tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/respect-37204/articlesRespect – The Conversation2024-03-13T12:06:02Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2241702024-03-13T12:06:02Z2024-03-13T12:06:02ZCorrupt, brutal and unprofessional? Africa-wide survey of police finds diverging patterns<p>Africans generally have a low regard for the quality of policing on the continent. Perceptions of police misconduct, corruption and brutality are widespread, according to a new survey by <a href="https://www.afrobarometer.org/">Afrobarometer</a>. The independent research network surveyed 39 countries between 2021 and 2023. </p>
<p>Our survey offers <a href="https://www.afrobarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/PP90-PAP6-Africans-cite-corruption-and-lack-of-professionalism-among-police-failings-Afrobarometer-26jan24.pdf">new evidence</a> of how Africans experience and assess their police. It shows people often have to contend with demands for bribes from police officers. But assessments varied by country: in some, police were said to be helpful.</p>
<p>Afrobarometer currently surveys 39 of Africa’s <a href="https://au.int/en/member_states/countryprofiles2#">55 countries</a>.</p>
<p>As researchers at Afrobarometer, we have published on <a href="https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/pp88-brutality-and-corruption-undermine-trust-in-ugandas-police-can-damage-be-undone/">police professionalism</a> and other <a href="https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/pp37-are-africans-willing-pay-higher-taxes-or-user-fees-better-health-care/">government institutions</a> for several years. </p>
<p>Our analysis also reveals that negative perceptions of police professionalism and corruption go hand in hand with low public trust in the police, poor marks on government performance, and citizens’ sense of insecurity.</p>
<h2>Encounters with police</h2>
<p>While some citizens seek assistance from the police (to report a crime, for example), others might only encounter the police in less voluntary situations, such as at a checkpoint or traffic stop or during an investigation. Across the 39-country sample, only 13% of respondents said they had requested police assistance during the previous 12 months. Three times as many (40%) reported encountering the police in other situations.</p>
<p>Among respondents who asked for police assistance, more than half (54%) said it had been easy to get the help they needed. More than three-fourths found it easy in Burkina Faso (77%) and Mauritius (76%), though no more than half as many said the same in Malawi (37%), Madagascar (37%) and Sudan (33%). </p>
<p>Many respondents reported a police practice that was less than helpful: stopping drivers on the road without a valid reason. On average, 39% of Africans said the police “often” or “always” stopped drivers without good reason, in addition to 26% who said they “sometimes” did so (Figure 1). The practice is particularly widespread in Gabon (68% often/always) and Kenya (66%). In contrast, fewer than one in five respondents in Ethiopia (18%), Cabo Verde (16%) and Benin (16%) had this complaint.</p>
<p>Both seeking police assistance and being stopped on the road may be a prelude to being asked for money. Among respondents who said they had asked for police assistance during the previous year, 36% said they had had to pay a bribe, give a gift or do a favour to get the help they needed (Figure 2). This proportion reached astonishing levels in Liberia (78%), Nigeria (75%), Sierra Leone (72%) and Uganda (71%).</p>
<p>Similarly, among citizens who encountered the police in other situations, 37% said they had to pay a bribe to avoid a problem. Liberia (70%) again ranked worst, joined by Guinea (66%), Congo-Brazzaville (65%) and Uganda (64%).
Seychelles and Cabo Verde performed best on both counts (1%-4%).</p>
<p>Considering how many Africans personally experience having to bribe the police, it may not be surprising that on average across 39 countries, the police were more widely seen as corrupt than civil servants, officials in the presidency, or any other public institutions or leaders the surveys asked about. Almost half (46%) of respondents said that “most” or “all” police officials were corrupt.</p>
<h2>Police brutality</h2>
<p>One of the harshest criticisms levelled against some police officers was that they used excessive force in their interactions with the people they were meant to serve and protect. </p>
<p>As Figure 3 shows, almost four in 10 respondents (38%) said the police “often” or “always” used excessive force in managing protests or demonstrations. Another 27% said they “sometimes” did so. Only 29% said the police were “rarely” or “never” guilty of brutality in their handling of protesters. The perception of frequent police brutality against protesters was most common in Gabon (64% often/always) and was widespread in some countries that are scheduled to have national elections this year, including <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/three-dead-senegal-protests-over-delayed-presidential-election-2024-02-11/">Senegal</a> (60%), Guinea (51%) and Tunisia (45%).</p>
<h2>Police professionalism</h2>
<p>Do these popular perceptions add up to a police force that is seen as professional?</p>
<p>Only one-third (32%) of respondents said the police in their countries “often” or “always” operated in a professional manner and respected the rights of all citizens, while 32% said they “sometimes” and 34% said they “rarely” or “never” did (Figure 4).</p>
<p>In just five countries did more than half of the respondents think their police usually acted professionally: Burkina Faso (58%), Morocco (57%), Niger (55%), Benin (54%) and Mali (54%). Senegal ranked sixth, at just 50%. Fewer than one in five respondents saw police as usually professional in Sierra Leone (19%), Eswatini (19%), Kenya (18%), Congo-Brazzaville (17%) and Nigeria (13%).</p>
<h2>Significance of findings</h2>
<p>These findings raise questions about the quality of policing on the African continent, highlighting notably negative experiences and evaluations of the police in many – but not all – countries. For example, in Burkina Faso, Morocco and Benin, police scored relatively well across multiple performance indicators. </p>
<p>More broadly, our findings point to broad cross-country patterns of how police professionalism, integrity and respectful conduct are correlated with more positive citizen attitudes towards the police. </p>
<p>African governments looking to change the unfavourable public perceptions of the police – and of government performance in the fight against crime – might take a closer look at which dimensions of police performance matter in their country, and which better-performing police forces might have solutions to share.</p>
<p><em>All graphics have been redacted from showing 39 countries to 10 because of space constraints.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224170/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Matthias Krönke works for Afrobarometer. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Thomas Isbell works in International Development Cooperation. He is affiliated with Afrobarometer. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Makanga Ronald Kakumba is a researcher in the Afrobarometer Analysis Unit. He is affiliated with Uhasselt University. </span></em></p>Negative perceptions of police professionalism and corruption go hand in hand with low public trust in the police, poor marks on government performance, and citizens’ sense of insecurity.Matthias Krönke, Researcher, University of Cape TownThomas Isbell, Consultant, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2081682023-06-28T12:34:48Z2023-06-28T12:34:48ZMedical students honor body donors through words, deeds and ceremonies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534396/original/file-20230627-27-sd4cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C1024%2C677&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Donors' bodies lie covered in an anatomy lab at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/march-2023-hesse-gie%C3%9Fen-couch-with-covered-body-donations-news-photo/1249666093?adppopup=true">Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/six-charged-trafficking-stolen-human-remains">Six people were charged</a> on June 14, 2023, with buying and selling human remains stolen from the Harvard Medical School morgue and from an Arkansas mortuary. The macabre story <a href="https://apnews.com/article/stolen-human-body-parts-harvard-medical-school-a33afcd82908dda340f4c1df18e7b43f">made national headlines</a>, particularly the indictment of Cedric Lodge: a morgue manager at Harvard from 1995 until earlier this year.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/team/amy-lawton-phd">a scholar in the sociology of religion</a>, <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860685608">my research</a> explores practices related to whole-body donation in medical schools across the United States. While these accusations against Lodge are deeply troubling, they are an aberration: Medical school communities go to incredible lengths to respect and honor the people who donate their bodies to science.</p>
<p>Much of this happens behind closed doors. The serious scientific work of anatomical study is undergirded by practices that promote the donors’ dignity, including memorial ceremonies to honor their gift. I conducted <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860685608">a census of allopathic medical schools</a> – schools that grant the M.D. degree – and analyzed recordings of 60 donor memorial ceremonies, as well as other materials.</p>
<h2>Foundation of learning</h2>
<p>Despite advances made in technology, including virtual reality and 3D anatomy software, dissecting a real human body is generally considered irreplaceable in Western medical education. Substitutions result in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1859">less effective instruction</a>, leading to lower scores on practical and written examinations. One benefit is that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1758">students who learn from dissection</a> see normal bodies, with diversity, variations and imperfections that would not be evident on models. Faculty <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860685608">views donor bodies as essential</a> because they are always accurate and up to date, which cannot always be said about books or software. </p>
<p>In the U.S., medical schools <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/08/17/body-donations-medical-school/">accept bodies from donors</a> and next of kin. A minority of institutions <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1853">accept unclaimed bodies</a>, but their use is controversial.</p>
<p>Bodies’ importance goes beyond their effectiveness as a teaching tool. Anatomy lab marks the students’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.b.20117">initiation into the medical profession</a>. It teaches not only anatomy but the value of the human person, professionalism, ethics and clinical skills such as diagnosis. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young brunette woman wearing gloves rinses a human heart in a sink in an anatomy lab." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534397/original/file-20230627-35262-9zpqxh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The lessons medical students learn from donor bodies go beyond anatomy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/liz-harkin-uses-a-running-tap-to-clean-out-a-human-heart-news-photo/145376204?adppopup=true">Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>From day one, medical students studying gross anatomy are encouraged to think of the donor body as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/31/science/donor-bodies-medical-school-appreciation.html">their “first patient</a>,” someone for whom they will care and from whom they will learn. Medical students are responsible for preserving the body, performing dissections correctly so as not to cause unnecessary mutilation, and speaking of the body and the donor respectfully. </p>
<p>Students work in teams, each of which is usually responsible for dissecting one body. Many also feel a sense of responsibility toward their donors – a duty to learn as much as they can, taking full advantage of the gift they have been given.</p>
<h2>Reflection and respect</h2>
<p>At the end of the semester, students say goodbye to the donors. My research found that more than nine out of 10 allopathic medical schools mark this occasion with a memorial ceremony. <a href="https://thedo.osteopathic.org/2018/03/acom-honors-anatomical-donors-memorial-space-reflection/">Ceremonies also take place</a> at schools for other branches of health care, such as <a href="https://www.liberty.edu/lucom/news/lucom-class-of-2024-hosts-annual-symbolic-memorial-honoring-first-patients/">osteopathy</a> and <a href="https://blogs.chapman.edu/crean/2015/04/08/honoring-those-who-give-life-to-science-donor-memorial-ceremony/">physical therapy</a>. Wherever students learn from body donors, they gather together to express their gratitude for a gift that can never be reciprocated.</p>
<p>Some ceremonies are conducted before an audience that includes the friends and families of all body donors used that year. Some are open to the medical school community, and others are for the students alone. For many, these donors have played a transformative role in their lives. It is common to hear students refer to their donors as a friend or mentor. </p>
<p>At the 2018 University of Iowa ceremony, a student reflected: “I know her hands, her feet, what parts of her may have ached towards the end of life, which organs let her down. I spent countless hours as her pupil. She taught me things about life that no living person ever could. When I was confused and needed time to think, she was patient. My donor entrusted me with the intimate gift of her body to learn about the topics that make my heart race.” </p>
<p>Learning in the anatomy lab and participating in a donor memorial ceremony have something important in common. Both experiences <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/sacred">stand apart from everyday life</a>, making them, in a sense, sacred. These ceremonies set aside a special time and space for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.10188">reflection and remembrance</a> – time and space that busy medical students do not usually have.</p>
<p>Unlike most memorial services, these students have no personal memories of the deceased. In fact, some are not even told their donor’s first name, which is often concealed to preserve privacy.</p>
<p>Yet they know at least one fact: This person cared about medicine and other people’s health. Students reflect on how generous and principled the donors must have been – as well as their families, who were willing to carry out loved ones’ wishes in their time of grief. Though students did not witness donors’ lives, they can still <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860685608">celebrate and honor them</a>. </p>
<p>A student at the University of Cincinnati’s 2019 service shared: “I am overwhelmed with respect and gratitude for all our donors. … As we gather here today, let’s remember the legacy that all of these donors and family members have left in all of us, and celebrate the legacy that they continue to forge even after death.” </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rows of young people in white medical coats stand respectfully outside at a ceremony." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534452/original/file-20230627-27-jgyme6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Medical students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center attend the Ceremony of Thanksgiving in Memory of Anatomical Donors in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/HonoringTheirGifts/57639ee975e143e6b8acc8d0048f069b/photo?Query=donor%20body%20ceremony&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=41&currentItemNo=7">AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis</a></span>
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<p>A donor body’s gift cannot be “paid back,” but medical students can try to pay it forward. Many describe ways they will try to serve others, as the donor did. Some doctors-to-be express a sense that the donors will forever guide their hands.</p>
<p>There is no foolproof way to prevent bad actors in any institution. Yet research into donor memorial ceremonies shows that no one takes the gift of body donation more seriously than the recipients.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208168/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Lawton received funding from the Templeton Religion Trust administered through the Issachar Fund.</span></em></p>The lessons students learn from dissecting donor bodies go beyond anatomy – and they try to pay that gift forward.Amy Lawton, Research Manager, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, Brandeis UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2017492023-05-01T12:10:44Z2023-05-01T12:10:44ZRespectful persuasion is a relay race, not a solo sprint – 3 keys to putting it in practice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522413/original/file-20230421-26-rahwwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C3%2C2189%2C1352&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sure, you can try to force people to agree with you -- but respectful persuasion is something else.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/person-attracts-people-to-his-side-with-a-magnet-royalty-free-image/1310600143?phrase=persuasion&adppopup=true">Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2024 presidential election is still a year and a half away, but it can feel much closer: President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/-joe-biden-president-election-2024-campaign-announcement-rcna80990">has made his reelection bid official</a>, presumed candidates are <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/ron-desantis-pennsylvania-harrisburg-florida-presidential-20230401.html">giving out-of-state speeches</a>, pundits are already <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3863529-three-reasons-nikki-haleys-candidacy-is-a-race-to-watch/">weighing in on nomination hopefuls</a>, and social media is, as ever, a mess of people trying to persuade strangers to back their favorite. All for good reason: Even a little political persuasion in the next year could change the course of history.</p>
