Cultural Identities: Rankism and knowing your place


 


 


 


            According to  (2006a), there is a global disorder that is largely undiagnosed despite its significant effects on familial, social, employment and educational relationships. On one end of the spectrum, this disorder could lead to fights within the family; while on the other extreme end is interstate war linked to this disorder. Since the disorder is mostly undiagnosed, it needs to have a name in order to derive recognition and understanding from the people affected by the disorder.


Rankism is the term that refers to abuse emanating from differences in rank. Since it is a form of abuse, it creates a relationship of power imbalance between the stronger parties, those holding a higher rank, and the weaker parties, the people occupying lower positions. It also refers to exploitative or discriminatory attitude and behavior extended towards people perceived to have lesser power because they hold a lower rank. In rankism, ranking becomes a springboard for people holding higher ranks to abuse those placed at lower ranks. ( 2006a)


Rankism pervades all relationships. In families, the consideration of ranking as a basis for the exercise of power could lead to minor squabbles between siblings or even to familial animosities. In the workplace, rankism is exemplified by the exploitation experienced by lower ranking employees who are perceived as inferior by those placed at higher ranks. In the educational system, rankism is expressed through the use of performance measures that provide power-based privileges on selected students to the detriment of other students. Overall, rankism finds expression in assertions of cultural dominance or political supremacy based on higher ranks. ( 2006a)


On a personal note, it is only after learning about rankism that I realized that I have been at the unfavorable end of a situation involving rankism. As an ESL student, belonging to a family that migrated to Australia, I struggled to cope up with the new school curriculum. I passed through the phase of undergoing humiliation by being laughed at or cited because of my different English accent and my different cultural perspective. The sad thing about these experiences is that my classmates and even the teacher were not conscious that they were engaging in rankism and undermining my personal dignity. Perhaps it was this lack of realization that caused rankism’s largely undiagnosed nature.


In explaining rankism further,  (2006b) contends that although rankism is based on differences in rank, rank is not the underlying cause of the disorder. Depending upon the situation, rank plays a necessarily role in relationships. It is only when rank is inappropriately used as basis for the exercise of exploitative power that it becomes an unknowing tool for abuse. The author contends that “it is crucial to understand that, in and of itself, rank is not the problem. Unless rank is intrinsically illegitimate—as are, for example, the social rankings that have made second-class citizens of various identity groups—the trouble is not with rank per se but rather the abuse of the power that is a perquisite of rank” (p. 5). This means that the determination of the existence of rankism is highly contextual.


 


            Moreover, rank is a necessary factor in human relations but since rank becomes a tool in rankism only if this is abused to the exploitation of other people perceived as inferior rankism is not a naturally occurring disorder. This means that it develops from the perspectives of individuals on rank, their role in the hierarchy, and power plays. People who perceive rank as basis for wielding power to take advantage of the position, without concern over the possible exploitative effects of their actions, are likely to engage in rankism. ( 2006b) 


Since rankism stems from nurtured perceptions or attitudes, this disorder is very much treatable.  (2006b) propounds the ‘dignitarian university’ as a model for treating this disorder, particularly in the case of the academe. This is a model patterned after democratic principles. This model is understood through the point that “dignitarian governance does not necessarily mean giving everyone a vote on every issue, but it does mean giving everyone a voice” (). An example given of dignitarian governance is the creation of school committees and ensuring proper representation of interests in the group. In practicing the representative committee system, schools begin to attempt to uproot rankism and become institutions driving society towards the future.


 After ten years of residence in Australia, the number of ESL students increased. With the growing number, albeit still a minority sector, came greater recognition, understanding and representation in the different spheres of the academe. The result is the consideration of the additional needs of ESL students in curriculum development and cultural consciousness in the academe population, which are situations conducive to the proper assumption of rank.    



Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com


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