Glossary of Cultural Terms Planning 10

Couple of video’s worth pondering That is so gay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS0GVOQPs0 Ellen Degeneres speaks out against Mississippi http://ellentube.com/videos/0-0wrxm7u9/

Classism A biased or discriminatory attitude based on distinctions made between social or economic classes.

Coming Out: As in “coming out of the closet”. Commonly referred to as telling others you are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and adopting an openly gay or lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender identity. Is usually an ongoing process.

Culture: The totality of ideas, beliefs, values, knowledge, habits, and way of life of a group of individuals who share certain historical experiences.

Discrimination: The practice or act of making distinctions between people based on such characteristics as ethnicity, nationality, language, faith, gender, (dis)ability, or sexual orientation, which leads to the inequitable treatment of individuals or groups There are two types of discrimination – direct and systemic.

Diversity: Refers to the unique characteristics that all people possess which distinguishes us as individuals, and that identify a group or groups. Diversity transcends concepts of culture, ethnicity, class, gender, religion. sexual orientation, and (dis)ability.

Dominant Culture: The group of people who have the most control and influence within a larger society (usually a white-European background).

First Nation: Indigenous nations existed in North America before the arrival of the European explorers. These are the First nations. This term can refer to a single band, or sometimes to a group of bands affiliated with a tribal council or cultural group. Note that the Province of British Columbia uses this term.

Heterosexism: Refers to social norms which dictate that being heterosexual is better or more than being lesbian, gay, or bi-sexual. Often, heterosexuals are not consciously aware of these standards, while lesbians, gays and bisexuals are acutely aware of them.

Homophobia: The fear of feelings of love for members of one’s own sex and therefore the hatred of those feelings in others.

Minority Group: A group of people within a given society that has little or no access to social, economic, political, cultural, or religious power.

Oppression: One is oppressed when one is subjected to unequal or unjust exercises of power or authority.

Prejudice To pre-judge someone (usually negative) based on assumptions about the individual and the group to which s/he belongs. (An attitude)

Racism: A set of mistaken assumptions, opinions, and actions resulting from the belief that one group is inherently superior to another. Racism may be present in organizational and institutional structures and programs, as well as in the attitudes and behaviours of individuals. Post Racism - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/se p/15/christian-refugees-are-fine-muslims-arent-in- a-post-racist-world-of-course-thats-not-racist

Silencing: The effect of oppression on individuals in situations where they are not comfortable speaking out against discrimination for fear of either overt and/or covert reprisal from the larger group.

Stereotype: A false or generalized conception of a group of people that results in the unconscious or conscious categorization of each member of that group, without regard for individual differences. Stereotypes are sustained by the tendency to perceive selectively only those pieces of new information that correspond to the stereotype.

Thoughts on How we use words - “I can’t stand the N-word. Never in public and rarely in private will I utter the most vile racial epithet in the English language. Whether growled by a redneck or cooed by a racist with a smile, the small six word has enormous power to strip an African American of his or her dignity and humanity. And when it is tossed around by other blacks like rhetorical confetti, especially by teenagers clearly oblivious of its broader implications, I cringe. But when it is used in a context to educate Americans about who we are, where we’ve been and how far we have to go, I’m all for it.” - Barack Obama https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/06/22/obama-is- right-about-the-n-word-and-racism/

This can be said about any discriminatory word we have come up with in the English Language. Unless it is used in the context of learning, the word(s) in or itself are vile, derogetory, negative, discriminatory, and for all intent and purpose demeaning of ones culture, race, sex and sexuality.