THE DANGER OF WORDS
DEFINITIONS of concepts most used in anti-racist work
"I am not a racist, because I have nothing against black people, if they assimilate and follow our rules. In fact, some of my friends are black..."
Maybe you have been confronted with this opinion, or a similar one.
Maybe you have tried to explain that what you mean by tolerance does not mean that everything is permitted. Maybe you have experienced confusion when speaking with someone from another part of Europe about 'left' and 'right'.
In this information leaflet we want to start a discussion about certain terms we use often in our daily work. The 'definitions' in this leaflet are ideas. They are not the unique and only expression of an unchangeable truth. Language is constantly changing and so are terms and concepts. In time they may change and come to mean something else. In international cooperation, but in fact even in cooperation with our next door neighbours, we must be aware that what we say may mean something else to another person. We should be aware of the 'danger of words'.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Human Rights are rights that every human being, with no exception, should enjoy. These rights are based on the ideas of philosophers of the "Enlightenment" of the 18th century. Human Rights include social rights (which are rights that need positive interference by the government, such as work, housing, food, etc.) and political rights (which essentially guarantee non-interference of the government, such as the freedom of thought and expression, protection against detention and torture, etc.). All countries in Europe, except a few very small or new ones, have signed the European Declaration of Human Rights or the UN Declaration of Human Rights. There is discussion on the inclusion of rights such as the right to live without environmental polution.
EQUALITY
Equality is the state of being equal. It means that no person counts more than another, whatever his or her parents are, whatever his or her social position is. Of course, people are not identical to one another in their interests, abilities, and lifestyles. So equality for people is about having the same rights and the same chances. People must have equal opportunities to succeed in education or work, depending on their own efforts. Equality will only be a reality when people have the same access to housing, social security, civil rights and citizenship.
TOLERANCE
Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance is harmony in difference. It is fostered by knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Tolerance is being yourself without imposing your views on others. Tolerance is not giving in or giving up. Tolerance is, above all, an active attitude prompted by recognition of the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. The practice of tolerance doesn't mean toleration of social injustice or the abandonment or weakening of one's conviction. Tolerance is not always a positive concept. More traditional meanings of the word tolerance do not include respect or acceptance.
INTOLERANCE
Intolerance is a lack of respect for practices or beliefs of others. This is shown when someone is not willing to let other people act in a different way or hold different opinions. Intolerance can mean that people are not treated fairly because of their religious beliefs, their sexuality, or even their clothes and hairstyle. Intolerance does not accept difference. It lies at the basis of racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and discrimination in general. It can often lead to violence.
PREJUDICE
When you form an opinion about a person, without knowing him, on the basis of assumed characteristics of the group you think he belongs to, then you are prejudiced. Prejudices are complex ideas that are preformed and presumed without being proven right. The mind of human beings cannot work completely without prejudice. By becoming aware of the prejudices we have, we can overcome them. When someone is prejudiced, he will be inclined to see only those things that confirm his ideas and thus strengthen his prejudice, and the stereotypes he believes in. A stereotype is generalised judgement about categories of people.
DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination is judging someone, and acting towards that person in a negative way, on the basis of certain irrelevant characteristics such as skin colour, sex, sexuality, nationality, social class, ethnic origin, etc.
XENOPHOBIA
Taken literally, "xenophobia" means a fear of strangers. The word is used to describe hostility towards people who come from other countries or other ethnic groups, as well as a lack of respect for their traditions and culture.
RACISM
Racism is the belief that some people are superior because they belong to a particular race. Racists define a race as a group of people with common ancestry. They distinguish different races from one another by physical characteristics, such as skin colour and hair texture. In fact, there are no clear differences, and especially no significant differences that matter. Recent research shows that race is an imagined entity. "Race" has no biological basis. The word "racism" is also used to describe abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of a so-called "inferior race". Racism takes different forms in different countries, according to history, culture and other social factors. A relatively new form of racism sometimes called "ethnic or cultural differentiation" says that all races or cultures are equal but they should not mix together to keep their originality. There is no scientific proof of the existence of different races. Biology has only determined one race: the human race.
