All Rise Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity

by Fuller, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9781576753859
• ISBN10: 1576753859
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-11
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

Somebodies and Nobodies (2003) initially diagnosed the malady of rankism-what somebodies may do to nobodies. It is abuse and discrimination based on the power of rank, and it is on the rise in both the workplace and the political arena. This sequel to that bestselling title explores rankism's social and psychological costs and envisions a "dignitarian" society that disallows the abuse of rank. Drawing on his experience as a scientist, college president and public diplomat, Robert Fuller argues that we are all equal when it comes to dignity, an argument that will draw a wide audience and appeal to people in all camps.

Author Biography

Robert W. Fuller earned his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University and taught at Columbia, where he coauthored the classic text Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. The mounting social unrest of the 1960s drew his attention to educational reform, and at the age of thirty-three he was appointed president of Oberlin College, his alma mater.
In 1971 Fuller traveled to India as a consultant to Indira Gandhi, and there witnessed firsthand the famine resulting from the war with Pakistan over what became Bangladesh. With the election of Jimmy Carter, Fuller began a campaign to persuade the new president to end world hunger. His meeting with Carter in the Oval Office in June 1977 contributed to the establishment of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: What Is Rankism?	1	(12)
A Once and Future Nobody	1	(1)
The Abuse of Rank	2	(1)
Recognizing Rankism	3	(2)
Power Matters	5	(4)
The Dignitarian Perspective	9	(1)
Organization of this Book	10	(3)
CHAPTER 1: What's at Stake	13	(8)
Seeing Rankism Everywhere	13	(2)
Lethal Consequences	15	(4)
A Way Out?	19	(2)
CHAPTER 2: Dignity and Recognition	21	(14)
Dignity: A Universal Human Right	22	(2)
Indignity and Malrecognition	24	(4)
What Would a Dignity Movement Look Like?	28	(2)
Stages of the Movement	30	(2)
A Dignitarian Business Model	32	(3)
CHAPTER 3: Models of Dignity	35	(16)
We Are Model Builders	35	(1)
Models Are Everywhere	36	(2)
Models Evolve	38	(5)
Models Are Commonplace	43	(1)
Modeling Our Uses of Power	44	(3)
An Example from Higher Education: A Template for Remodeling Institutions	47	(4)
CHAPTER 4: Dignity in the Workplace	51	(24)
Ten Ways to Combat Rankism in the Workplace	52	(13)
When the Boss Is a Bully	65	(5)
Academia and Civil Service	70	(3)
An Example from the World of Dance	73	(2)
CHAPTER 5: Dignity in Education	75	(18)
Kids Are People, Too	75	(2)
Learning with Dignity	77	(3)
Antibullying Projects	80	(4)
One-Upmanship and Elitism in Academia	84	(4)
Educating a Population of Model Builders	88	(1)
Demystifying Enlightenment—Jefferson Redux	89	(4)
CHAPTER 6: Rankism Can Be Harmful to Your Health	93	(8)
The Evolving Doctor-Patient Relationship	93	(1)
Rankism Among Health Professionals	94	(1)
The Health Benefits of Recognition	95	(3)
Dignity: A Centerpiece of Health Care	98	(3)
CHAPTER 7: The Social Contract in a Dignitarian Society	101	(8)
Institutional Rankism and a Permanent Underclass	101	(1)
The Myth of Meritocracy	102	(2)
Models of "Democratic Capitalism"	104	(5)
CHAPTER 8: The Politics of Dignity	109	(12)
Is Rankism Human Nature?	110	(1)
The DNA of Democracy: Watchdog Processes	111	(2)
Navigating the Ship of State	113	(3)
A Dignitarian Model of Politics	116	(5)
CHAPTER 9: A Culture of Dignity	121	(22)
Fundamentalism and the Dignitarian Perspective	122	(1)
Ideology and the Dignitarian Perspective	123	(4)
Identity in a Dignitarian Culture: A Self Model for the Twenty-First Century	127	(4)
The Self: A Home for Identities	131	(2)
Survival Tips for Dignitarians	133	(7)
A Foreseeable Challenge	140	(3)
CHAPTER 10: Globalizing Dignity	143	(14)
The "Evolutionary Blues"	143	(1)
A World War in My Sandbox	144	(1)
A Dignitarian Alternative to War	145	(3)
What About Bad Guys?	148	(1)
Malrecognition and Counterterrorism	149	(4)
Handling "Domestic Violence" in the Global Village	153	(4)
CHAPTER 11: Religion in a Dignitarian World	157	(10)
Religion: Dignifier of Humankind	158	(1)
Religion and Science	158	(2)
Religion and Values	160	(3)
Religion and the Self	163	(2)
The Eye of God	165	(2)
CHAPTER 12: The Stealth Revolution	167	(6)
A Cautionary Note	168	(1)
The Long-Range View	168	(3)
Democracy's Next Step	171	(2)
AFTERWORD: All Rise for Dignity	173	(6)
Getting Started	173	(6)
Notes	179	(11)
Resources	190	(3)
Acknowledgments	193	(2)
Index	195	(9)
About the Author	204