Dignity for All: How to Create a World Without Rankism

by Robert W. Fuller, Pamela A. Gerloff

Dignity for It's Time! In his books Somebodies and Nobodies and All Rise , Robert Fuller exposed rankism--abuse of the power inherent in rank to exploit or humiliate someone of lower rank. In Dignity for All , Fuller and Pamela Gerloff offer a concise, action-oriented guide to the concrete steps we can take to eradicate it. They focus on us as individuals--how we can recognize rankism in our own experiences, even in ourselves, and how, on a day-to-day basis, we can help others to see its insidious influence and work with them to create a better world. Fuller and Gerloff offer advice on the best ways to forcefully but compassionately bring rankist behavior to light. They include examples of rankism in action as well as the often surprisingly simple things people have done to counteract it. Perhaps most importantly, they show how we can prevent rankism from taking root in the first place. Dignity for All will help you map out your own personal strategy for creating a society in which every human being feels truly valued and respected.

Genres: Sociology

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Robert W. Fuller is author of Somebodies and Nobodies, All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity, and (with co-author Pamela Gerloff) Dignity for All: How to Create a World Without Rankism. He coined the term rankism and is active worldwide in the Dignity Movement. His latest books are Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship?; Genomes, Menomes, Wenomes: Neuroscience and Human Dignity; Belonging: A Memoir, The Wisdom of Science; The Theory of Everybody; and The Rowan Tree: A Novel.

He earned his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University and taught at Columbia, where he co-authored Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. He then served as president of Oberlin College.

On a trip to India, where he was a consultant to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Fuller witnessed firsthand the horrors of genocidal famine. Subsequently, he met with President Carter to propose the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger.

During the 1980s, Fuller traveled frequently to the USSR, working to improve the Cold War relationship with the U.S. For many years, he served as chairman of the global nonprofit Internews, which promotes democracy via free and independent media.

Fuller is now an international authority on dignity and rankism (abusive, discriminatory, or exploitative behavior towards those of lower rank). In 2011, he was the keynote speaker at "The National Conference on Dignity for All" hosted by the president of Bangladesh. Fuller has also served as visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Science and the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore. His work has been featured in scores of books and publications including the New York Times, O Magazine, and The Contemporary Goffman.

In his books, Fuller makes the case that rankism is a major obstacle to organizational effectiveness and develops a “politics of dignity” that addresses issues of social justice.

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too often in our world we treat one another disrespectfully, trying to gain the upper hand, or even unconsciously inhabiting that place of privilege and entitlement. Fuller's call to attend more carefully to respect and dignity for all is a useful and needful point of reflection to help us change. Unitarian Universalists, who covenant to affirm and promote the dignity of all, may wish to take up this text for spiritual reading groups and in adult faith development programs.