ANTISEMITISM
Antisemitism is prejudice against Jewish people. Antisemites wrongly believe that Jews are fundamentally different from other people. They often believe that Jews want to rule the world and are trying to reach this goal through a worldwide conspiracy. This form of xenophobic intolerance leads to discrimination against individuals as well as the persecution of Jews as a group. The most horrific manifestation of antisemitism came with Hitler's rise to power and the Nazi ideology of racial purity. Millions of Jewish people, deported from all countries controlled by Germany, died in concentration camps during the Holocaust. However, antisemitism did not start nor end with the Holocaust. It is deeply rooted in European culture and still manifests itself today.
FASCISM
Fascism is a violent reactionary right-wing political movement, which manifests itself ultimately in an openly terrorist dictatorship. Fascism gains support among all social groups especially in times of political and economical crises, it destroys democratic liberties and discriminates members of specific (ethnic) minorities and people with different views. Fascists believe in the just leadership of a strong man, instead of parliamentary democracy. Fascism builds on a strong nationalism that often turns racist. The most brutal form of fascism was the national-socialist dictatorship in Germany 1933-1945, but this is by far not the only fascist dictatorship in history. The word 'fascism' was coined by the Italian dictatorship of Mussolini. We often speak of Fascism with a capital 'f' when we speak of this specific ideology in this specific historical context and about 'fascism' when we speak about the generic 'family of ideologies'. Those who believe in this ideology nowadays are called 'neo-fascists'.
NAZISM
Nazism is the ideology and policy of the German fascism that manifested itself most prominently from 1933-1945, and which was characterised by racism, antisemitism, totalitarianism, social demagogy, aggression, violence and superiority claims over other nations. The word Nazism is short for national-socialism, which was a political movement in Germany led by NSDAP (The German national-socialistic workers party). The NSDAP was founded in 1919 and in 1933 took absolute power in Germany. It was pronounced a criminal organisation at the Nuremberg trial after World War II. The nazi regime was responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians, part of whom were gassed in concentration camps, because of their (presumed) difference. Especially persecuted groups were Jews, Roma, homosexuals and communists/socialists. Some groups identify themselves with the ideals of nazism even today. They are called neo-nazis. Neo-nazis sometimes manifest themselves as skinheads, but not all of them do and not all skinheads are neo-nazis.
HOMOPHOBIA
The fear and hatred of homosexuals is called homophobia. Homosexuals are sometimes seen as 'mad, bad and sad': as psychologically ill, as perverts or as pitiful cases. A lot of homophobia comes from religious beliefs. In general, homophobic people see another person's (homo)sexuality first and his/her humanity only later. Homosexuals have been persecuted for centuries and are still persecuted in many countries. As the word 'homosexual' is often seen as defining a 'disease', many prefer to use the word gay, or lesbian or GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered).
SEXISM
Sexism is making an unfounded difference between men and women. Physiologically speaking men and women are built differently, which is the only reason why it is sometimes appropriate to treat them differently. To unfairly differentiate between men and women is discrimination. Sexism is a form of discrimination. Instead of speaking of sexes, activists often refer to 'gender'. Sex is a biological term, gender a sociological or political term. Gender is the way society defines masculinity and femininity.
NATION
A nation is a group of people who have the desire to see themselves as one coherent group. They recognise a common ancestry, a common history and often a common territory. Nations are not organic, biological or natural entities. They exist because of the will of people. They are 'imagined'. This does not make them less real in the world, as we have to deal with what people believe exists. The idea of the existence of nations as the essential building blocks of our world is relatively new, it has come up during the 19th century. States that wanted to unify the people in their country propagated the idea of one nation, with one history, one language and one territory.
NATIONALISM
Nationalism is a political ideology that puts interests of one "nation" or national group above the interests of others and above all other relationships, be they to family, friends, gender or humanity. It is often linked with a territorial claim. Nationalism makes a difference between people as a result of a border, which often had nothing to do with the people living in the region but with the king or other authority putting a line on a map. This political idea proclaims citizens of one nation to be superior to others and usually leads to suspicion of other nations. An extreme form of this is chauvinism. Originally the notion of nationalism was not so negative, as it also dealt with the development of citizen's rights and the emancipation of sometimes oppressed minorities. However, when the concept becomes linked to heritage, identity and 'blood' it becomes a dangerous idea.
