of your class status?

Ethnocentrism

describes the tendency to evaluate other cultures against the standards of one's own. it occurs when negative value judgments are made about others based on the differences between one's own culture and a foreign culture. This type of oppression can lead to excessive nationalism, which can be used to justify racism, prejudice, and the persecution of minorities.

 

Questions to consider: Why do we assume that the way we do things in our country or part of the country is the right way, or the only way? Why do we fear what we don’t know? What is the difference between patriotism and ethnocentrism?

Questions to consider: What is the difference between sex and gender? Why is this distinction important? Are you treated differently because of your gender or your sex? Have you ever been discriminated or threatened because of the way you express your gender?

Religious Oppression

is the subordination, marginalization and persecution of an individual or group based on their religious or non-religious belief and/or practices. Occurring on the individual, cultural/societal, and institutional levels, religious oppression stems from opposing dualistic beliefs around religion, as well as certain teachings and traditions. Much like ethnocentrism, the dominant religious group of the society becomes engrained in its customs and traditions – including those that are secular/non-religious (e.g. court system, swearing on the Christian Bible)

 

Questions to consider: Do you assume that everyone celebrates Christmas? What about the holidays celebrated by other religions through the year? Why does anti-Semitism still exist? Do you contribute or rally against it in the 21st Century?

Sexism

is the individual, institutional, and societal/cultural beliefs and practices that privilege men and subordinate women. While women have increased representation in most professions, signficant patterns of jobsegregation and wage gaps persist. For instance, women make $.75 for every dollar men make in comparable positions. In recent years, a men's anti-sexism movement has arisen in several forms. Some emphasize male bonding and resdicovering "roots of deep masculinity" while others focus on pro-feminist issues.

Questions to consider: What is the difference between sex and gender? Why is this distinction important? Are you treated differently because of your gender or your sex? Have you ever been discriminated or threatened because of the way you express your gender?

Environmentalism

is a concern with the preservation of the natural environment, especially from human pollution, and the ethics and politics associated with this. Environmentalism includes the protection of natural resources, ecosystems, human life, and indigenous peoples. Some of the issues of concern for the environmental movement are pollution, species extinction, waste reduction, recycling, the threat of global warming and ozone depletion, and genetically engineered crops.

 

Questions to consider: Are we concerned about our environment? s this a moral issue? A political issue? What role do humans play in the protection of our environment?