<p>I’m a philosopher <a href="https://phil.washington.edu/people/colin-marshall">who studies and teaches the ethics of persuasion</a>. My students are eager to find ways to persuade their friends, family and neighbors about political issues such as climate change and abortion. Moreover, many of them want to persuade with integrity: They want to engage the people they’re talking with respectfully, instead of using the manipulative tricks they regularly see in politics and marketing. But what is respectful persuasion, and what distinguishes it from disrespectful manipulation?</p>
<p>There’s no simple formula for respectful persuasion. However, some philosophers see crucial hints in the work of <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/">18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant</a>, whose theory of respect has guided many ethicists and policymakers for the past two centuries.</p>
<p>Drawing on Kant’s work, and that of other philosophers inspired by him, I think we can isolate three key components of respectful persuasion. This isn’t just an academic exercise. My students and I have found that these factors increase the chances of deep, meaningful conversation.</p>
<h2>1. Giving reasons</h2>
<p>Broadly speaking, reasons are considerations that rationally support some belief or action, including both empirical evidence and abstract arguments. For example, astronauts’ pictures of a round Earth rationally support the belief that the Earth is round. When we sincerely give someone reasons, we show respect for their rationality: their ability to recognize good reasons. </p>
<p>By contrast, a <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-manipulation/">hallmark of manipulation</a> is bypassing rationality, such as repeatedly exposing people to false statements to make them appear true – something that psychologists call the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-019-01651-4">illusory truth effect</a>.”</p>
<p>Manipulation can be effective, but psychologists have found that persuasion using reasons <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4964-1_1">is more durable</a> than nonrational persuasion such as repetition-based tricks. For example, someone who comes to believe in climate change based on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-everyone-needs-to-know-about-climate-change-in-6-charts-170556">scientific evidence</a> probably will not be as easily swayed later on by repeated exposure to climate skepticism. The rational support that good reasons provide for a belief can make that belief more stable. </p>
<h2>2. Being open to learning</h2>
<p>Giving reasons is not difficult by itself. The second component of respectful persuasion, however, is much more challenging: being open to receiving the other side’s reasons – a form of intellectual humility. This is especially hard for persuaders, since they have to give up some of the time they would have used to make their case.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A centuries-old painting of a serious-looking seated man in a powdered wig and brown suit." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522414/original/file-20230421-14-ljke0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=909&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Kant’s ideas about respect are still helpful for thinking through sticky situations today.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/immanuel-kant-portrait-painting-by-d%C3%B6bler-1791-german-news-photo/171223546?adppopup=true">Culture Club/Hulton Archive via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Kant expressed this core idea nicely. Even someone encountering a person whose opinion seems obviously wrong, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813306">Kant wrote</a>, has “a duty … to suppose that his judgment must yet contain some truth and to seek this out.” This isn’t merely a suggestion to listen to people one wants to persuade. Instead, respect demands actively seeking out truth in what the other person says. </p>
<p>In fact, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217697695">some studies</a> suggest that intellectual humility makes people better able to evaluate the strength of arguments. This means that intellectually humble people may be more likely to recognize that a persuader’s arguments are actually better than their own, and have to reconsider their views – which can pose a real risk <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.5.789">to someone’s self-esteem</a>.</p>
<p>But being open to other people’s reasons also increases the chance of their being open to yours – a form of reciprocity in which you take turns learning from each other. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12773">Decades of psychological research</a> have shown that, especially in two-person exchanges, people value reciprocity in communication and see it as a way of treating each other fairly. </p>
<p>In other words, if you show openness to learning from someone else, rather than just lecturing, it may seem fair to them to be open to you too. </p>
<p>That is why faking this kind of respect can be a powerful manipulative tool. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055419000923">psychologically savvy canvasser</a>, for instance, can manipulate swing voters by pretending to be open to learning about their own opinions. But this carries its own risk, since people who discover they have been manipulated <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24332280">may resent it</a>.</p>
<h2>3. Live and let live</h2>
<p>Kant’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813306">central principle of respect</a> is that one should “not degrade any other as a mere means” to one’s ends. This requires people to rein in their own self-love out of consideration for others. In popular culture, this might be summed up in the idea of “live and let live”: Other things being equal, we shouldn’t interfere in other people’s lives. </p>
<p>Overlooking this principle can make persuasion disrespectful in a variety of ways, even when the persuader has good intentions. The philosopher <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/chinesestudies/tsai-george/">George Tsai</a> argues that this happens <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/papa.12026">in cases of unsolicited advice</a>: Imagine, he writes, that while your date goes to the restroom, an eavesdropping stranger tells you that she thinks you could do better. Even if the stranger is right, it’s simply none of her business.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two men in business attire chat while a woman in a sleeveless white top listens in, looking concerned." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522415/original/file-20230421-18-phutz5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Having an opinion doesn’t mean you need to share it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businesswoman-eavesdropping-on-conversation-royalty-free-image/1316007542?phrase=eavesdropping&adppopup=true">DragonImages/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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<p>Another example of how interference can make persuasion disrespectful is that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-the-time-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-what-should-you-say-to-someone-who-refuses-to-wear-a-mask-a-philosopher-weighs-in-142898">changing someone’s mind</a> can harm their dignity and disrupt their connection to their community. For example, say that you persuade a relative who lives in a small ranching community to become vegan. That change might lead to their being ostracized by people they rely on.</p>
<p>Because persuasion can affect other people’s lives in many ways, this third component of respect is the most difficult to adhere to. Sometimes, people may be justified in interfering in other people’s lives, such as if lives are at stake or in particularly <a href="https://doi.org/10.5206/fpq/2016.2.1">close relationships</a> – but those are special circumstances. </p>
<h2>One conversation at a time</h2>
<p>In class, my students attempt to persuade one another four times, using a range of formats: five minutes vs. a whole week; in person vs. over Zoom. At the end, they score one another on effectiveness and respectfulness.</p>
<p>My students are smart, informed and passionate, and the class offers them a positive, carefully structured environment. Despite all that, they almost never succeed in persuading one another – at least not when it comes to politics.</p>
<p>Something interesting happens, though, when they let respect guide their conversations. Instead of launching into lectures, they start seeing each exchange as an opportunity to learn from each other – perhaps as an opportunity to leave their partner thinking about something in a new way, without fully persuading them.</p>
<p>If you approach our conversation as a chance to exchange ideas, without trying to change my mind, you may lay a cornerstone of trust. That, in turn, could make me more receptive to similar viewpoints in the future – even if I’m speaking with other people. Truly respectful political persuasion might best be seen as an extended team effort, not a one-time, one-person task.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201749/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin Marshall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Immanuel Kant’s ideas about respect are still important today, in a world where social media and echo chambers make manipulation easy.Colin Marshall, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1906022022-10-06T13:43:48Z2022-10-06T13:43:48ZZulu monarchy: how royal women have asserted their agency and power throughout history<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/484899/original/file-20220915-37506-jywf4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA-EFE/Phill Magakoe/AFP Pool</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The passing away of South Africa’s Zulu king <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/eidos-news/obituary-zulu-king-goodwill-zwelithini-72-died-on-friday-20210312/">Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu</a> in March 2021 refocused attention on the role of royal women in Zulu leadership. After the official mourning period, and to the surprise of many observers, the late king’s will <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/kzn/update-queen-mantfombi-madlamini-zulu-to-reign-as-regent-until-installation-of-next-king-20210322/">appointed</a> his senior wife Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu to hold the throne for his successor. </p>
<p>Queen Mantfombi <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/kzn/queen-mantfombi-dlamini-zulus-obituary-20210430/?fbclid=IwAR10PkNlTJf5_L6e37tk2NM8BNwk0tD3dRS2HsnwsHWT6iezFvpHK7cpFpI">died</a> six weeks later. Her will named her son <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/kzn/new-zulu-king-aims-to-unite-the-royal-family-20210603/">Misuzulu kaZwelithini</a> as the heir.</p>
<p>In response, Zwelithini’s first wife Queen Sibongile Dlamini Zulu and her daughters, Ntombizosuthu kaZwelithini and Ntandokayise kaZwelithini, <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-01-13-legal-tussle-over-zulu-royal-family-succession-could-take-years-to-resolve/">challenged the late king’s will in court</a>. They tried to prevent Misuzulu’s installation.</p>
<p>These contestations are only the latest episodes in a long history of royal women’s agency in the affairs of the Zulu kingdom. </p>
<p>Since 2010, the South African government has formally recognised seven kingdoms in the country. Of these, the Zulu royal house is the best financially supported. As a result of secret <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2019-08-07-secret-details-of-the-land-deal-that-brought-the-ifp-into-the-94-poll/">negotiations</a> in the last days of apartheid, the Zulu king is the largest landowner in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the sole trustee of nearly 30% of KwaZulu-Natal’s land. South African taxpayers <a href="https://africasacountry.com/2021/04/the-king-is-dead">support the royal family</a> to the tune of R75 million (over US$4 million) each year.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-zulu-kingship-judgment-tells-us-about-the-future-of-south-african-customary-law-178786">What the Zulu kingship judgment tells us about the future of South African customary law</a>
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<p>As scholars of traditional authority in the region that is now KwaZulu-Natal, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02582473.2021.1937300?scroll=top&needAccess=true">we convened</a> a roundtable after Zwelithini’s passing with historian Jabulani Sithole to reflect on how historians have written about the king. As we noted in the roundtable, this necessary attention to Zwelithini and his forefathers has obscured the agency exerted by royal Zulu women in state-building. Historians still have much to explore on this topic. The isiZulu language, <em>izibongo</em> (praises) and place names are among the sources still to be mined in depth. But Zwelithini’s passing provides a starting point for reflection on the role of senior royal women in Zulu history.</p>
<h2>Gender, status and access to power</h2>
<p>In the historical polities of southeastern Africa, gender and generation shaped a person’s status and access to power. Respect for elders was encouraged. Women carried many responsibilities in showing respect for men. Men, too, were required to show deference for senior women – including mothers, mothers-in-law and royal women.</p>
<p>As the historian <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sifiso-Ndlovu">Sifiso Ndlovu</a> has argued, among royals,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the primary principles of social organisation were seniority, defined by lineage and relative age.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This does not mean gender did not come into play. As Ndlovu points out, some of the praises of royal women masculinise them. The <em>izibongo</em> of Queen okaMsweli, who was the mother of King <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/king-dinuzulu">Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo</a>, describe her as “uSomakoyisa”. This praise positions her as “the tough and uncompromising one”. The prefix “so” depicts a male figure (versus “no” to refer to a female). </p>
<h2>Reinforcing customs, fighting succession battles</h2>
<p>Perhaps most famous of the powerful Zulu women are Regent Queen Mkabayi kaJama, regent for Senzangakhona kaJama, and the Queen Mother Nandi. </p>
<p>Regent Queen Mkabayi operated as a senior member of the Zulu kingdom during its height in the early 19th century. She was responsible for enforcing custom and advising kings <a href="https://sahistory.org.za/people/shaka-zulu">Shaka kaSenzangakhona</a> and <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/king-dingane-ka-senzangakhona">Dingane kaSenzangakhona</a> as part of a military council. The <em>izibongo</em> of Queen Nandi present her as a strong-willed and protective mother who advocated for her son Shaka’s ascendancy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-a-new-traditional-courts-bill-but-it-doesnt-protect-indigenous-practices-190938">South Africa has a new traditional courts bill. But it doesn't protect indigenous practices</a>
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<hr>
<p>Royal women defended the Zulu monarchy during times of assault and civil war. For example, Novimbi okaMsweli advised her son Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo in the wake of the Zulu civil war that followed the British annexation of Zululand. While he was exiled to Saint Helena, she kept him updated and cooperated with the prime minister of the Zulu, Mankulumana kaSophunga.</p>
<p>Royal women also defended King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo during his trial after <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/bambatha-rebellion-1906"><em>impi yamakhanda</em></a> (the war of the heads, or Bambatha’s Rebellion) in 1906, collaborating with Anglican missionary <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/harriette-emily-colenso">Harriette Colenso</a> to position the leader as protecting Zulu autonomy. </p>