PATRIOTISM
Patriotism means being proud to be a member of one's own nation, or loving one's nation. Patriotism stems from emotional attitude to nationality and its culture and society. Friendship with other countries and nationalities is still possible in this way of thinking, and it can respect their rights and interests. Although it is different from (political) nationalism, patriotism can easily become the motor for an intolerant nationalism.
INTERNATIONALISM
This is a vision of the world in which human life, human rights and human dignity are viewed as more important and more essential than nationality. Internationalism is the refusal of recognising any real basic differences between members of the human race of all nationalities. People who believe in internationalism, will as a consequence struggle against nationalism, racism, fascism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia and other forms of intolerance.
INTERCULTURALISM
This is the belief that we become richer people by knowing and experiencing other cultures. Different people should be able to live together, although they have different cultural backgrounds. Interculturalism is about accepting and respecting differences. People who believe in interculturalism believe they can learn and profit from meeting other cultures.
MULTICULTURALISM
Multiculturalism means the existence or the promotion of the existence of different cultures alongside each other, usually in one country. Many people use this concept when they speak of an anti-racist future. But multiculturalism can also mean the mutual isolation of cultures. Some racists believe in a kind of multiculturalism that is close to the 'apartheid'-system that existed in South Africa, where different cultures were separated in a cruel and unjust way.
INTEGRATION
Integration is a process of unifying individuals and activities into a new system. It means that minority groups and the majority group develop a new way of living, which includes elements of the values and ideas of both groups. Integration also means that everyone finds a place in society. There are no fundamental divisions between groups.
ASSIMILATION
Assimilation is the suppression of differences. Sometimes individuals choose to assimilate of their own free will, but this process is mostly forced upon groups against their wishes. Assimilation forces one group to give up its culture in favour of another. Usually the minority takes over the culture of the majority.
SOCIAL EXCLUSION
Social exclusion is the opposite of social integration. It is usually seen as a result of discrimination on the basis of cultural background, ethnic background, disability, sexual orientation, etc. It usually results in poverty, animosity between groups and exclusion from essential social provisions such as education, health care and community activities. This exclusion is not always based on laws (although it often is) but also often on attitude: making standards too high to reach for certain groups, reinforcing a dress code a group can't comply with, etc. One example of a socially excluded group is homeless people.
MINORITY
A minority group is a group of persons resident within a area in which it constitutes at least less than the biggest grouping within the population and whose members share common characteristics of either an ethnic, religious, linguistic or other nature that distinguish them from the rest of the population. Sometimes we consider a group a minority, not because of the percentage of people it contains in an area, but because of the position they are in. A minority has a lower social and/or economic position than the majority. It does not have as much power as the majority group. Sometimes a minority sees itself as a separate nation.
MIGRANT
A migrant is a person who moves from his home country to another country. Migrants are different from refugees. They have not fled from danger of persecution. Most migrants move to another country to build a better life for themselves and their families. In modern terminology, all refugees who are not awarded refugee status are migrants. The differences are often administrative and not based on a fundamental difference. A lot of migrants have faced life-threatening situations in their homelands.
REFUGEE
A refugee is a person who flees in the face of danger or a life-threatening situation. Refugees are sometimes defined as those asylum-seekers that are awarded a refugee status and sometimes as anyone who needs refuge from danger. The choice between those definitions is a political one, not a linguistic one. Sometimes economic refugees are also recognised. They are people who flee from economic uncertainty, exploitation, hunger and misery. The Geneva Convention definition is detailed and somewhat restrictive. It includes those persons that are persecuted on the basis of their supposed race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The African definition of refugee includes those seeking refuge from natural disasters and famine too. The recent Dublin agreements limit the Geneva Convention definition to refer only to political persecution of individuals by the state.
ASYLUM-SEEKER
An asylum-seeker is a person who seeks protection in a country, and wants to receive the status of refugee. In many countries asylum-seekers are kept in detention. Some are turned back at the border. Only a small percentage of asylum-seekers are granted the permission to stay.
ILLEGAL
Most people in our working fields don't use the term illegal any more, but refer to a person without the right papers as 'sans-papiers' (which literally means "without papers"). Someone can be illegal because he comes into the country without permission, or does not have a residence permit while living in the country, or because the government decides to change its rules and suddenly the right to stay is withdrawn.
