ABSTRACT
This chapter examines various expressions of behavior that fall under the rubric of discrimination, and the singling out of people for separate and unequal treatment. The treatment itself is often institutionalized, an accepted part of everyday life. Examples include pejorative language, the denial of the franchise, selective hiring practices, restrictive neighborhoods, and exclusive social clubs and other forms of segregation. It may involve organized forms of intimidation and physical abuse as well. Patterns of discrimination may be de jure, grounded in law, or de facto, that is, part of a tradition or custom. Ethnophaulisms are at the core of the language of prejudice and, when openly expressed, become a form of discrimination known as antilocution, a fancy word for name-calling. Discrimination often goes far beyond using ethnic labels, telling humorous anecdotes, engaging in poisonous oratory, and direct defamation. Institutionalized intimidation, with respect to its psychological consequences, is one of the cruelest forms of discrimination.