<p>These royal women played important roles in succession disputes. <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Zulu_Woman.html?id=5ZTelqdJKgQC&redir_esc=y">Christina Sibiya</a>, the wife of King Solomon kaDinuzulu, provided her son <a href="https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/23611">Cyprian Nyangayezinzwe Bhekuzulu kaSolomon</a> with the impetus to claim the throne. She also testified in 1945 to the government commission that found her son to be the rightful heir.</p>
<p>In 1969, King Cyprian’s widows and Princess Greta <a href="https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/44558d306?locale=en">manoeuvred</a> to have Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu installed. Princess Nonhlanhla shaped the official account of Zwelithini’s ascendancy and rule through her contribution to his <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/King_of_Goodwill.html?id=ufAwAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">authorised biography</a>.</p>
<p>During King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s long reign, royal women played key roles in sustaining and reestablishing cultural inheritances. The late king’s fourth wife, Queen Buhle kaMathe, revitalised uMkhosi woMhlanga (the <a href="https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/sights-and-sounds-from-umkhosi-womhlanga-2022/">Reed Dance</a>), a long-standing ceremony to celebrate Zulu womanhood, and held major cultural events at her palace.</p>
<p>Princess Ntandoyenkosi was granted the title of “head of the maidens” in 2005. Mukelile kaThandekile Jane Ndlovu Zulu and Nqobangothando kaNophumelelo MaMchiza Zulu promoted <em>izintombi zomhlanga</em> (virginity testing) revivals and a controversial <a href="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-06-16-virginity-testing-gender-equality-commission-bans-maiden-bursaries/">bursary for “maidens”</a> proposed in 2016.</p>
<p>The claim by Queen Sibongile that she is entitled to half of the <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/kzn/zulu-royals-standoff-not-about-throne-but-about-who-gets-what-in-the-will-20210624/">royal estate</a> as Zwelithini’s only legal wife shows new forms of agency for the women of the royal family. It remains to be seen what role King Misuzulu’s new wife, Queen <a href="https://www.citizen.co.za/witness/news/kzn/meet-zulu-kings-wife-to-be-ntokozo-mayisela-20210515/">Ntokozo Mayisela</a>, will take in the public sphere.</p>
<h2>Sustaining chiefdoms</h2>
<p>Beyond the inner circle of the Zulu kingdom, there are instances of women sustaining chiefdoms in the early decades of colonial rule in Natal. The scholar Felix Jackson <a href="https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10413/12460/Jackson_Eva_Aletta_2014.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">shows women members of chiefly elites</a> attempting to reestablish polities in these difficult years.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africas-goodwill-zwelithini-the-zulu-king-without-a-kingdom-156965">South Africa's Goodwill Zwelithini: the Zulu king without a kingdom</a>
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</p>
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<p>Zulu women don’t have a single, homogeneous status. Not all women enjoyed access to political power. But there were those who actively engaged in politics and governance. Their influence is yet to get full attention and understanding.</p>
<p>The intrigues of the succession dispute remind us that much more historical research is needed on women’s access to power.</p>
<p><em>Jabulani Sithole, a commissioner in the KwaZulu-Natal Commission for Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims, contributed to the research.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190602/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jill E. Kelly's research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies and Fulbright.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Timbs has received funding from Fulbright </span></em></p>Royal women play important roles in succession disputes, such as the naming of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s heir.Jill E. Kelly, Associate Professor of History, Southern Methodist UniversityLiz Timbs, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina WilmingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1848472022-06-13T13:44:36Z2022-06-13T13:44:36ZGrenfell Tower: the difficult task of creating a fitting memorial to the tragedy<p>In the days and weeks after the 2017 <a href="https://theconversation.com/grenfell-tower-disaster-how-did-the-fire-spread-so-quickly-79445">Grenfell Tower tragedy</a>, in which 72 people lost their lives in a fire that consumed the 24-storey residential block in North Kensington, London, dozens of memorials appeared in the vicinity of the building. People brought flowers and pictures and green ribbons. They made hearts and mosaics. They painted graffiti. They went on silent walks. </p>
<p>Five years on, many of these spontaneous creations are still there. They speak powerfully to the pain and loss in the community. But through lack of maintenance and ownership, or simply because they were not designed to withstand the elements and the passing of time, they are already showing signs of decay. The risk of their disappearing entirely comes with the fear that the memory of what happened will be lost too.</p>
<p>This is why, in 2019, the Grenfell Tower memorial commission was created. The purpose was to formalise how the site would be remembered and to ensure the community is <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-housing-tenants-need-their-voices-heard-heres-how-to-make-it-happen-130265">heard</a>. </p>
<p>In May 2022, the commission published <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61456786">an interim report</a> entitled Remembering Grenfell: Our Journey So Far. It relays the breadth of ideas and concerns expressed to date, over what form this memorial should take.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877916621000497">Research shows</a> that collectively remembering a difficult past in this way – via a structure or object intended to endure – is not an easy task. For a memorial to serve its purpose, it needs to be peaceful and reflective. It needs to promote <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-remembering-matters-for-healing-94565">remembrance</a>, hope and community. Respect is fundamental. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A green-painted section of wall with a floral mosaic, floral tributes and written messages." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468412/original/file-20220613-22566-dxwwmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">CAPTION.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/north-kensingtonlondon-july-18-2019-memorial-1611582916">JessicaGirvan | Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>How to create a fitting memorial</h2>
<p>The Grenfell Tower memorial commission represents three main communities: bereaved family members; survivors of the fire; and residents of the Lancaster West Estate, in which the tower stands. With the help of public engagement company Kaizen, it has sought to reach as many people as possible – via recorded conversations, online community meetings and weekend drop-in sessions – and will continue to do so until January 2023. </p>
<p>A design brief will then be developed in order to open a public competition between April 2023 and April 2024. The plan is to start building the memorial by December 2024. </p>
<p>So far, as the report relays, about 20% of bereaved individuals, 6.2% former residents of Grenfell tower and Grenfell Walk (who have now been fully relocated to new homes) and 28% of the residents of the wider Lancaster housing estate, have already shared their views. This is a good starting point. </p>
<p>With over 2,000 participants, recognising the views of all those affected, and co-designing something that encompasses all those views, is a challenge. As the report’s authors put it, “part of the way forward might be to accept that we cannot make all the pain go away or make it better.” </p>
<p>Many bereaved family members are still grieving and are simply not ready to engage in the memorial design. The commission is nonetheless adamant to “never make a decision by numbers, without thinking through whether it meets the needs of bereaved families as well as others.” The silence of these community members should also be part of the remembrance process. </p>
<p>The site of the memorial will become a sacred space, a place where the remains of the victims that were not identified will be put to rest and a place where those who were can be honoured by their families.</p>
<p>The report speaks to people’s hopes that the memorial will materialise the pain of families and also their collective determination that this never happen again. “Justice,” the authors write, “is incredibly important to the Grenfell community.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, the aim is is that the site become a beacon to ensure the nation does not forget this shameful episode. And that it never be used as housing again. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A shot of a high-rise building that has been burned." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468410/original/file-20220613-47433-deifyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The tower stands as a constant reminder of the tragedy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-united-kingdom-june-24-2017-666265843">dominika zara | Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>The shapes the memorial could take</h2>
<p>In keeping with other <a href="https://theconversation.com/memorials-that-go-beyond-boring-statues-of-big-men-on-bronze-horses-65069">memorial</a> projects around the world, the participants have highlighted several key notions that should underpin the design: peaceful and reflective; respect and remembrance; hope and positivity; community and love. The report shows how these ideas are being kept front and centre:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Perhaps through art, our disappointment, anger, fear, guilt and sorrow could find a place of respect at the heart of the memorial, rather than being silenced or pushed to the side. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Three options for the structure itself are being explored: a garden (potentially with a water feature and a children’s play area); an artwork or monument; or a building. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/2314682435?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true">National Memorial Arboretum</a>, in Staffordshire, which is the UK’s centre of remembrance for fallen servicepeople, shows how gardens can provide the quiet people need for reflection. Being in nature – to experience the seasons and the passing of time – also brings a sense of hope and positive thoughts about the future. Research also shows that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277953692903603">landscapes designed to be therapeutic</a> may help with the grieving process.</p>
<p>Artworks and monuments have been shown to be effective memorials, too, particularly when they include information about those who lost their lives. To <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877916621000497">memorialise those who died</a> during Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976-1983), the Park of Memory was created in 2004 and comprises a garden and memorials, with the names of all the disappeared inscribed on long walls. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two small children touch a long wall on which thousands of names are inscribed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468424/original/file-20220613-41411-323m9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Those who disappeared in Argentina’s military dictatorship are remembered, by name, in the Park of Memory.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/memory-park-buenos-aires-argentina-716721217">J GONZALEZ | Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Grenfell commission’s report highlights that there is no consensus yet about how much information could be used in the memorial, be it in the form of pictures or personal stories. </p>
<p>Few people were in favour of a building, potentially a museum, since this could bring tourists to the area and adversely impact the peacefulness of the memorial. But <a href="http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/33181/">as my research shows, </a> combining the authenticity of a historic site with the pedagogical aspect of memory can work. The Otto Weidt Museum in Berlin combines the factory in which Weidt, a pacifist factory owner, tried to help Jewish workers escape from the Gestapo, with a documentation centre located next door. </p>
<p>Some people have suggested a separate exhibition on the Grenfell disaster, to be held at the Museum of London. Separating out the spaces for reflection and for education is a common solution, as has been done Buenos Aires. The main memorial museum is located not in the Park of Memory but in the former ESMA building, the Argentine army mechanics school and clandestine torture centre.</p>
<p>The Grenfell Tower memorial commission has no bearing on the future of the tower itself – on whether it is kept or demolished – as this is the government’s responsibility. </p>
<p>The tower is a constant reminder of the tragedy. For many it causes a huge strain on their mental health. Bereaved families, former and current residents in the area may need more time. Some may never be ready to talk about how to memorialise this tragedy. </p>
<p>A distinct memorial, whichever form it takes, will be a place for all, to remember and to fight for justice, devised in a truly grassroots manner. I encourage you to read the commission’s report in full. The challenge it has taken on is as sad and difficult as it is laudable. And its members are in it for the long haul.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184847/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ana Souto does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Designing a memorial that helps the community grieve and heal is no easy task.Ana Souto, Senior Lecturer in Architectural History, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812822022-05-04T14:32:01Z2022-05-04T14:32:01ZMost maternal deaths are preventable: how to improve outcomes in South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459322/original/file-20220422-22-egvfdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Maternal care should be respectful and dignified.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GettyImages</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The past 20 years have seen a significant decline in maternal mortality rates <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/#:%7E:text=From%202000%20to%202017%2C%20the,reduction%20of%202.9%20per%20cent">from 342 deaths to 211 per 100,000 globally </a>. But every day, more than <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/">800 women</a> around the world die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, up to 42 days after delivery. Most of these deaths are preventable. For every maternal death, another <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/">20 women</a> suffer serious injuries, infections and disabilities related to pregnancy. Professors Salome Maswime and Lawrence Chauke explain the state of maternal health in South Africa and how it can be improved.</em> </p>
<hr>
<h2>How South Africa compares to other countries</h2>
<p>In low-income countries the maternal mortality rate in 2017 was 462/100,000 compared to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality">11/100,000</a> in high-income countries. In Western Europe rates are as low as five deaths per 100,000 births. Sub-Saharan Africa has 533 deaths per 100,000 births. </p>
<p>The risk of a woman dying from pregnancy-related complications was one in 5,400 in high-income countries, compared to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality">one in 45</a> in low-income countries. </p>
<p>In West and Central Africa the maternal mortality rate is 674 per 100,000.
In South Sudan it is <a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-mortality/#:%7E:text=Sub%2DSaharan%20Africans%20suffer%20from,maternal%20deaths%20per%20year%20worldwide.">1,150</a> and 1,140 in Chad.</p>
<p>South Africa has one of the lowest rates in Africa (113/100,000) but far higher than the UK (7/100,000). The rate in South Africa has declined from 150 deaths per 100,000 births in 1998 to 113 per 100,000 in 2019, according to the South African <a href="https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-fr131-dhs-final-reports.cfm">Demographic and Health Survey</a> and the National Confidential Enquiries for Maternal Deaths.</p>
<h2>Drivers of maternal mortality in South Africa</h2>
<p>The three leading causes of maternal deaths in South Africa are HIV-related infections, obstetric haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.</p>
<p>Pre-existing medical conditions also account for a high proportion of pregnancy related complications in South Africa. Most deaths are still deemed as preventable. </p>
<p>A significant number of <a href="https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=13100">South African women</a> attend at least four antenatal clinics (76%) and deliver in healthcare facilities (96%) under the care of a skilled birth attendant (97%).