SOLIDARITY
We define solidarity as a sense of togetherness, commonness of a certain degree (sympathy, moral support, material help, co-operation), which is displayed towards each other by countries, groups of people or individuals. Solidarity can be both passive (as in sympathy) and active (as in material help and co-operation).
DEMOCRACY
Democracy is a word from ancient Greek, which means "government by the people". In Europe the philosophers of the "Enlightenment" have developed it further. Nowadays the term democracy usually refers to the concept of a state, which includes more than just voting for representatives in an election. Democracy, in this case, also means being able to participate in society with the same rights as other people. Participation is taking part in an activity together with other people, such as in a youth organisation, and being involved in making decisions. This view of democracy includes listening to opinions of the minority even if the majority has a different opinion. This ideal includes being able to deal with diversity and eventually to come to a compromise for the good of everybody.
LEFT - RIGHT
The political terms of 'left and 'right' originally refer to the seating positions in the General Assembly of the first French republic. They have come to mean different things over time and probably will change meaning again as years go by. In general 'left' usually means: progressive, believing in the possibility of change, in favour of equality and the protection of the weaker. 'Right' usually means conservative, believing in stability and continuity, in favour of the victory of the best and the leadership of an elite. It is important to understand that this term has become especially complicated in Central and Eastern Europe, where 'socialism' has begun to refer to conservative groups and 'centre' often refers to groups that would in the West be called 'right'.
Sara's upset stomach
Sara needed to see the doctor. She had an upset stomach. She felt bloated, and needed to pass gas every minute or so. This was terrible. She couldn’t go anywhere in public.
Her friends told her it was because she had moved to America. The air, water, and food in America weren’t agreeing with her. They said she would have to return to her home country.
"No way," Sara said. She didn’t want to go home. She liked America. This was a minor problem, she was sure. Any good doctor would solve it in no time. Two days later, she saw her doctor. He asked her if she drank milk. She said yes, three glasses a day.
“Don’t drink any more regular milk. Start drinking lactose-free milk, because lactose can upset your stomach."
Then he asked her if there were any big problems in her life. She said that her boyfriend was a big problem. He wanted to get married, but she didn’t. The doctor said that she should find another boyfriend.
"Why?" Sara asked.
"Because your boyfriend is giving you too much stress. He is probably the main cause of your upset stomach."
"I don’t think my boyfriend is going to like that."
"Just tell him if he really loves you, he should leave you."
Cameras in Police Cars
The Rockford police chief and some city officials want to install video cameras in all 100 police cars. They think this will reduce the number of lawsuits filed against the city. In the last five years, Rockford has paid out more than five million dollars to settle about 40 lawsuits.
The chief said, “If cameras had been in those cars, we wouldn’t have had to pay one dime. We’re always pulling over drunks or drug users who try to fight the cops or shoot them. Then they always claim that the police started beating them first or started shooting at them first. What hogwash!”
The cost of installing cameras will be about $500 per vehicle. The city council will vote on the proposal next Monday. Ten of the 13 council members, when asked about the proposal, said that they liked the idea. One member said that it makes good fiscal sense and common sense. If the cameras are approved, they can be installed in all the cars within six weeks.
The police officers enthusiastically support camera use. One officer said that too many people think the police are liars; cameras would show citizens that police tell the truth. “The money that we’ve been spending on lawsuits will be better spent on more cameras,” said one officer.
Citizen reaction to the idea of police car cameras is mixed. One person said that the police should have started doing this years ago when video cameras were invented. But an elderly man said that cameras were an invasion of privacy. “These police are trying to stick their nose into everything,” he said. He was going to attend the council meeting to condemn the proposal. He hoped that other citizens would join him.
Questions
Who want to install video cameras?
According to the chief, what do drunks and drug users try to do?
What will the cost of installing cameras be?
When will the city council vote on the proposal?
How many city council members are there?
What did ten council members think of the proposal?
How long will it take to install all the cameras?
According to one officer, what do too many people think?
What is citizen reaction to the idea of cameras?
According to an elderly man, what are the police trying to do?
