We encounter many “isms” in our lives to span our lifetimes many times over! These isms manifest themselves in many tones, circumstances, environments, moods, beliefs, leanings, etc. to name but a few!
Take optimism, pessimism and realism for example. A few will argue that these lie on the same spectrum covering from one extreme (optimism) to the other (pessimism). I argue that realism does not fall on the same spectrum and that each of these extremes has their own mini-spectrum! You can have extreme, moderate and slight pessimism or optimism but you cannot apply that to realism!
Other isms that fall into the same category as realism, i.e. they do not conform to having degrees or, in other words, they either exist or not, include: racism, fascism, nepotism, radicalism, sexism, anarchism, humanism, individualism, etc… They belong to the same notion as “You can’t be half pregnant!!!”.
Subscribing to an “ism” does not mean that it cannot be changed. Politicians do it all the time!! Perhaps when it occurs we should refer to it as “wasm”!!!
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P.S. “ism” as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: a belief, attitude, style, etc., that is referred to by a word that ends in the suffix -ism
Take optimism, pessimism and realism for example. A few will argue that these lie on the same spectrum covering from one extreme (optimism) to the other (pessimism). I argue that realism does not fall on the same spectrum and that each of these extremes has their own mini-spectrum! You can have extreme, moderate and slight pessimism or optimism but you cannot apply that to realism!
Other isms that fall into the same category as realism, i.e. they do not conform to having degrees or, in other words, they either exist or not, include: racism, fascism, nepotism, radicalism, sexism, anarchism, humanism, individualism, etc… They belong to the same notion as “You can’t be half pregnant!!!”.
Subscribing to an “ism” does not mean that it cannot be changed. Politicians do it all the time!! Perhaps when it occurs we should refer to it as “wasm”!!!
_______________________________________________
P.S. “ism” as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: a belief, attitude, style, etc., that is referred to by a word that ends in the suffix -ism
Hani Badawi
May 10, 2016
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