Ideally these figures should translate into a much lower maternal
mortality rate. This means that there are still gaps and more work still needs to be done.</p>
<p>The biggest challenge is still late booking. Only <a href="https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=13100">47%</a> of women booked during the first trimester in 2016. Between 2017-2019, 72% of the women who died had attended antenatal care. But only <a href="https://www.knowledgehub.org.za/system/files/elibdownloads/2021-06/SA%20MPNH%20Policy%2023-6-2021%20signed%20Web%20View%20v2.pdf">half</a> had booked before 20 weeks. </p>
<p>Delays in seeking antenatal care have been associated with a higher likelihood of having adverse pregnancy outcomes. </p>
<p>A very high percentage (90%) <a href="https://www.opensaldru.uct.ac.za/bitstream/handle/11090/613/2013_97.pdf?sequence=1">of South Africans live within 7km</a> of a health facility and 67% live within 2km of a healthcare facility. Despite this proximity women struggle to get timely transport to healthcare facilities. The situation is even worse for rural women due to poor road infrastructure and poor emergency referral systems. </p>
<p>Healthcare facilities offer different levels of care. <a href="https://www.hst.org.za/publications/District%20Health%20Barometers/DHB%202019-20%20Section%20A,%20chapter%201%20-%20Reproductive,%20maternal,%20newborn%20and%20child%20health.pdf#page=21">Most</a> deaths occur in district hospitals in South Africa, where specialist, critical care or efficient emergency medical services may not be readily available. Patients with complications don’t reach higher levels of care in good time. </p>
<p>Even when they have access to higher levels of care women face possible shortage of specialist, medical and nursing personnel in
addition to overcrowding. </p>
<p>A report done covering <a href="https://www.knowledgehub.org.za/system/files/elibdownloads/2021-06/SA%20MPNH%20Policy%2023-6-2021%20signed%20Web%20View%20v2.pdf">2017 to 2019</a> found that 80% of women who died, received substandard care at district hospitals. The figure was 60% for community healthcare centres and regional hospitals. Poor quality of care is therefore a major problem within the country’s healthcare system. The same report identified overcrowding, lack of resources, including shortage of nursing and medical personnel among the key drivers for the poor quality care. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-drives-abuse-of-women-in-childbirth-we-asked-those-providing-the-care-134465">What drives abuse of women in childbirth? We asked those providing the care</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Disrespectful maternal care is an issue too. The abuse in South African maternity services was described as <a href="http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/9582/6634">“one of the world’s greatest disgraces”</a> in 2015. It included verbal and physical abuse, non-consensual care, non-confidential care, neglect and abandonment. In some facilities women <a href="https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12978-017-0411-5">said</a> they expect to be shouted at, beaten and neglected. </p>
<p>Maternal mortality is an indicator of access to care and quality of care. It is also indirectly linked to socioeconomic factors. Women who have access to education, proper housing and job opportunities are more likely to have good health outcomes compared to those who are not. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-role-of-bias-in-how-women-are-treated-during-childbirth-a-kenyan-case-study-152775">The role of bias in how women are treated during childbirth: a Kenyan case study</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Socio-demographic variables such as
“race” have also been <a href="https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12978-019-0729-2">linked</a> to how women are treated. </p>
<p>The attitudes of the healthcare workers towards patients has an impact on women’s health-seeking behaviour and delivery
of care by the healthcare workers (to the extent of delaying and withholding care).</p>
<h2>What can be done to improve outcomes?</h2>
<p>The first step is to meet the need for contraception to avoid unwanted and unplanned pregnancies. In 2012, 215 million women globally were estimated to have an <a href="https://www.prb.org/resources/unmet-need-for-contraception-fact-sheet/#:%7E:text=What%20Is%20Unmet%20Need%3F,are%20potential%20users%20of%20contraception.">unmet need for contraception</a>. </p>
<p>Health education and promotion at community level would encourage women to attend antenatal clinics and give birth in a health facility in the care of a skilled attendant.</p>
<p>Maternal care should be respectful and dignified.</p>
<p>Efficient transport and emergency medical services are needed so that women receive timely and appropriate care.</p>
<p>Stronger health systems would improve access to high quality obstetric care. Women survive complications of pregnancy and childbirth in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002072921630159X">functional health systems</a>, with efficient referral systems. There is an urgent need for a responsive healthcare system that takes into consideration population and disease trends. </p>
<p>There is also an urgent need to address the imbalance between demand and supply of healthcare services; improve the
social and economic status of women in society as well as the quality of maternal and reproductive healthcare services, to win the battle against maternal deaths.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181282/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Salome Maswime receives funding from the South African Medical Research Council and UNICEF. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lawrence Chauke receives funding from SAMRC and Global Health Fund as part of research collaboration. </span></em></p>For every maternal death, there are about an additional 20 women who suffer serious injuries, infections and disabilities related to pregnancy.Salome Maswime, Professor of Global Surgery, University of Cape TownLawrence Chauke, Adjunct professor, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1560272021-03-11T13:29:43Z2021-03-11T13:29:43ZHow the quest for significance and respect underlies the white supremacist movement, conspiracy theories and a range of other problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388886/original/file-20210310-23-1oud1kk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C2941%2C1962&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Unemployed Blackjewel coal miners, their family members and activists man a blockade along railroad tracks leading to their old mine on Aug. 23, 2019, in Cumberland, Kentucky. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/unemployed-blackjewel-coal-miners-their-family-members-and-news-photo/1169799870?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>President Joe Biden’s fundamental pitch to America has been about dignity and respect. He never tires of repeating his father’s words that “a job is about more than a paycheck, it is about … dignity … about respect … being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘<a href="https://twitter.com/joebiden/status/1202972212384288768?lang=en">Everything is going to be OK</a>.’”</p>
<p>In strikingly similar language, Princeton economists <a href="http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bKON6gYAAAAJ&hl=en">Anne Case</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rvFjcQIAAAAJ&hl=en">Angus Deaton</a> affirm that “jobs are not just the source of money.” When jobs are lost, they wrote in 2020, “it is the loss of meaning, of dignity, of pride, and of self respect … <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691190785/deaths-of-despair-and-the-future-of-capitalism">that brings on despair, not just or even primarily the loss of money</a>.”</p>
<p><a href="https://psyc.umd.edu/facultyprofile/kruglanski/arie">I am a psychologist</a> who studies <a href="https://scholar.google.gr/citations?user=Trd2BdsAAAAJ&hl=en">the human quest for significance and respect</a>. My research reveals that this basic motivation is a major force in human affairs. It shapes the course of world history and determines the destiny of nations. It underlies some of the chief challenges society is facing. Among others, these are: </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691190785/deaths-of-despair-and-the-future-of-capitalism">The suicides – known as “deaths of despair” – of working-class Americans</a> </li>
<li>White supremacist movements </li>
<li>Systemic racism </li>
<li>Islamist terrorism</li>
<li>The proliferation of conspiracy theories</li>
<li>The growing rift in the Republican Party between moderates and extremists</li>
</ul>
<p>In all these cases, people’s actions, opinions and attitudes aim, often unconsciously, to satisfy their fundamental need to count, to be recognized and respected. </p>
<p>The very term “supremacism” betrays concern for superior standing. So do names like “Proud Boys” or “Oath Keepers.” Systemic racism is rooted in the motivation to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/01/885878564/what-systemic-racism-means-and-the-way-it-harms-communities">put down one race to elevate another</a>. Islamist terrorism targets the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032615">alleged belittlers of a religion</a>. Conspiracy theories identify alleged culprits <a href="https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781461298021">plotting the subjugation and dishonor of their victims</a>. And the <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90553503/its-time-to-respect-that-republicans-care-about-only-one-thing-winning">extremist faction of the Republican Party cares exclusively about winning, no holds barred</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Torch-bearing white men marching at night, shouting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388889/original/file-20210310-19-70s8h0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chanting ‘White lives matter! You will not replace us!’ and ‘Jews will not replace us!’ several hundred white nationalists and white supremacists march through the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville on Aug. 10, 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/chanting-white-lives-matter-you-will-not-replace-us-and-news-photo/831221784?adppopup=true">Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Triggering the quest</h2>
<p>This quest for significance and respect must first be awakened before it can drive behavior. We don’t strive for significance 24/7. </p>
<p>The quest can be triggered by the experience of significant loss through humiliation and failure. When we suffer such a loss, we desperately seek to regain significance and respect. We are then keen to embrace any narrative that tells us how, and to follow leaders who show us the way. </p>
<p>The quest for significance can also be triggered by an opportunity for substantial gain – becoming a hero, a martyr, a superstar.</p>
<p>Over the past several decades, many Americans have experienced a stinging loss of significance and respect. Social scientists examined the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217721174">perception of social class in the United States between 1972 and 2010</a>. The results of their research were striking: In the 1970s, most Americans viewed themselves as comfortably middle class, defined at the time by conduct and manners – being a good neighbor and a good member of the community, exhibiting proper behavior.</p>
<p>In contrast, by the 2000s, membership in the middle class was determined primarily by income. And because incomes have stagnated over the past half-century, by 2010 many Americans (particularly the lower-income ones) lost their middle-class identity entirely. </p>
<p>Small wonder, then, that they resonated to the Trump campaign slogan that promised to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12647">make America (or Americans) “great again</a>.” </p>
<h2>Piling on</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/How-to-turn-the-coronavirus-anxiety-into-15136037.php">compounds people’s sense of fragility</a> and insignificance. </p>
<p>Isolation from loved ones, the danger to our own health and the dread of an economic disaster are all stressors that make a person feel weak and vulnerable. They increase the attraction to ideas that offer quick fixes for loss of significance and respect. </p>
<p>Though the ideas that promise restoration of significance and dignity range widely, they share an important core: They <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032615">depict the promotion of different social values as paths to significance</a>. Promoting freedom and democracy, defending one’s nation or one’s religion, advancing one’s political party – all aim to earn respect and dignity in communities that cherish those values.</p>
<p>When the quest for significance and respect is intensified, other considerations such as comfort, relationships or compassion are sidelined. Any actions that promote significance are then seen as legitimate. That includes actions that would otherwise seem reprehensible: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000260">violence, aggression, torture or terrorism</a>. </p>
<p>An intense quest for significance does not invite reprehensible actions directly. But it boosts a person’s readiness to tolerate and enact them for the sake of significance and dignity. </p>
<p>The path ultimately taken depends on the narrative that identifies significance-bestowing actions in a given situation. Depending on one’s moral perspective, such actions may be seen as “good,” “bad” or “ugly.” One might have an entirely different moral evaluation of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Proud Boys and yet recognize that, psychologically, both represent routes to significance.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A gallows with a noose hanging on it at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388895/original/file-20210310-17-1hmj7vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A noose is seen on makeshift gallows erected on Jan. 6 at the Capitol before Trump supporters violently stormed a session of Congress.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/noose-is-seen-on-makeshift-gallows-as-supporters-of-us-news-photo/1230473117?adppopup=true">Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The allure of violence</h2>
<p>A special danger to societies stems from the primordial, significance-lending appeal of violence. </p>
<p>Among animals, dominance is established through <a href="https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idOVDU2NS9R">“trial by combat,” to use Rudy Giuliani’s</a> recent turn of phrase at the rally before the Capitol insurrection. And as President Theodore Roosevelt famously observed, <a href="https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/foreign-affairs">walking with a “big stick”</a> makes other nations pay attention and respect. </p>
<p>Most narratives adopted by violent extremists identify a real or imagined enemy at the gates, and fighting such enemies is depicted as worthy and honorable: For Trump acolytes, the enemy is the “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-10-02/the-deep-state-is-fighting-back">deep state</a>.” For much of the far right, the enemy is, variously, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36130006">immigrants, refugees</a>, <a href="https://www.voanews.com/usa/race-america/far-right-us-facebook-groups-pivot-attacks-black-lives-matter">people of color</a>, <a href="https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Antisemitism%20as%20an%20Underlying%20Precursor%20to%20Violent%20Extremism%20in%20American%20Far-Right%20and%20Islamist%20Contexts%20Pdf.pdf">Jews</a>, <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/study-shows-rise-of-hate-crimes-violence-against-asian-americans-in-nyc-during-covid/2883215/">Asians</a>, or even <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1861029,00.html">reptilians who plot to dominate the world</a>. </p>
<p>Evangelicals view Trump’s alleged battle <a href="https://theconversation.com/demons-of-the-deep-state-how-evangelicals-and-conspiracy-theories-combine-in-trumps-america-144898">against the “deep state” as divinely inspired</a>. And a QAnon message from Jan. 13, 2018, stated: “You were chosen for a reason. You are being provided the highest level of intel to ever be dropped publicly in the history of the world. <a href="https://joyinliberty.com/q/category/qanon-quotes/">Use it – protect and comfort those around you</a>.” These views sow division among segments of society, inviting fissures and polarization.</p>
<p>The quest for significance and respect is a universal and immutable aspect of human nature. It has the potential to inspire great works but also tear society asunder. The formidable challenge these days is to harness the energies sparked by this fundamental motive and channel them for the betterment of humanity.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arie Kruglanski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The quest for significance and respect is a universal part of human nature. It has the potential to inspire great works – but lately, it has been much in evidence tearing society apart.Arie Kruglanski, Professor of Psychology, University of MarylandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1496712020-11-22T14:16:14Z2020-11-22T14:16:14ZHow to get someone’s name right if it’s unfamiliar to you<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370219/original/file-20201119-17-1yqr83n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7951%2C5304&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People's names are an integral part of their identity, so it's important to ensure that they are handled correctly.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine you have to say an unfamiliar name and are afraid to say it wrong. What do you do?</p>
<p>Do you try to pronounce it even at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRpsRKuyi3Y">the risk of getting it wrong</a> or do you avoid the name (and perhaps the person) altogether? Do you maybe attempt to <a href="https://youtu.be/wIZtiAtlkZk">shorten the name or invent a nickname</a> for your acquaintance? Do you ask them <a href="https://medium.com/@mastqalander/stop-asking-people-with-unique-names-if-they-have-a-nickname-62e8da2445b7">if they have an easier name</a>?</p>
<p>We have all been faced with this dilemma at one point or another — no one knows how to pronounce every single name in the world. If they think they do, they are probably what education consultant Jennifer Gonzalez calls an “<a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/gift-of-pronunciation/">arrogant mangler</a>,” who doesn’t bother to make an effort.</p>
<p>Or maybe you have been on the other side of the scenario where <a href="https://youtu.be/pc6CJ_kUNYc">your name is under scrutiny</a>, prompting <a href="https://youtu.be/uYn6DxK3K2M">unwanted questions</a> or extra attention from suspicious airport security officers.</p>
<p>Have you tried to set up an online profile only to be told that <a href="https://blog.jgc.org/2010/06/your-last-name-contains-invalid.html">your name is invalid or not allowed</a> the way you write it? Have you been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/10/online-authenticity-and-how-facebooks-real-name-policy-hurts-native-americans/">accused of not using your real name</a> because it is unusual or it appears differently on your issued identification cards? Do people mix up your first and last names so they are unable to find your name on a list? </p>
