LANGUAGE IN THE WORKPLACE KATE WILKINSON & ANNA KIRKWOOD
Why the words we use matter In a world where being ‘too politically correct’ is cried on a weekly basis, let’s dive deep into why the words we say are more important than we realise.
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around factors such as race, gender, sexuality, religion or ability and so on. People who express these beliefs and opinions tend to surround themselves with people who strengthen their views and build on the belief that some types of people are not equal.
he ‘Pyramid of Hate’ was developed by Anti-Defamation League for IT’S A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute and is used to explain how biased behaviours grow and develop within our communities. The pyramid shows the flow-on effect of normalising things like discriminatory language and biased attitudes. Although behaviours at the bottom of the pyramid might not seem ‘that bad’, as groups and individuals move up the pyramid, the consequences become more and more life-threatening.
The reinforcement and acceptance of these views increase the likelihood that they will move up the pyramid.
The lower levels influence the upper levels of the pyramid. If people and organisations accept or consider the factors in the lower levels to be ‘normal’, the higher levels of the pyramid also become more accepted. Discrimination is built upon the acceptance of behaviours in the lower levels.
If we continue to voice prejudiced beliefs out loud, we reinforce that certain groups of people are not equal and differences are something to be laughed at.
Level 1 – Attitudes and biases
This section refers to the beliefs, attitudes and biases that people have 24
HUMAN RESOURCES
SPRING 2019
Level 2 – Acting on attitude
Jokes and comments made by people relating to race, gender, sexuality, ability or age and so on. are often just laughed off by others. But, if we continue to voice prejudiced beliefs out loud, we reinforce that certain groups of people are not equal and differences are something to be laughed at.
Acceptance of jokes or comments can continue to push people up the pyramid as they begin to dehumanise groups of people they have built a
negative belief toward. This increases the probability that life-threatening consequences could occur as a result of those discriminatory beliefs. Below are real-life examples of discriminatory jokes and words. See how many you have heard in the workplace or your personal life. • • • •
“That’s a bit gay.” “They did a bit of a Māori job.” “Stop being such a girl.” “That’s a bit retarded.”
Chances are that now you have been made aware of them, you will start to hear them all the time!
Level 3 – Physical expression
This is where we can visually see the impact of negative stereotypes, prejudice and bias in action. Before this level, we could not see the harsh impact of biased attitudes very easily. People who have moved this far up the pyramid feel a powerful sense of entitlement, and believe it is within their right and power to physically hurt another person based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or ability.
Level 4 – Genocide/murder/ suicide
People who have moved this far up the pyramid deliberately commit acts