PARA VIAJAR AL EXTRANJERO
 Asking for information Could you tell me the way to the station? ¿Podría decirme el camino para ir a la estación Which way is the Eiffel tower from here? ¿Cómo se va a la torre Eiffel desde aquí? Could you tell me where is the Museum? ¿Podría decirme dónde está el museo? Where is the nearest bus-stop? ¿Dónde está la parada de bus más cercana? Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Round Street, please? Disculpe, ¿podría decirme cómo llegar a Round Street, por favor? |
 Directionsturn right / go right: girar a la derecha turn left : girar a la izquierda take the first left / take the first on your left: girar la primera a la izquierda take the second left: girar la segunda a la izquierda go straight on / carry on / walk along there: seguir recto, caminar recto Which way do we go?¿Por dónde tenemos que ir? Turn right out of the hotel and carry straight on for about 150 metres. Salga del hotel y gire a la derecha y siga recto unos 150 metros. Then you come to a roundabout. Take the first exit. Entonces entrará en una rotonda. Tome la primera salida. Then you walk along there for about another 200 metres and then you'll find the station. Entonces siga recto alrededor de otros 200 metros y encontrará la estación. |
 At the airportairhostess (uk) / air stewardess (us): azafata boarding card /pass: tarjeta de embarque check-in: facturación (del equipaje) departure lounge: sala de embarque to land: aterrizar to take off: despegar Could I have your ticket, please? ¿Podría darme su billete, por favor? Do you have any baggage? ¿Tiene equipaje? Yes, this suitcase and this briefcase.Si, esta maleta y este maletin Here's your boarding pass. Have a nice flight.Aquí tiene su tarjeta de embarque. Que tenga un buen vuelo. Good morning. Can I see your passport?Buenos días. ¿Puedo ver su pasaporte? Are you a tourist or on business?¿Viaja como turista o va de negocios? Which boarding gate must we go to?¿A qué puerta de embarque tenemos que ir? At what time does our plane take off?¿A qué hora despega nuestro avión? The plane is delayed.El avión está demorado |
 At the hotelto check in: registrarse to check out: pagar e irse del hotel full board: pensión completa half board: media pensión single /double bed: cama individual / doble single / double room: habitación individual / doble to book a room: reservar una habitación no vacancies: completo vacancies: habitaciones libres I'd like a room for the night. Quisiera una habitación para la noche Would you like a single room, or a double room? ¿Quiere una habitación individual o doble? How much is the room?¿Cuánto cuesta la habitación? Here's your key. Your room number is 101.Aquí está su llave. Su habitación es la 101. If you need anything, dial 0 for the reception area. Si necesita cualquier cosa, marque el 0 para contactar con recepción |
 At the shop discount: descuento cut-price: de oferta bargain: ocasión, ganga cash desk / checkout: caja reduction: descuento shop assistant (uk) / salesperson (us): dependiente/a to wrap up: envolver receipt: recibo How would you like to pay?¿Cómo quiere pagar? Do you take credit cards? ¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito? What's its price?¿Qué precio tiene? I'll try it on. Me lo probaré. How much is altogether? ¿Cuánto es todo? |
 At the restaurantDish of the day: plato del día House wine: vino de la casa Set meat: menú del día Dessert: postre Lunch: almuerzo, comida Starter: primer plato, entrante Main course / dish: segundo plato, plato principal Meal: comida Side dish: acompañamiento Rare / Medium / well-done: poco hecho / al punto / muy hecho Can I see a menu, please? ¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? What's today's special? ¿Cuál es el plato especial de hoy? Would you like something to drink? ¿Quiere algo de beber? Yes, I'd like a coke. Si, quisiera una coca cola I'd like the check (bill Quisiera la cuenta, por favor Waiter, the bill, please. Camarero, traiga la cuenta por favor. |
 Means of transportationCab, taxi: taxi Taxi rank, Cab rank (us): parada de taxis Bus: autobús Bus-station: estación de autobuses Bus-stop: parada de autobús Tube, Underground (uk), Subway (us): metro Railway station (uk), railroad station (us): estación de ferrocarril Luggage rack: portaequipajes Are you free? ¿Está libre? Take me to the station. Lléveme a la estación What is the fare? ¿Cuánto es el trayecto? How much is one card? ¿Cuánto cuesta una tarjeta? Could you tell me when we get there? ¿Me podría avisar cuando lleguemos? Where does this bus go to? ¿A dónde va este autobús? |
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