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DIGNITY WORKS
school bullying * corporate corruption * sexual harassment * domestic violence * elder abuse * the invisible poor * racism * sexism * homophobia * ageism * classism * ableism
What do these problems have in common? Dr. Robert Fuller argues they are all examples of a more fundamental problem, one that we, as a society, have yet to address. He sees them all as examples of rankism.
RANKISM: The Common Thread
Rankism is the exploitation or humiliation of those with less power or lower status. Simply put, rankism occurs when the somebodies of the world use the power of their rank to take advantage over those they see as nobodies. Rankism is the root cause of a wide variety of dominating behaviors. As the general cause of indignity, rankism is no more defensible than the now familiar indignities of racism, sexism, etc. Dr. Fuller is quick to add, though, that eliminating rankism doesn’t mean eliminating rank any more than getting rid of racism means getting rid of race. Rank can be a useful organizational tool that, used properly, helps us achieve group goals. It is the abuse of rank that cries out for our attention.
DIGNITY: The Cure For Rankism
How do you change something that’s so pervasive and that has for so long gone unnamed? With dignity, Fuller says. Treating people with dignity, no matter where they fall on the corporate, social, familial, or political ladder is the key to overcoming rankism in all its manifestations. In rankist environments, creativity is stifled, students can’t learn, workers are disloyal, health is compromised, families suffer dysfunction, and victims want revenge. Dignity is the antidote.
 Robert Fuller
As a recognized authority on the topics of Dignity and Rankism, Robert Fuller’s ideas and books have been widely covered in the media, including The New York Times, National Public Radio, C-SPAN, The Boston Globe, the BBC, Voice of America, and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Download the full version of Dr. Fuller's Press Kit here.
Download the short version of Dr. Fuller's Press Kit here.
“Rankism must be our prime target from now on in. Viva Fuller!”
- Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Working
Fuller's speaking engagements are filled with practical insights on how to eliminate abuses of rank and build high-performing organizations that protect human dignity. In hundreds of events around the world, he has inspired individuals, organizations, universities, and companies, including:
Wells Fargo, San Francisco, CA
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
Treasury Executive Institute, Washington D.C.
Kaiser Permanente, California (HMO)
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris
Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India
Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, George Mason, Northwestern, McMaster, and York University
ROBERT FULLER’S BOOKS
“If only all the problems in the world were just about money, or land, or religion, or racism. But in fact, they’re about power. All of these things are just excuses for the ugly tendency of those in power to abuse those without it. Worse, power often seduces the powerless as much as it corrupts the powerful. Robert Fuller exposes these ugly dynamic...and in exposing them, helps to make them easier to overturn.”
- Esther Dyson, Internet guru, Editor Release 1.0
“Watch for a dignitarian movement against rankism that, like the civil rights and women’s movements, will transform American life - in the boardroom, the schoolroom, the bedroom and, a lot sooner than we might think, at the ballot box.”
- Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
“The quest for recognition, especially by those who lack status, has long been seen as one of the driving forces of human history. Somebodies and Nobodies explains how recognition, or its absence, affects your life, and what we can all do to make sure that we treat each other with the dignity we each deserve.”
- Francis Fukuyama, Professor of International Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University, and author of The End of History
“Fuller gives us the essential tools to fight abuses of rank and to build high-performing institutions and organizations based on respect.”
- Wes Boyd, Co-founder of MoveOn.org
“All Rise give us a clear mandate for transforming our society into a true democracy.”
- Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes
“This handbook [Dignity for All] brings an exciting new voice to social science and to the public as well. I believe that these ideas are destined to play an important role in our century.”
- Thomas J. Scheff, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, UC-Santa Barbara
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