Jean Baker Miller notes that once a group is defined as inferior, the superiors tend to label it as defective or substandard.
"Thus, blacks are labeled as less intelligent than whites, women are supposed to be ruled by emotion...
"A subordinate group has to concentrate on basic survival... direct, honest reaction to destructive treatment is avoided. Such (latter) actions can, and still do, result in death for some subordinate groups. In our own society, a women's direct action can result in a combination of economic hardship, social ostracism, and psychological isolation."
In a related aspect, the members of the dominant group are denied an essential part of life - the opportunity to gain self-understanding through knowing their impact on others. They are deprived of feedback and a chance to correct their actions and expressions.
The abuse of rank--the denial of equal dignity to others--corrupts relations between individuals and nations, as well as between a country's leaders and the rest of the population in pseudo-democracies.
Bertrand Russell said:
"I believe that every sane person must do all in his power to prevent [such] policies...
"I am heartened that there is still present a will to resist and I am convinced that, until people fully comprehend what is being done in their name, there is small hope for peace in the world. It is not sufficient to point out the evil of others, for that is often a reflection of one's own [in]action."
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