Dissing Discrimination

According to Cambridge Dictionary (2024), Discrimination is “treating a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their race, gender, sexuality, etc.” Discrimination has been a part of many countries’ histories. Some infamous examples include the Atlantic Slave Trade, the long-time exclusion of women in the voting process, and the Holocaust (Artis, 2018; UN, 2020; The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2024; Berenbaum, 2024). However, the civil rights efforts in various countries, ethnic groups, and governments have lessened discrimination’s impact around the world. These ranged from passing laws clamping down on discrimination in the workplace, raising awareness about other cultures, and displaying backgrounds, customs, and traditions to spread better understanding and communication with other cultural groups (“How to Prevent Discrimination in Your Workplace,” 2024; Ferguson, 2023). The last of the three methods mentioned is what we will focus on today.

There are several examples of these diversity-celebrating events. One instance is World Interfaith Harmony Week, a holiday from February 1–7 established in 2010 by King Abdullah II of Jordan as a way to promote harmony between citizens of different religions. Celebrations of the holiday were practiced by joint community work and multicultural bazaars (National Today, 2022).

Another holiday that promotes cultural cooperation is the International Day of Peace. Day of Peace Commemorations can take the form of sharing paper “peace cranes”, playing in soccer matches under the ‘One Day, One Goal” campaign with other nationalities, and taking a moment of silence to reflect on the value of peace (Pandit and Gavin, 2022; United Nations, 2023).

At home, the Philippines also has its displays of diversity. Pasalabuk is a festival where street dancing, parades, and songs express the tri-people nature of Mindanao’s people; as the region is home to Christians, Lumads, and Muslims (Moises, 2023).

One way to understand how discrimination can be eliminated or minimized through the method above is sociology.

Sociology is the study of how human behavior affects life, drives change, and influences the structure of society. It also investigates the causes behind human behavior and how it acts on social interactions (American Sociological Association, n.d.). Sociology has three major perspectives (CliffsNotes, n.d.). There is structural functionalism, where a unified culture is seen as what holds society together. Conflict theory is the opposite; the view is that a constant power struggle is assumed and the dominant culture of a society is imposed on other classes. The last is symbolic interactionism, where different cultures are seen to have shared meanings. In symbolic interactionism, more meanings shared means increased social order. Celebrations and displays of diversity rely on the perspective of symbolic interactionism, where the more cultures become aware of their similarities through cultural displays or otherwise, the more they see that friendship is worth more than conflict.

There are also other ways to eliminate or minimize discrimination. It is best to start with the outlook of cultural relativism. According to the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, cultural relativism is “the view that ethical and social standards reflect the cultural context from which they are derived.” It upholds that every culture has a different outlook, and involves looking at another culture from its perspective instead of one’s own culture. It considers the views from all sides equal.

Cultural relativism is actualized by a willingness to understand. There’s no harm in taking some time out of the day to learn about other cultures, visualize situations from their perspectives, and challenge any internal biases one may have. It’s always good to research and have an open mind before making an accidental cultural faux pas and ensure that everyone - regardless of culture, race, and sexuality — is treated equally with kindness, understanding, and thoughtfulness. With time and effort, discrimination can hopefully be relegated to where it should be — history.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Artis, J., III. (2018). The Root of Racism: How Slavery has led to the Condition of Discrimination Against Sub-Saharan Africans and Migrants in Morocco. Independent Study Project Collection, 3003. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3003/
2. Berenbaum, M. (2024, July 31). Holocaust | Definition, Concentration Camps, History, & facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Holocaust
3. Cambridge Dictionary. (2024). discrimination. In Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/discrimination
4. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. (2022). Cultural relativism. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/explore-engage/key-terms/cultural-relativism
5. Cherry, K. C. (2023, July 7). Understanding cultural relativism and its importance. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-cultural-relativism-7549709
6. Ferguson, S. (2023, November 3). 5 Ways to Fight Hate and Discrimination | UNICEF USA. UNICEF USA. https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/5-ways-fight-hate-and-discrimination
7. How to prevent discrimination in your workplace. (2024, March 14). BDC.ca. https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/employees/manage/how-eliminate-discrimination-from-your-workplace
8. International Day of Peace. (2024). What can you do | International Day of Peace. https://internationaldayofpeace.org/get-involved/
9. Moises, A. M. (2022, August 25). Essay and blog — Angelyne Marie Moises — medium. Medium. https://medium.com/@a.moises.c4/essay-and-blog-fccb0900d907
10. National Today. (2022, May 20). WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK — February 1–7, 2025 — National Today. https://nationaltoday.com/world-interfaith-harmony-week/
11. Pandit, P., & Gavin, J. (2022, September 21). 7 ways you can celebrate the International Day of Peace. Vision of Humanity. https://www.visionofhumanity.org/7-ways-you-can-celebrate-the-international-day-of-peace/
12. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, June 17). Structural functionalism | Definition, Examples, & Criticisms. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/structural-functionalism
13. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, July 30). Women’s suffrage | Definition, History, Causes, Effects, Leaders, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/woman-suffrage/The-United-States
14. United Nations. (2020). 2020: “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together” | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/rememberslavery/observance/2020
15. United Nations. (2023). International Day of Peace | ACTION GUIDE | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace/2023/action-guide

16. VOICES OF YOUTH. (2020, June 5). Five actions you can take against racism and discrimination via @voicesofyouth. Voices of Youth. https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/five-actions-you-can-take-against-racism-and-discrimination