<p>Having a common name can be difficult too. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8b87OaQwQ">People might confuse you with someone else or assign you a nickname</a> to distinguish you from others.</p>
<h2>Name diversity</h2>
<p>In multilingual and multicultural countries like Canada, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/2017/every-name-is-a-canadian-name-1.4013531">people frequently encounter names from diverse languages and cultures</a>. Everyone has stories either about their own name troubles or about difficulties with other people’s names.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1270865779030929412"}"></div></p>
<p>But these are not just anecdotes <a href="https://twitter.com/Luiseach/status/1108439217963712512">on social media</a>. Name-related difficulties can have serious implications for people’s senses of identity and <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kamala-harris-name-mispronunciation">belonging (or exclusion)</a>. Mistreating someone’s name includes writing or saying their name differently from what they assert is correct, as well as using the name as a motive for ridiculing or discriminating against the person. Mistreating names can affect opportunities in <a href="https://www.sjsu.edu/people/marcos.pizarro/courses/185/s1/Names">education</a>, on the <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w9873">job market</a> and in securing <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.514.60&rep=rep1&type=pdf">housing</a>.</p>
<p>The way we address each other matters because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499630">our names are legally, emotionally and socially connected to how we are able to move through and act in the world</a>. Addressing and referring to people by their correct name is a sign of recognition and respect of their personhood. Ignoring naming preferences can be perceived as an insult or an attack. For example, “<a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/deadnaming">deadnaming</a>,” or referring to a person who is transgender by the name they used before they transitioned, can make them feel disrespected and potentially expose them to harassment.</p>
<h2>How to be more inclusive</h2>
<p>As <a href="https://namesandidentity.wixsite.com/canada">linguistic anthropologists researching names</a>, we offer <a href="http://bild-lida.ca/journal/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/JBILD-1-1_Pennesi.pdf">these recommendations</a> for how to be inclusive of all names and more assertive about your own.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When you are unsure how to pronounce a name, your best option is to ask and try, but <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLhFaayJnyQ">avoid turning the name or your discomfort into a spectacle</a>.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/02/26/jimmy-kimmel-mahershala-ali-name-oscars_n_15034386.html">Refrain from commenting on people’s names</a> or making a show out of your attempts to pronounce, spell or remember the name. Don’t ignore someone because you dread pronouncing their name. Instead, verify your pronunciation (in person or by using <a href="https://www.pronouncenames.com/">online resources</a>) and practice saying their name by yourself. Make it your responsibility to get it right and include them in the group.</p></li>
<li><p>Avoid <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-10-racial-bias.html">making assumptions about people based on their name</a>, such as their language abilities, their <a href="https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/05/assuming-gender/">gender identity</a> or their racial, national, cultural or religious backgrounds. They are not a cultural ambassador or expert on the language you think their name represents, <a href="https://supchina.com/2019/03/12/chinese-people-dont-need-to-be-saved-from-their-english-names/">nor do they need saving from a name you deem culturally unfit</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>You should also <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76c724ng">not actively erase aspects of someone’s identity and background</a> by giving them unsolicited nicknames that you find ‘easier’ to pronounce or remember. <a href="https://www.parents.com/baby-names/ideas/origin/honoring-ethnic-names-is-an-important-way-to-celebrate-diversity-of-families-in-america/">Careful thought goes into selecting names</a> and the name a person goes by is their choice.</p></li>
<li><p>People may have multiple names for different situations and at different times in their life. Accept the name someone tells you and don’t try to be the judge of <a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-you-should-never-ask-trans-person-what-their-real-name-is">what you think someone’s name should be</a>. Allow for <a href="https://reporter.mcgill.ca/the-right-to-be-yourself/">preferred names on official forms</a> and let people use those names in <a href="https://www.techjunkie.com/zoom-change-name/">virtual</a> and in-person face-to-face interactions.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman standing in front of a whiteboard shows how to pronounce different sounds" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/370133/original/file-20201118-21-qklv3b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s important to put in the work to learn how to appropriately treat people’s names.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If you are responsible for <a href="https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/">setting up web identity forms or managing a database of names</a>, remember that <a href="https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-personal-names">personal names do not follow universal standards</a>.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If possible, use a single name field with <a href="https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-personal-names#encoding">enough characters and page space to accommodate long names</a>, instead of forcing them into “first,” “middle” and “last” fields that may not fit the full name.</p></li>
<li><p>If you do need to use separate name fields, allow for multiple components in the “first” and “last” fields.</p></li>
<li><p>Alphabetize by first name so that the number of name components is irrelevant.</p></li>
<li><p>Allow for <a href="https://canadianart.ca/features/canada-150-font/">accents, special characters and non-Latin script</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Allow people to fill in their <a href="https://uxdesign.cc/designing-forms-for-gender-diversity-and-inclusion-d8194cf1f51">pronouns and/or titles</a> that can stand in for names when the person is referred to in the third person.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Responding to mistreatment of names</h2>
<p>If people mistreat your name, you can <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-to-correct-someone-who-mispronounces-your-name-without-being-a-dick">correct others without feeling guilty</a> about it. It is your name and it matters. To reduce errors, you could add an audio “<a href="https://name-coach.com/namebadge">name badge</a>” to your web identity so that others can hear the correct pronunciation.</p>
<p>Your name does not have to be permanent. If name-related problems make life too difficult, you might consider <a href="https://canadianimmigrant.ca/living/community/anglicize-your-name-as-a-newcomer-yes-or-no">(partially) changing your name</a> or adding another name for specific purposes. Or if that approach does not feel right to you, you can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTPC73SdRkA">reclaim your original name and use it with confidence</a>.</p>
<p>While we offer these recommendations for respectfully navigating name diversity in workplaces, education, social situations and online environments, they are not a guarantee for smooth sailing. You will not always get it right, and that is normal. The best way to bounce back is to <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/01/if-you-dont-know-how-to-say-someones-name-just-ask">acknowledge the mistake</a>, move forward and do better next time.</p>
<p>The important thing to remember is that names matter, and the way we treat them has an impact.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149671/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Pennesi occasionally consults to NameCoach.com. Her research has been funded by the University of Western Ontario and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Federica Guccini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mishandling someone’s name can lead to social exclusion and unbalanced power dynamics. Putting in the work to get names right reflects a dedication to inclusivity and respect for other cultures.Karen Pennesi, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Western UniversityFederica Guccini, PhD Candidate in Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1471492020-09-30T12:28:18Z2020-09-30T12:28:18ZWhy ‘namaste’ has become the perfect pandemic greeting<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360632/original/file-20200929-16-79473f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=87%2C10%2C3548%2C2177&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prince Charles, accompanied by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and French president Emmanuel Macron greet one another with a 'namaste' in London on June 18.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/prince-charles-prince-of-wales-accompanied-by-camilla-news-photo/1250550316?adppopup=true">Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hands over the heart in prayer pose. A little bow of the head. A gesture of respect. An acknowledgment of our shared humanity. And no touching.</p>
<p>As people the world over are choosing to <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-coronavirus-the-end-of-the-handshake-133185">ditch</a> the handshakes and hugs for fear of contracting the coronavirus, namaste is becoming the perfect pandemic greeting. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://jeremydavidengels.com/">scholar</a> whose research focuses on the ethics of communication and as a yoga teacher, I’m interested in how people use rituals and rhetoric to affirm their interconnectedness with one another – and with the world. </p>
<p>Namaste is one such ritual. </p>
<h2>I bow to you</h2>
<p>Originally a Sanskrit word, namaste is composed of two parts – “namas” means “bend to,” “bow to” or “honor to,” and “te” means “to you.” So namaste means “I bow to you.” This meaning is often reinforced by a small bow of the head. </p>
<p>In Hindi and a number of other languages derived from Sanskrit, namaste is basically a respectful way of saying hello and also goodbye. Today, namaste has been adopted into the English language, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/borrowed-words-9780199574995?cc=us&lang=en&">along with other words</a> from non-English sources. Many words, when borrowed, keep their spelling but acquire new meanings. This is the case with namaste – it has shifted from meaning “I bow to you” to “I bow to the divine in you.” </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C1067%2C711&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C1067%2C711&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360614/original/file-20200929-24-7pe66k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Indian greeting of ‘namaste.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ausdruckslust/13044219745/">Ausdruckslust.de | a blog about things /Flickri love</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For many American yoga teachers, beginning most likely with <a href="https://www.ramdass.org/">Ram Dass</a> in the 1960s and 1970s, namaste means something like “the divine light in me bows to the divine light within you.” This is the definition of namaste I first learned and have often repeated to my students.</p>
<p>In the words of the popular American yoga teacher Shiva Rea, <a href="https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/for-beginners-anjali-mudra">namaste is</a> “the consummate Indian greeting,” a “sacred hello,” that means “I bow to the divinity within you from the divinity within me.”</p>
<p>Deepak Chopra repeats a similar definition on his podcast “<a href="https://www.deepakchopra.com/podcast/week-10-the-spontaneous-fulfillment-of-desire/">The Daily Breath with Deepak Chopra</a>”: namaste means “the spirit in me honors the spirit in you” and “the divine in me honors the divine in you.”</p>
<p>Namaste has a sacred connotation. When you bow to another, you are honoring something sacred in them. When you bow to another, you are acknowledging that they are worthy of respect and dignity. </p>
<h2>I bow to the divine light in you</h2>
<p>However, there are <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/01/17/406246770/how-namaste-flew-away-from-us">critics who say</a> that global yogis have taken namaste out of its context. Some claim that the greeting has been <a href="https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/namaste">infused with a religious meaning</a> that doesn’t exist in Indian culture.</p>
<p>I see things differently. Many common salutations have religious roots, including adios, or “a Dios,” to God, and goodbye – a contraction of “God be with you.”</p>
<p>Most Indian <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-worlds-religions-huston-smith?variant=32154052657186">religions agree</a> that there is something divine in all individuals, whether it’s a soul, called the “atman” or “purusha” in Hinduism, or the capacity for awakening in Buddhism.</p>
<p>As I argue in my forthcoming book, “<a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo68657749.html">The Ethics of Oneness: Emerson, Whitman, and the Bhagavad Gita</a>,” this idea, of bowing to the divine in others, also resonates with a deep spiritual inclination in American culture. </p>
<p>Beginning in the 1830s and 1840s, the influential philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, in dialogue with a number of other thinkers, invented a form of spiritual practice that encouraged Americans to actively address the divine soul in others every time they spoke.</p>
<p>Of particular note is that Emerson often used the metaphor of light to imagine this inner divinity, likely because of his great admiration for the Quakers, whose Christian denomination holds that God lives inside of us all in the form of an “inner light.”</p>
<p>The definition of namaste as “the divine light in me bows to the divine light in you” is very much in the spirit of both Indian religions and 19th-century traditions of American spirituality.</p>
<h2>Namaste as an ethical commitment</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360615/original/file-20200929-18-1jwl3ai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Namaste’ at the end of a yoga class.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yelp/27762867422/in/photolist-JiiXeY-5Es4wd-tUqq3b-D3Gfnx-tUyyxT-teZhkw-EiWxr5-jghEF4-f4TP9f-ejVLBn-2ftdR8-mFbret-2ft7Vx-2fxskL-2fxjGE-ThRc6k-e8ZnDE-2ft1nR-2ft4VB-2fxmqm-2fxwd5-uWL1nG-2fxm9Q-2fxrzL-2ft3Wn-8Md9D1-2ftaJD-2fsWQF-2fxkA9-2fxwrj-5MWuBK-2ft8xp-2fsYK4-2ft6G4-2fxnbf-j6paf7-2fxxvJ-2ft5Q4-nY5aRA-2ft2gz-2fxArQ-2fsWc8-2fxCvY-5UXoak-xerXMr-8Ma5Nr-x4fdxj-8Md8T5-8Ma5VM-2fsRi4">Yelp Inc./Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In today’s <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/peace-love-yoga-9780190888633?cc=us&lang=en&">global yoga culture</a>, namaste is typically said at the end of class. As I understand, for yogis, saying namaste is a <a href="https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6539-the-art-of-gratitude.aspx">moment of contemplating</a> the virtues associated with yoga – including peacefulness, compassion, and gratitude and how to bring those into one’s daily life. </p>
<p>I asked <a href="http://vedantanc.org/swami-tattwayamananda/">Swami Tattwamayananda</a>, the head of the Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco and one of the world’s leading authorities on Hindu ritual and scripture, how he felt about Americans like me saying namaste. </p>
<p>He responded: “It is perfectly appropriate for everyone, including Westerners like yourself to say namaste at the end of your yoga classes.” He also reiterated that namaste means “I bow down to you” – in the sense that I bow down to the divine presence in you.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>One need not be a Hindu, or a Buddhist, or a yoga teacher to say namaste. Namaste can be as religious or secular as the speaker desires. </p>
<p>What matters most, I believe, is the intention behind the word namaste. When you bow to another, the question to consider is this: Do you truly recognize them as a fellow human being worthy of dignity, bonded in shared suffering and a shared capacity for transcendence? </p>
<p>This recognition of our interconnectedness is what namaste is all about – and exactly what we need during the pandemic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147149/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy David Engels does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An ancient Indian greeting is replacing the handshake. An expert explains its roots and why it affirms our inter-connectedness with one another.Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1428982020-08-24T12:19:25Z2020-08-24T12:19:25ZIn the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, what should you say to someone who refuses to wear a mask? A philosopher weighs in<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354158/original/file-20200821-20-zkw4lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C42%2C5632%2C3687&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A 'no mask, no taco' sign at Chelsea Market in New York City</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/los-tacos-employee-wearing-a-mask-poses-near-a-no-mask-no-news-photo/1267250805?adppopup=true">Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Multiple studies have shown that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893920302301">masks reduce the transmission</a> of virus-loaded droplets from people with COVID-19. However, according to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/315590/americans-face-mask-usage-varies-greatly-demographics.aspx">Gallup poll</a>, almost a fifth of Americans say they rarely or never wear a mask in public. </p>
<p>This raises a question: Can the anti-maskers be persuaded to wear masks? </p>
<p>To some, it might appear that such a question has no ethical dimension. Wearing masks saves lives, so everyone should do it. Some even believe <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/opinion/us-republicans-coronavirus.html">anti-maskers are simply selfish</a>. </p>
<p>But as a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jVbxIksAAAAJ&hl=en">philosopher</a> who studies ethics and persuasion, I argue that things are more complicated than that. </p>
<h2>Kant on love and respect</h2>
<p>To start, consider one of the most influential ethical frameworks in Western thought: that of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.</p>
<p>According to Kant, morality is ultimately about respect and love. Respecting someone, <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Kant_The_Metaphysics_of_Morals/GcEmAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=kant+metaphysics+of+morals&printsec=frontcover">Kant claims</a>, is “limiting our self-esteem by the dignity of humanity in another person.” In other words, we should refrain from undermining others’ dignity.</p>
