Othering

I think “yet” is one of the most powerful words in the English language for all the right reasons. I’ve written on this topic before. I think “other” is one of the most powerful words in the English language for all the wrong reasons. Hear me out.

Merriam-Webster has a definition that reads: one considered by members of a dominant group as alien, exotic, threatening, or inferior (as because of different racial, sexual, or cultural characteristics).

While there are overt words people use that are cutting, demeaning, derogatory, and divisive, there is no nuance in the use of such language. It’s in your face. Other, by contrast, is quiet, subtle, seemingly innocuous. It can work its way into our thinking and speaking in a way that we might not even realize. But the result is the same – identifying a person as something other than what we are. And, typically, something lesser.

It's very easy to engage in “othering” right now. We see daily examples of it happening in all walks of life – politics, entertainment, religion, arts, culture, families, friends, etc. And it feels like the “othering” rhetoric is really ramping up. A few months ago, I wrote a longer piece about the dehumanization of America that touches on this concept.

So…what do we do? How do we keep from falling into the trap of othering (and, believe me, sometimes it feels good to “other” people or groups that we strongly disagree with)? It’s hard. It’s really hard. It requires us to step back, take a deep breath, and look at the world through a human lens. I get it, sometimes we don’t want to – sometimes we just want to demonize and villainize that…person.

Interestingly, the MasterClass series has a whole post on Othering. It’s evolved into that big of a problem for there to be a dedicated piece just on this topic. At a high level, here are their suggestions to combat othering:

• Be mindful of built-in bias. We’ve all been exposed to negative stereotypes that have been reinforced over and over again.   

• Educate oneself about different cultures (and sub-cultures). It helps us recognize how much we really have in common.

• Meet new people. New perspectives and new ideas can help evolve our worldview.

• View people as individuals. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings.

I truly believe the more we see individuals as partners and comrades on a complex journey through life – rather than enemies or “others” – the sooner we can move to a place of compassion and kindness. I’m probably naïve, but I’m ok with that.

Until next week.

Andy