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Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank by [Fuller, Robert W.]

Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank Kindle Edition

by Robert W. Fuller (Author)

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When discrimination is race-based, we call it racism; when it’s gender-based, we call it sexism. Somebodies and Nobodies introduces rank-based discrimination—or "rankism"—a form of injustice that everyone knows, but no one sees. It explains our reluctance to confront rankism, shows where analyses based on identity fall short and, using dozens of examples, traces many forms of injustice and unfairness to rankism.

". . . a wonderful and tremendously important book on the ‘ism’ that is far more encompassing than racism, sexism or ageism. ‘Rankism’ must be our prime target from now on in. Viva Fuller!"—Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Working

Robert Fuller served as president of Oberlin College and subsequently worked internationally as a "citizen diplomat." He lives in Berkeley, California.

Length: 208 pages

Language: English

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Robert W. Fuller
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Product Description

Robert Fuller served as president of Oberlin College and subsequently worked internationally as a "citizen diplomat." He lives in Berkeley, California.

About the Author

Robert Fuller has had three distinct careers. First, he taught physics at Columbia University in New York City. Second, he was president of Oberlin College which he led through a series of educational reforms, many of which drew national attention. A third career eventually came to be called "citizen diplomacy" which took him all over the world. Fuller is a correspondent for the Pacific News Service, and has written for numerous periodicals, with articles on rankism appearing most recently in the summer 2001 issue of Leader to Leader, a publication of The Peter Drucker Foundation.

Product details

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1598 KB
Print Length: 209 pages
Publisher: New Society Publishers (1 March 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00280LPEK
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled

Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #611,624 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #67 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Contemporary Methods > Multicultural
- #140 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Civics
- #227 in Books > Politics, Philosophy & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Civics & Citizenship

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Amazon.com: 38 reviews

R. Schwenk

A short book with lots of filler

18 June 2013 - Published on Amazon.com

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Robert W. Fuller has a point: All people should be treated with dignity. He names the failure to do so “rankism”, a neologism that he believes will, like the words “racism” and “sexism”, serve to stigmatize those who act abusively. He believes that rankism lies at the heart of all the other “isms” that oppress people; that the concept will help to unify all victims of oppression.

These ideas and the illuminating personal stories that he presents are worthy of about thirty pages. To fill out the book, he repeats himself, resulting in tedium for the reader. I lost count of the number of times that he reassured us that he does not oppose rank, merely the abuse of rank.

His analysis of oppression is not particularly deep, he tries too hard to force all problems into his paradigm, and his oversimplifications miss much of the structure that makes human suffering so prevalent and intractable.

In summary, nobody “needs” to buy this book. If you are interested in his ideas, first check out the web: breakingranks.net, dignitarians.org, for example.

11 people found this helpful.

Joseph Phillips

Rankism is a better way to describe this than class

19 December 2016 - Published on Amazon.com

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I'm a therapist, social worker, writer. I think this will be an important book for me. I have always urged people to acknowledge but beware of political wedge issues, and think class, the root of oppression. Rankism is a better way to describe this than class. ALSO: Recent anthropology has debunked the myth of the so called Noble Savage. Traditionally, this would be good news for conservatives, I think the fact that primitive man was a savage is evidence for progress, and the progressive left. We do know however that man is still evolving from a competitive to cooperative species. Rankism is primitive, and we may not get beyond it soon, but you never know. We have made great progress in the last 200 years. I feel very comfortable with the idea that the primary human motivation, after achieving basic necessities, is recognition. We are social animals with a division of labor. We are not rugged individualists. Without the group we die. Being reassured by the group that we are pulling our weight is golden. I also like the idea that rankism is defensive. Anyway, I agree that the best practical, incremental strategy is to build a basic safety net for desperate human necessities. My Firewall Economics is a model that puts desperate necessities under the public sector and leaves the rest exposed to the private sector. FE and a movement to get past rankism should work well together. Take a look. [...]

M D Brady

Great intro and discussion of rankism as umbrella for all -isms

6 September 2018 - Published on Amazon.com

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Not just a superficial repackaging of "discrimination," this book attempts to shift the discussion from superficial -isms to get a the root. The fundamental concept is the ranking of people - for whatever reason of age, gender, skin color, language, gender, partner preference, etc. - as a means to control. Social position in a company, a community, society, etc. becomes a tool of abusive control. Becoming aware of these rankist tendencies and stressing that there is no intrinsic rank can be made possible my stressing equal dignity. This book and others by the author gives practical suggestions.

Jack Bender

Thank God I've got a name for "IT!"

11 September 2008 - Published on Amazon.com

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Fuller contends that the underlying cause of discrimination of any kind (race, gender, age, etc.) is "rankism." If we view males as superior to females, then the rock-bottom, fundamental problem is that we've "pulled rank," we've over-valued males and/or under-valued females. Gender bias is the inexcusable symptom, but there's a deeper problem. We've failed to acknowledge and practice that all humans have equal dignity.

Rank is inevitable in organizations as we differentiate by function and role. Rank is neutral. However, "rankism" raises its ugly head when rank, using the power linked to it, is abused.

We're often oblivious to the abuse of rank. It's the way things are. We're used to those in power being oppressive, or, maybe, we're in charge. In "Seeing Systems," author Barry Oshry describes the predictable experiences of a customer as one of being ignored and the "Bottoms" of the organization as vulnerable and disregarded. After Fuller left posts of college president and physics professor, THEN he felt its full effect.

In my mind, rankism hurts twice. It's a direct attack on the dignity of each person and it robs the organization of the gifts people offer while being discounted.

--Jack H. Bender, author of Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace through Deep Respect and Courage

4 people found this helpful.

Donald L. Delong

Time for a change.

17 August 2015 - Published on Amazon.com

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Every American needs to read this so they can see how badly they and their children have been treated by the "somebodies" who have no respect other than for their own kind. The average American is a victim to those who place no value on them because of their assigned rank in society. We are all somebodies and we need to stop being treated like nobodies.

2 people found this helpful.

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