<p>Alongside respect, for Kant, we should also show others a certain type of love. To love others in the moral sense, <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Kant_The_Metaphysics_of_Morals/GcEmAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=kant+metaphysics+of+morals&printsec=frontcover">he writes</a>, is not about having a feeling, but is rather to “make others’ ends my own (provided only that these are not immoral).” </p>
<p>That is, moral love requires that we help others achieve their aims, as long as those aims aren’t immoral. </p>
<p>Altogether, this means that treating others well requires an understanding about what gives them their dignity and what things they are ultimately trying to achieve. </p>
<h2>What is social dignity?</h2>
<p>One could ask why trying to persuade someone to wear a mask would threaten their dignity.</p>
<p>Consider one type of dignity in particular: social dignity. According to ethicist <a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/suzanne-killmister">Suzy Killmister</a>, social dignity consists in someone <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/contours-of-dignity-9780198844365?cc=us&lang=en&">living up to the standards</a> that her community holds her to. The specific standards that matter are those which the community sees as being “shameful” to violate. </p>
<p>Someone’s social dignity can be damaged whether or not she accepts her society’s standards. One way this can happen is if she is a member of different social groups with conflicting standards. </p>
<p>For example, imagine a teenager from a conservative religious community who attends a secular public school. According to her religious community’s standards, it is shameful to dress immodestly. According to the standards of her classmates, however, it is shamefully unfashionable to dress conservatively. She faces a dilemma of dignity: No matter how she dresses, she cannot achieve full social dignity.</p>
<h2>Shame and social standards</h2>
<p>Because a significant majority of Americans do wear masks, and because of its importance in protecting public health, mask-wearing has become a social standard connected to shame. </p>
<p>In response, epidemiologist <a href="https://www.populationmedicine.org/jmarcus">Julia Marcus</a> has recently <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/dudes-who-wont-wear-masks/613375/">cautioned</a> that it is not effective to shame people who do not wear masks. Instead, she proposed approaching anti-maskers with empathy.</p>
<p>To see the ethical importance of Marcus’ suggestion, consider <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/315590/americans-face-mask-usage-varies-greatly-demographics.aspx">another finding</a> from a Gallup poll: While most groups do report always or often wearing masks in public, that is not true for Republicans. Over 50% of Republicans say they never, rarely, or only sometimes do. Similarly, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/17/upshot/coronavirus-face-mask-map.html">other studies</a> have found sharp regional differences in mask-wearing.</p>
<p>A Republican whose social group sees wearing a mask as shameful faces a dilemma of dignity. For example, a sheriff in Washington state <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/dont-be-a-sheep-sheriffs-across-u-s-rebel-against-new-statewide-mask-requirements/">told a cheering crowd</a> that he would not enforce the state’s mask mandate. His advice was: “Don’t be a sheep.” </p>
<p>Similarly, psychologist <a href="https://faculty.lawrence.edu/glickp/">Peter Glick</a> has suggested that wearing a mask is seen by some groups as “<a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/masks-and-emasculation-why-some-men-refuse-to-take-safety-precautions/">unmanly</a>” because it appears to them as a weakness.</p>
<p>People in such communities are subject to anti-mask standards, even as their larger society’s standards require masks. Their dignity is therefore in a precarious position. Ethically speaking, then, any respectful engagement with them calls for a recognition of that fact, not a blunt attempt at persuasion.</p>
<h2>Making small efforts</h2>
<p>Remember that Kant says that, alongside respecting others’ dignity, we must also help them achieve their aims, provided those aims are not immoral. Refusing to wear a mask might well be immoral. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>However, trying to maintain one’s social status by living up to society’s standards is not intrinsically immoral. If that is what is driving anti-maskers’ refusals, then Kant’s framework could help pro-maskers see the ethical nuance of the situation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354159/original/file-20200821-16-gayfut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">US President Donald Trump wears a mask as he visits Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in July 2020.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-wears-a-mask-as-he-visits-walter-news-photo/1226303255?adppopup=true">Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Appreciating this ethical challenge could also help those who are seeking to persuade anti-maskers. They might need to offer anti-maskers some way of maintaining their dignity in their anti-mask social groups while wearing a mask in other settings.</p>
<p>For example, they might find examples of conservatives, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/11/trum-wears-face-mask-walter-reed-visit-357249">including President Trump</a>, who wear a mask in some contexts but not others. After all, even small efforts in mask-wearing can save lives. </p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to correct the proportion of Americans who say they rarely or never wear a mask in public.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142898/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin Marshall does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A philosopher argues that wearing masks could be tied to living up to the standards of one’s social group and recognizing that could help in persuading anti-maskers.Colin Marshall, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1243862019-12-05T12:39:34Z2019-12-05T12:39:34ZHow toys became gendered – and why it’ll take more than a gender-neutral doll to change how boys perceive femininity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294891/original/file-20190930-194824-1v5xmtk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many boys are taught they shouldn't do 'girl things' like ballet.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-little-kids-dancers-on-white-768091609?src=mFwaINH6cneNM24_bMBYKg-1-0">UvGroup/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parents who want to raise their children in a gender-nonconforming way <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/11/26/gender-neutral-dolls-adult-shoppers-skeptical/4250262002/">have a new stocking stuffer</a> this year: the gender-neutral doll. </p>
<p>Announced in September, Mattel’s new line of <a href="https://news.mattel.com/news/mattel-launches-gender-inclusive-doll-line-inviting-all-kids-to-play">gender-neutral humanoid dolls</a> don’t clearly identify as either a boy or a girl. The dolls come with a variety of wardrobe options and can be dressed in varying lengths of hair and clothing styles. </p>
<p>But can a doll – or the <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-pink-and-blue-the-quiet-rise-of-gender-neutral-toys-95147">growing list of other gender-neutral toys</a> – really change the way we think about gender? </p>
<p>Mattel says it’s responding to research that shows “kids don’t want their toys dictated by gender norms.” Given the <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1111/jora.12488">results of a recent study</a> reporting that 24% of U.S. adolescents have a nontraditional sexual orientation or gender identity, such as bisexual or nonbinary, the decision makes business sense.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://hdfs.msu.edu/people/faculty/mass-megan-kphd">developmental psychologist</a> who researches gender and sexual socialization, I can tell you that it also makes scientific sense. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1999-11924-002">Gender is an identity</a> and is not based on someone’s biological sex. That’s why I believe it’s great news that some dolls will better reflect how children see themselves.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, a doll alone is not going to overturn decades of socialization that have led us to believe that boys wear blue, have short hair and play with trucks; whereas girls like pink, grow their hair long and play with dolls. More to the point, it’s not going to change <a href="http://www.meganmaas.com/blog/you-say-girl-like-its-a-bad-thing">how boys are taught</a> that masculinity is good and femininity is something less – a view that <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TZgnU_QAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">my research shows</a> is associated with sexual violence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305033/original/file-20191203-66990-1et09xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Girl toys tend to be pink.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Nick Ut</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pink girls and blue boys</h2>
<p>The kinds of toys American children play with tend to adhere to a clear gender binary. </p>
<p>Toys marketed to boys tend to be more aggressive and involve action and excitement. Girl toys, on the other hand, are usually pink and passive, emphasizing beauty and nurturing. </p>
<p>It wasn’t always like this. </p>
<p>Around the turn of the 20th century, <a href="https://newdream.org/blog/2011-10-gendering-of-kids-toys">toys were rarely marketed</a> to different genders. By the 1940s, manufacturers quickly caught on to the idea that wealthier families would buy an entire new set of clothing, toys and other gadgets if the products were marketed differently for both genders. And so the idea of <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hyCP94EAb3kC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">pink for girls and blue for boys</a> was born. </p>
<p>Today, gendered toy marketing in the U.S. is stark. <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-just-the-toy-aisles-that-teach-children-about-gender-stereotypes-59005">Walk down any toy aisle</a> and you can clearly see who the audience is. The girl aisle is almost exclusively pink, showcasing mostly Barbie dolls and princesses. The boy aisle is mostly blue and features trucks and superheroes. </p>
<h2>Breaking down the binary</h2>
<p>The emergence of a gender-neutral doll is a sign of how this binary of boys and girls is beginning to break down – at least when it comes to girls. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/19/most-americans-see-value-in-steering-children-toward-toys-activities-associated-with-opposite-gender/">A 2017 study</a> showed that more than three-quarters of those surveyed said it was a good thing for parents to encourage young girls to play with toys or do activities “associated with the opposite gender.” The share rises to 80% for women and millennials.</p>
<p>But when it came to boys, support dropped significantly, with 64% overall – and far fewer men – saying it was good to encourage them to do things associated with girls. Those who were older or more conservative were even more likely to think it wasn’t a good idea. </p>
<p>Reading between the lines suggests there’s a view that traits stereotypically associated with men – such as strength, courage and leadership – are good, whereas those tied to femininity – such as vulnerability, emotion and caring – are bad. Thus boys receive the message that wanting to <a href="https://www.femalista.com/comic-shows-why-boys-develop-sexism-from-early-age-by-interactions-with-adults/?fbclid=IwAR1eP0fcqO69xN7ylUt-IH27AFkQjp-Ex3T0-fczXXtLFIZQXqhI16Ix7UA">look up to girls is not OK</a>.</p>
<p>And many <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-men-get-penalized-for-straying-from-masculine-norms">boys are taught over and over</a> throughout their lives that exhibiting “female traits” is wrong and means they aren’t “real men.” Worse, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984315000223">they’re frequently</a> <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-27429-001">punished</a> <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2016-59613-001">for it</a> – while exhibiting masculine traits like aggression are often rewarded.</p>
<p><iframe id="rbkBH" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rbkBH/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>How this affects sexual expectations</h2>
<p>This gender socialization continues into emerging adulthood and affects men’s romantic and sexual expectations. </p>
<p>For example, a <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-015-9281-6">2015 study I conducted with three co-authors</a> explored how participants felt their gender affected their sexual experiences. Roughly 45% of women said they expected to experience some kind of sexual violence just because they are women; whereas none of the men reported a fear of sexual violence and 35% said their manhood meant they should expect pleasure. </p>
<p>And these findings can be linked back to the kinds of toys we play with. Girls are taught to be passive and strive for beauty by <a href="https://theconversation.com/teaching-little-girls-to-lead-77146">playing with princesses</a> and putting on makeup. Boys are encouraged to be more active or even aggressive with trucks, toys guns and action figures; building, fighting and even dominating are emphasized. <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0868-2">A recent analysis of Lego sets</a> demonstrates this dichotomy in what they emphasize for boys – building expertise and skilled professions – compared with girls – caring for others, socializing and being pretty. Thus, girls spend their childhoods practicing how to be pretty and care for another person, while boys practice getting what they want.</p>
<p>This results in a <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-012-9163-0">sexual double standard</a> in which men are the powerful actors and women are subordinate. And even in cases of sexual assault, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1023/A:1021342912248">research has shown</a> people will put more blame on a female rape victim if she does something that violates a traditional gender role, such as cheating on her husband – which is more accepted for men than for women. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0278-0">2016 study</a> found that adolescent men who subscribe to traditional masculine gender norms are more likely to engage in dating violence, such as sexual assault, physical or emotional abuse and stalking. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303829/original/file-20191126-180279-1ee8tmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mattel’s new line of dolls come with clothes for all genders.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.mattel.com/multimedia/creatable-worldTM">Mattel</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Teaching gender tolerance</h2>
<p>Mattel’s gender-neutral dolls offer much-needed variety in kids’ toys, but children – as well as adults – also need to learn more tolerance of how others express gender differently than they do. And boys in particular need support in appreciating and practicing more traditional feminine traits, like communicating emotion or caring for someone else – skills that are required for any healthy relationship.</p>
<p>Gender neutrality represents <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender-neutral">the absence of gender</a> – not the tolerance of different gender expression. If we emphasize only the former, I believe femininity and the people who express it will remain devalued.</p>
<p>So consider doing something gender-nonconforming with your children’s existing dolls, such as having Barbie win a wrestling championship or giving Ken a tutu. And encourage the boys in your life to play with them too.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re too busy to read everything. We get it. That’s why we’ve got a weekly newsletter.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybusy">Sign up for good Sunday reading.</a> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124386/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan K. Maas receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p>Mattel created a new line of dolls because of research suggesting kids don’t want toys ‘dictated by gender norms’ – but supplanting those norms will take a lot more than that.Megan K. Maas, Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1009372018-09-09T16:30:29Z2018-09-09T16:30:29ZMaking society civil again<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234885/original/file-20180904-45135-k1kyl1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eroding civility is not just a U.S. phenomenon. We need to learn how to speak to each other, no matter what our politics. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The United States media has been awash <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/25/17500988/sarah-sanders-red-hen-civility">with debates about civility</a> in recent months after a number of officials in Donald Trump’s administration have been heckled and shamed in public places. </p>
<p>Commentators have claimed the cause of incivility stems from everything from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/28/heres-how-political-science-explains-the-gops-obsession-with-civility/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1de1fcf1cd84">political orientation</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/us/politics/trump-language-immigration.html">Donald Trump’s leadership</a> and the way we communicate on social media. The recent <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mccain-flags/white-house-wobbles-on-us-flag-after-mccain-death-idUSKCN1LC275">White House wavering on flag-lowering protocol following the death of Sen. John McCain</a> has only reinforced the ubiquity of this issue, as did <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-mccain-funeral-dc-20180901-story.html">high-profile speakers calling for a return to civility at his funeral</a>.</p>
<p>But eroding civility is not just a modern American affliction;
<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/clare-beckton/canada-civility_b_7596622.html">Canada</a>, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourview/1562050/How-can-we-combat-the-culture-of-incivility.html">the U.K.</a> and others are not immune. </p>
<p>Respect and civility ultimately reflect our social competency. Their decline can be attributed to a number of factors in our modern world: Abrupt encounters between different beliefs (e.g., through immigration and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/thebigdebate/2018/07/17/does-canada-have-a-refugee-crisis-no.html">refugee “crises”</a>), <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/david-suzuki-foundation-first-nations-water-report-1.4525456">the disbelief and denial that social inequalities still persist</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/11/facebook-former-executive-ripping-society-apart">social media algorithms that only expose us to beliefs that are similar to our own</a> and the rise of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5791909/">both real</a> and <a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-08-fake-social-media-derail-booming.html">artificial online trolls</a>. </p>
<h2>The microcosm: Incivility in groups</h2>
<p>Whether intentional or instinctual, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11211-008-0067-y">human</a> and <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9m1HzazNOHsC&oi=fnd&pg=PA84&ots=tC0ruRGdpl&sig=wCnn1hiTm__oJ0PesdMdA0xL0i4#v=onepage&q&f=false">non-human</a> animals alike act in a way that ensures equitable exchanges within their group.</p>
<p>We seek balance. If we are treated in a respectful manner, we want to return the favour. If <a href="http://doi.apa.org/journals/apl/92/4/1159.html">we feel slighted, we typically want reprisal</a>. This is the catalyst for <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/audreymurrell/2018/07/16/stopping-the-downward-spiral-of-workplace-incivility/#30bb18c354ef">the spiral of incivility.</a></p>
<p>Incivility has become a persistent concern in workplaces around the world (e.g., <a href="https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-price-of-incivility">U.S.</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28302927">Japan</a>). It reflects more general tendencies driven by features of individual psychology in group settings. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234903/original/file-20180904-45151-cc39wl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At work or at home, if we are treated in a respectful manner, we want to return the favour. If we feel slighted, we want reprisal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Whether at work, at a restaurant, or at home, our expectations will ultimately depend on the kind of relationship we believe we share with those around us: Communal sharing in a family, equality with a co-worker, deference to a boss or even proportional cost and benefit in a market economy. </p>
<p>All of these expectations reflect <a href="https://www.iep.utm.edu/r-models/">possible models of fair interpersonal exchange that we might reference</a>. Crucially, violating their norms can make us <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1047840X.2012.670782?casa_token=8Stb0QpX-zQAAAAA%3A359aqIJNk81foDdx7CYfA6lfldm5OhQp0z0QJ9tbVkJJvi4Ig_tvVkBIAtCSYVHhlPtZICcUxAyX0w&">feel justified in engaging in verbal and nonverbal aggression</a>.</p>
<p>Rather than being unethical or disrespectful, others simply might not share the same beliefs about what is appropriate in a given context: For example, as children grow older, the expectation of deference to a parent can turn into an expectation of equality — one that is not yet shared by the parent. </p>
<p>Civility requires that we make a concerted effort to understand each other. <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327957pspr0104_5">Despite our confidence in knowing the intentions of others, our accuracy can be quite low</a>.</p>
<h2>Depersonalizing ourselves, others online</h2>
<p>All we truly know of each other are sundry fragments that are hastily gathered in a moment. <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/snap-judgment-science">Social judgments are made fast and furiously</a>. Yet, understanding others is a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/between-cultures/201606/understanding-others">multi-faceted</a> competency that requires <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/socioemotional-success/201707/theory-mind-understanding-others-in-social-world">time to develop</a>. </p>
<p>In an online setting, where many social cues are modest or absent, we are left with the written word. <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/doi/10.1177/1529100610390861">Without nonverbal cues discerning their meaning can be a daunting task</a>. Online posts have become <a href="https://www.livescience.com/9695-rorschach-test-discredited-controversial.html">the Rorschach tests of our time</a>. They are as ambiguous and equally inaccurate in predicting behaviour.</p>
<p>Making matters worse, when we feel like we are one of the crowd, we tend to misbehave. <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1976-20842-001">Anonymity</a>, <a href="http://socialpsychonline.com/2015/12/being-a-good-samaritan-psychology-of-helping/">a lack of time, and stress</a> can reduce helpful behaviour and increase antisocial behaviour. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15257832">In online spaces, we feel disinhibited.</a> Online <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563210001627">communities</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886917300260">dating sites</a> are replete with uncivil behaviour. Rather than living in a community with repercussions, we practice avoidance. Rather than constructively confronting perceived inaccuracies we find in ourselves, we might <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/do-the-right-thing/201709/polarization-groups-never-ends-well">run further away from one another and toward the fringes</a>. </p>
<p>In the short run, we might preserve a fragile sense of self as a good and competent individual. In the long run, this isolation only reinforces perceived differences and places us in a bubble.</p>
<h2>Losing contact with our leaders</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044153">Power can alter our behaviour. It can change what people want and how they attain their goals</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-new-psychology-of-leadership-2007-08/">Leaders believe that they must symbolically represent the group and its values</a>. If those with power feel it’s their duty to adhere to the values of the group, they will. If certain values are deemed irrelevant, they will be ignored: A leader might focus on a group’s finances and neglect its ethics.</p>
<p>Over the long term, leaders can trap themselves if these values are not realistically attainable over the course of their tenure. This <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuronarrative/201009/power-makes-the-hypocrite-bolder-and-smugger?amp=">moral hypocrisy</a> places them in a precarious position. The higher the pedestal, the greater the fall. And people will push.</p>
<p>Wanting a world without ambiguity, followers often resort to rationalizing inconsistencies and can <a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/bias/reactive-devaluation/">dismiss the proposals from those of other groups </a>, something that <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022002702046004003">can translate into real-world consequences</a>.</p>
<h2>Choosing the course of history</h2>
<p>History is a willing tutor if we’re prepared to listen with a critical ear. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/aug/25/controversiesinscience">When we come together to fight a common enemy, we can push back empires. When we lose common ground, our societies shatter.</a> </p>
<p>A reading of <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Sb40EosBr90C&oi=fnd&pg=PT11&dq=american+nations+woodard+regional+cultures&ots=l5H4Ko5zkH&sig=RFeXrOTBTIm483twUvof2grexKY#v=onepage&q=american%20nations%20woodard%20regional%20cultures&f=false">the history of North America</a> reflects an uneasy plurality. Whether historically or presently, <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/revisiting-the-robbers-cave-the-easy-spontaneity-of-intergroup-conflict/">evidence suggests that tensions can be reduced when faced with common threats</a>. Leaders can and do manipulate this to increase cohesion within the majority. However, there is a price to pay.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/apology-to-japanese-canadians-leaves-great-legacy-1.1865829">In the Second World War, Japanese-Canadians paid the price</a>. Now, an increase in hate crimes might suggest <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/3523535/hate-crimes-canada-muslim/">Canadian Muslims are footing the bill</a>. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/may/11/uk-has-seen-brexit-related-growth-in-racism-says-un-representative">U.K.</a> and the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/17/hate-crimes-up-america-10-largest-cities/776721002/">U.S.</a> have their own variants.</p>
<p>Unless we want to become another failed stratum in the sediment of history like Rome, we must choose our responses wisely. When our barbarians are at the gates, will we be prepared?</p>
<p>The greatest threats are not as simple as identifiable countries or peoples. Instead, our common adversaries are largely self-made. Antibiotic-resistant diseases, climate change, workforces ill-equipped for seismic technological shifts and overly simplified rhetoric imperil us. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/234907/original/file-20180904-45181-1ezyfuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Man-made problems like climate change endanger us more than other countries or peoples. In this August 2018 photo, the city of Toronto grapples with major flooding after a prolonged torrential downpour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Shlomi Amiga</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The endemic rashness of political discourse can no longer be tolerated. </p>
<p>Civility has a role to play here as we challenge ourselves and others. We must be humble with the limits of our knowledge. <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/06/18/qa-telling-the-difference-between-factual-and-opinion-statements-in-the-news/">In an age when fact and opinion have become blurred for many</a>, we must approach absolute statements with caution. This requires deliberation and respectful exchange. The more reasoned the arguments we take into consideration, the better off we will be.</p>
<p>Equally important, civility does not imply that all opinions have equal merit. Instead, we must invest time and effort in our response and avoid being stuck between reactive gut feelings and indifference. We must reflect on how we will be judged and remembered when the dust of history settles upon us.</p>
<p>In an irrevocably globalized world, civility is likely more important now than it has ever been.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Richard Schoenherr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Eroding civility is not just an American phenomenon; it’s global. But it’s time for a return to civility as we reflect on how we will be judged and remembered when the dust of history settles upon us.Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/825372018-01-10T13:25:50Z2018-01-10T13:25:50ZWhy society needs a more scientific understanding of human values<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200971/original/file-20180105-26169-xmedko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-bright-landscape-grass-field-green-644028748?src=Q2-w3NH3-jKGTuVLSawL9w-1-94">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When we talk about “human values” we tend to mean important abstract ideals. Things like freedom, equality, security, tradition and peace.</p>
<p>Politicians mention values all the time, while all kinds of organisations claim to put “key values” at the heart of whatever business they are in. This makes perfect sense, as values <em>are</em> relevant to everything we do. They help us to choose careers, romantic partners, homes, consumer products and the broader ideologies by which we live.</p>
<p>But public debate often focuses on perceived threats to different values – while rarely recognising the problem of really understanding the values themselves. </p>
<p>What does it mean, for example, for terrorism to threaten the value of “freedom”, but for national defence measures to promote the value of “security”? What does it mean for war to threaten “peace”, but promote “democracy”? What does it mean for Arctic oil exploration to threaten the “environment”, but promote “wealth”. </p>
<p>All of these values are familiar. But they are symbolic placeholders for more concrete ideas and assumptions, which people are often unable or unwilling to articulate. </p>
<p>Another complication comes from people interpreting values in different ways. We can never know precisely what people mean by different values they say they hold. For instance, we might agree with a friend that “equality” is very important, but we may have different ideas about what equality means in real life situations. </p>
<p>We may be imagining the same ideal at an abstract level (equality of opportunity as opposed to outcomes, for example), but our interpretation of the ideal’s application will vary. </p>
<p>Consider the recent firestorm over the prevalence of sexual harassment in Hollywood (and society generally). Some people see the allegations against people like Harvey Weinstein as indicative of widespread gender inequality. Others see them as claims of an individual’s predatory behaviour. The first interpretation focuses on equality, whereas the second focuses on individual misconduct. </p>
<p>Because values are a <a href="http://208.254.74.112/books/details/9781138655355/">difficult thing to study</a> – you can’t look at them under a microscope – my research takes an empirical approach to addressing this issue, looking instead at what people actually think and do. In this way we can infer the presence of values from people’s judgements and behaviours.</p>
<p>One important factor that determines whether people act on their values is whether they have recently been thinking about them. Someone who has spent time thinking about protection of the environment is more likely to recycle a waste sheet of paper than someone who has been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate1662">preoccupied with saving money</a>. </p>
<p>The time spent thinking about protection of the environment acts as a reminder that this value is important, which makes people mindful of it during their next opportunity to act accordingly. </p>
<p>Being aware of a value is not enough, however. A person also has to decide that the value fits the situation. In wealthy industrialised nations, recycling is a common example of pro-environmental behaviour. But other actions are at least as good for the environment, yet not often thought about. </p>
<h2>A valuable vision</h2>
<p>For example, we can help the environment substantially through avoiding air travel and through veganism. But these are not things that spring to mind when people are asked to list <a href="https://orca.cf.ac.uk/96711/2/2016hanelphd.pdf">environmentally friendly behaviors</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200972/original/file-20180105-26145-1fl4w9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hands up if you recycle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-hold-show-recyclable-plastic-paper-612750737?src=sy4rR25SHGEk5v_UUsK2Xw-1-1">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This matters because a great deal depends on the concrete examples we use for values. In our research, we refer to the concrete examples as <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(10)42001-8">“value instantiations”</a>. People are more likely to exhibit a value in their judgements of a situation and in their behaviour if they have recently been thinking of common, typical concrete examples of a value rather than of rare, but <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0016683">equally valid ones</a>. </p>
<p>Common examples “fit” a particular value more obviously and specifically, and can act as stronger reminders of the value than rare examples. As we have seen, recycling is an easy and obvious fit for protecting the environment, whereas becoming a vegan might be thought of as a more obvious fit for other values, such as health or the treatment of animals. Its role in environmentalism gets blurred. </p>
<p>This kind of blurring comes from a disconnect between the abstract meaning of values and the varied ways in which people apply them. In working to tackle environmental and social problems, we overlook the links between values and value instantiations at our own peril. </p>
<p>Improving our understanding of the links will help us to better understand the role of values in our psychology and social lives – and where they fit into human character, morality, and culture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Maio's research receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and the Templeton Foundation (USA). </span></em></p>When people talk about values what do they really mean?Gregory R. Maio, Professor of Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/862492017-10-24T14:11:36Z2017-10-24T14:11:36ZSouth Africa’s police: at times proud, at times shamed by the work they do<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191614/original/file-20171024-30587-11t37qy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most South African police officers view their job as primarily just that -
a job and a means to survive.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GCIS</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Police officers are central to modern states and societies, including South Africa. But contrary to popular belief, the standard model of policing - random patrol, rapid response and follow up investigation - has <a href="https://www.nap.edu/catalog/10419/fairness-and-effectiveness-in-policing-the-evidence">limited impact on general crime</a>. </p>
<p>Instead, crime and <a href="http://apps.who.int/violence-info/">violence</a> are shaped by a <a href="https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono192.pdf">myriad of factors</a> including: <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014488614002842">in utero stress</a>; childhood loss of a caregiver, <a href="https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono192.pdf">neglect and malnutrition</a>; untreated mental health and <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sJKoDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=robert+sapolsky+crime&ots=uRd64c_EUm&sig=uU2gxWNDdXU57Gl4-Tur-8bg4WA#v=onepage&q=robert%20sapolsky%20crime&f=false">cognitive disorders</a>; stark income and opportunity <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc123/abstract?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=">inequality</a> and related constructs of and damage to masculinities; and <a href="http://globalreport.knowviolenceinchildhood.org/">early exposure to violence</a>, including at home and school. About much of this, police alone can do little. </p>
<p>Rather, many South African police officers are the products of the same forces that shape the “criminals” against whom they are pitted.</p>
<p>In 2012/13 I spent eight months shadowing SAPS officers as they went about their work at four stations: two in Cape Town (one poor township, one affluent city) and two in the Eastern Cape (one rural town, one rural village, both poor). Aware of the limits of policing, I wanted to explore who officers thought they were – the stories they told themselves about themselves – and how these shaped their work. My findings have just been published in the book, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Police-Work-and-Identity-A-South-African-Ethnography/Faull/p/book/9781138233294">Police Work and Identity</a>.</p>
<p>So what did I find? </p>
<h2>Accidental officers</h2>
<p>Born and raised in the poverty stained shadow of South Africa’s minority wealth, most officers I met found themselves in the SAPS after original aspirations had slipped beyond reach. Some told stories of having disliked or been in conflict with the SAPS before signing up. </p>
<p>Yet, once inside, given a gun and uniform and asked to do the dirty work of a fragile and anxious democracy, they found themselves rewriting their self-narratives. They told themselves the SAPS was not ideal, but it was not bad either. It offered them secure employment, a decent salary and, often, interesting and rewarding work in a country where these are rare.</p>
<p>And so, for most officers a job in the SAPS is primarily just that, a job - a means to strive and survive in contexts of great precarity. The meaning and income the work brings to officers’ lives is usually more important to them than the work they carry out. Consequently, they seek first to please managers, and so to ease the pressures placed on them. </p>
<p>They enact institutional performances that promote the myth that the SAPS is a rational, effective, evidence based and rule-bound organisation consisting of well-trained officers performing common sense crime prevention tasks. This, while hiding the grimy by products of police work. Through official reports and statements, and carefully choreographed public performances, the SAPS and its officers present a <a href="https://theconversation.com/south-african-police-need-more-than-social-media-savvy-to-polish-their-image-52873">strategically crafted façade</a> behind which they cocoon themselves and seek to build their lives on the precarious socio-economic terrain of contemporary South Africa.</p>
<p>Because officers are aware of their limits, and that the SAPS’ public face is part fiction, some officers seek to distance their identity from the organisation. Instead, they present themselves in private as what might be thought of as “accidental police officers”, people who had hoped for more in life and who thus deserved more respect and dignity than the South African public gave them. But, with prospects of comparable financial remuneration and job security outside of the SAPS unlikely for most, they simultaneously and contradictorily invest in and protect the SAPS image. This is achieved both through dedication to legitimate task, and by ignoring abuse by colleagues.</p>
<h2>Incongruence</h2>
<p>While officers aspired to lives characterised by middle class materialism, few had the money to do so. Instead they deferred their dreams to their children, investing in their education, while sharing what little remained with networks of precarious kin. </p>
<p>Some officers invested in more than their immediate relatives. They volunteered their time and money to support youth in their communities who they believed to be at risk. Like the <em>skollies</em> (the colloquial name for thugs) they hunted at work, the teens reminded officers of themselves. </p>
<p>By investing in them officers hoped to deflect the teens from the violence of the criminal justice system. In a sense, they offered them carrots so that they might avoid becoming the objects of the violence through which some officers asserted their right to manhood and respect on the job.</p>
<p>A notable portion of the police behaviour I observed was in congruent with the imagined ideals of an exemplary police service. In less orderly spaces – the township and rural town for example – police were more likely to disregard traffic laws, litter, speak their prejudice, and resort to violence.</p>
<p>Their turning to such behaviour in such spaces has its roots in the disparate ways the apartheid state governed Black and White space, and the opposition to state law and authority this fostered. Extended into the democratic era, it seems that disorderly space encourages disorderly police conduct, while order encourages police compliance. As such, police reproduce both order and disorder in their work, rather than enforcing order.</p>
<h2>Raised on the periphery</h2>
<p>Who do SAPS officers think they are and how does it shape police practice? </p>
<p>Like so many South Africans, they are men and women born and raised on the periphery, chasing a vision of a more prosperous future. At times, proud, at times, shamed by the work they are required to do, they are nourished by the knowledge that while they may not be able to make South Africa safe, they can provide themselves and those they care for, with a better life than the one they were born into. </p>
<p>In the meantime, they do what they must do to get through the day, hold fast to the story they tell themselves about themselves, and with it secured, strive to colonise the future with a vision that is golden.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86249/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Faull has previously received funding from the National Research Foundation.</span></em></p>Born and raised in poor circumstances, many South African police officers find themselves in the job after original aspirations slipped beyond reach.Andrew Faull, Independent Researcher and Research Associate, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/824332017-08-16T20:12:46Z2017-08-16T20:12:46ZWhen it comes to same-sex marriage, not all views deserve respect<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181911/original/file-20170814-14751-z2dddk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Respect the people in any same-sex marriage debate, but you don't have to respect their views.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-couple-sweet-married-2226/">Pexels/SplitShire</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the expectations in the ongoing debate over marriage reform in Australia is that all views should be respected.</p>
<p>But if we want to uphold the values of the enlightenment and of deliberative democracy, then whatever side of the debate you are on, demanding views be treated with respect is a flawed idea.</p>
<p>This may sound contradictory, but it goes to a point too often missed in such circumstances: people are worthy of respect, ideas are not.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/facts-are-not-always-more-important-than-opinions-heres-why-76020">Facts are not always more important than opinions: here's why</a>
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<p>We naturally adopt a respectful attitude to people. At this basic level, people have to work hard to lose our respect, and, even then, we may choose not to disregard them because we value human life and dignity. We appreciate that they contribute in some way to the social norms we all enjoy, and that they, like us, are creators of society as well as participants in it.</p>
<p>Ideas have no such empathetic traction. Unlike people they cannot suffer, they do not know joy, and they do not contribute by themselves to the happiness of others. </p>
<p>That is not to say there are no really good or really bad ideas. But they do need to stand or fall exclusively on their merits, and often within their own contexts. They should be subject to critical scrutiny and survive only though articulation and argumentation.</p>
<h2>The fallacy of deepest offence</h2>
<p>It may be painful to acknowledge, but what we view as a core belief to us may be seen differently by others. Even if we feel that the belief is a strong part of our identity. Like all ideas in a free society, it must be permissible to subject that core belief to open inquiry.</p>
<p>To assume that an idea may not be questioned because it is a part of your identity, and that an attack on it is an attack on you equivalent to a denial of human respect, is a fallacy. I call this the Fallacy of Deepest Offence.</p>
<p>It is a blurring of the line between people and ideas. It is a device by which ideas are rendered immune to critical inquiry behind the claim of deepest possible offence: an insult to human dignity.</p>
<p>Failing to recognise this fallacy creates two problems. The first is that we lose the ability to reflect on our own internal processes. If we do not look inwards and question what we see, we ossify - led more by our creed than by our critical faculties.</p>
<p>The second is that we become less tolerant of others, less willing to work collaboratively, and less able to comprehend arguments. Both of these diminish our ability to contribute and to coexist.</p>
<p>If you want to believe that the world is made of snow, that women are inferior to men, that homosexuality is morally wrong, or that relationships between people of the same sex should not be legitimised through marriage, then go ahead.</p>
<p>But the instant you take that belief into the public arena, your idea will be rightfully tested. The minute you suggest others should believe it too, you will be challenged. When you ask that the taxes of your fellow citizens support your belief, you will be resisted. This is exactly how an open society operates and should operate. </p>
<p>Your ideas are not immune to criticism just because you express them with sincerity.</p>
<h2>Ideas need arguments, not assertions</h2>
<p>Our arguments are our rational probes into the world. When they work, we can feel that we are on solid intellectual ground. When they do not, we know we need to refashion our thinking or to consider more deeply how our arguments are received by others. </p>
<p>Our arguments are not only designed to make our case publicly, but they also challenge us to look closely at our own reasoning. </p>
<p>When proponents of the status quo on marriage ask for respect, they have every right to receive it. But they have no such right for their views. </p>
<p>If robust analysis of their arguments shows up their weaknesses, then offence, or claiming a lack of respect, is not an option. The onus is on them to create a better argument. </p>
<p>The Australian Christian Lobby, for example, <a href="https://acl.nationbuilder.com/marriage_coalition">lists four assertions on its website</a> as to why same sex marriage should not be permitted:</p>
<ul>
<li>redefining marriage will threaten your freedom of speech </li>
<li>redefining marriage can take away your religious freedom </li>
<li>redefining marriage is the step before redefining gender itself, and</li>
<li>redefining marriage will take away children’s rights — every child deserves a mum and a dad. </li>
</ul>
<p>Some of these have <a href="https://theconversation.com/tony-abbott-morphs-same-sex-marriage-into-a-culture-war-issue-82279">recently been repeated</a>, equally devoid of justification, by former prime minister Tony Abbott.</p>
<p>The lack of logical or evidentiary support around these claims is breathtaking. Nowhere on the ACL’s website are found reasons supporting these claims, let alone complete arguments to analyse and evaluate. </p>
<p>So by all means let’s be respectful in the marriage equality debate. Let’s refrain from focusing on the person and play the ball instead. But let’s not assume that that means an absence of demand for rational engagement. </p>
<p>We should hold people to task for the views they express and make it clear that if they are not prepared to craft a cogent argument their slogans are nothing more than gang colours. </p>
<p>To claim offence when questioned is not only to commit the fallacy of deepest offence, is also to disrespect utterly the right of your fellows to engage in honest inquiry, and that is a very deep offence indeed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82433/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Ellerton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Your ideas are not immune to criticism just because you express them with sincerity: people are worthy of respect, ideas are not.Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking, Director of the UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/750742017-04-11T14:07:53Z2017-04-11T14:07:53ZWork contracts are a complex web of social and cultural dynamics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/162655/original/image-20170327-3283-1sxqc1a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Without loyalty, employees don't go the extra mile that's needed to make a business competitive.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="http://www.businessballs.com/psychological-contracts-theory.htm">Psychological contracts</a> in the workplace are fragile bonds. This is true all over the world. In South Africa they come with their own set of unique challenges largely due to the country’s history of <a href="http://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">racial discrimination</a>. </p>
<p>A psychological contract is the unwritten set of expectations between employer and employee – as well as between workers. Along with the formal employment contract, it underpins all workplace relationships. </p>
<p>Breaching the contract can damage relationships irreparably and lead to a number of undesirable outcomes. For example, it can have a negative impact on employee loyalty. Without loyalty, employees don’t go the extra mile that’s needed to make a business competitive. </p>
<p>But when properly nurtured, psychological contracts can <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-psychological-contract-the-ties-that-bind-companies-and-employees/">unlock productivity</a> and boost growth. Organisational behaviour researcher <a href="http://www.ie.edu/business-school/faculty-research/faculty/margarita-mayo/">Margarita Mayo</a> <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-psychological-contract-the-ties-that-bind-companies-and-employees/">argues that</a> employees only go beyond what’s expected in the labour contract when there’s an emotional relationship based on employee loyalty and the identification of the employee with the company and its mission. </p>
<p>For loyalty and identification to flourish, employees – particularly the younger generation – are increasingly needing <a href="http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/employee-voice-is-a-key-to-a-successful-business-says-nita-clarke">recognition</a> and a voice when it comes to their employment conditions and workplace relationships. This is particularly important in South Africa. The country’s apartheid history deliberately deprived people of their voice. Employers who don’t acknowledge this are treading on dangerous ground.</p>
<h2>Communication is key</h2>
<p>World-renowned expert and scholar <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Rousseau">Denise Rousseau</a> has described psychological contracts as motivating workers to fulfil commitments made to employers. But they only work when workers are confident that employers will deliver something in return. </p>
<p>Psychological contracts include an intricate and complex web of social and cultural dynamics. These go beyond simply setting workplace expectations or maintaining strong team bonds between peers. </p>
<p>But the difficulty with these contracts is that very often key aspects aren’t clearly communicated. And in South Africa diverse cultural and personal needs must be taken into account. For example, people from different social backgrounds might have different communication styles which can be influenced by language. Organisations that don’t deal with these complexities face a greater risk of causing misunderstandings in the work place.</p>
<h2>Generational differences</h2>
<p>On top of this South Africa is recovering from a unique set of historical circumstances and inequalities. Change is often perceived differently by different generations. </p>
<p>Beyond the usual <a href="http://www.smesouthafrica.co.za/Bridging-the-generational-gap-in-the-workplace/">differences between</a> Baby Boomers – those born during the post–World War II years – and Millennials, South Africa’s inter-generational differences carry their own <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/docs/egm11/EGM_Expert_Paper_Monde_Makiwane.pdf">unique stamp</a>. This is because of the country’s history. For example those born after 1994, or the “born frees”, have a vastly different experience to their parents of their place in the country – what is known as inter-generational disjuncture. </p>
<p>In South Africa generational differences play out in a number of areas. They can affect, for example:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>people’s attitude towards employment equity policies; </p></li>
<li><p>what constitutes a reasonable work-life balance, and </p></li>
<li><p>different understandings of when time off should be given for cultural observances. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Generally, Baby Boomers prefer teamwork where they’re in charge. Generation X, a generation that came after the baby boomers, tends to favour teams where individual contribution is valued.</p>
<p>The Millenials, the generation typically born in the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, show <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/millennialsurvey.html">little allegiance</a> to their employers, but higher levels of loyalty to their work and their peers.</p>
<p>This underlines the need for new approaches as this generation increasingly moves through the workforce. Building sound relationships between all parties within the workplace becomes more important than ever to foster loyalty. </p>
<h2>Uniquely South African solutions</h2>
<p>The good news is that there are uniquely local solutions to these challenges. For example, the African philosophy of <a href="https://www.enca.com/media/video/ubuntu-shaping-current-workplace-african-wisdom">Ubuntu</a>, has a key role to play in achieving more humane and productive workplaces. </p>
<p>Ubuntu is underpinned by values of generosity, hospitality, friendliness, care and compassion as well as accessibility and affirmation. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ubuntu-African-management-Lovemore-Mbigi/dp/1874997144">Lovemore Mbigi</a>, renowned South African author, argues that within the organisational setting, Ubuntu means remaining focused on caring about people and the environment around them. That links well with the expectations that Millenials have <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/millennialsurvey.html">globally</a>.</p>
<p>Human resource professionals are also probing the opportunities that the inter-generational offers in terms of relationship building. A system of ‘reverse mentorship’, for example, allows for skills transfer between generations. A Baby Boomer or Generation X colleague may offer a Millenial experience and insight. The Millenial, in turn, might bring new knowledge of updated skills or technologies. </p>
<p>Additionally, bringing Ubuntu into the workplace can build and consolidate interpersonal relationships where effective cross-generational collaborations can flourish.</p>
<h2>Start at the beginning</h2>
<p>All workplace challenges can be navigated more easily if well-understood psychological contracts are in place. But their often unspoken nature makes this tricky. And it starts even before the job interview. Prospective recruits form expectations based on branding, and the wording of job advertisements.</p>
<p>It’s therefore crucial for managers to ensure that communication is clear, considerate and respectful. And that mutual understandings are clarified to avoid the breakdown of trust. </p>
<p>If employee relationships are at the heart of retaining the competitive advantage, then successfully navigating the complex territory of a psychological contract in South Africa is central to this. The success of companies depends on mastering an intricate navigation of demographics. With focus, respect and clear communication, it can be done.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75074/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linda Ronnie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Breach of a psychological contract in the workplace can irreparably damage relationships and produce a number of undesirable outcomes.Linda Ronnie, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and People Management, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.