hate crime a crime motivated primarily by racism, sexism, or homophobia, and which sometimes comes with higher legal penalties.
Holocaust the genocide of Jews in World War II by the German Nazis.
homophobia hatred and prejudice against homosexuals.
humanism the philosophy or belief that human beings can be good and moral without influence from a religion or belief in God.
iconoclasm rejection of traditional beliefs and institutions.
ideology any set of guiding beliefs or principles, whether religious, political, or social.
indoctrination the teaching, imbuing, or brainwashing of an individual to a specific group's way of thinking.
internalization the adoption of the attitudes or beliefs of others as one's own.
isolationism a national "hands-off" policy that disregards the troubles in other nations; uninvolvement in the politics of other countries.
Jim Crow from a 19th-century minstrel routine that evolved into a pejorative epithet for blacks, a general reference to any discriminatory laws that separate blacks from whites.
jingoism zealous patriotism and contempt toward foreign countries.
Ku Klux Klan a society, known for wearing white hoods to keep the identities of members secret, that is highly prejudiced against blacks and other minorities, maintains the philosophy of white supremacy, and sometimes commits terrorist acts.
lower class the poor, uneducated, laboring class.
lunatic fringe any extremists advocating radical solutions to social problems.
male-bashing female gender bias; the practice of some females of harshly and unfairly stereotyping males.
master race a "superior" race, or the fanciful belief that such a rare exists and should therefore dominate all "inferior" races, a philosophy of Adolf Hitler and others.
matriarchy rule or government by women.
middle class those in a society who earn a moderate income and may or may not have higher educations.
misery index any measure of national and regional well-being, especially concerning employment and inflation.
moral majority a religion-and-morals-oriented segment of the United States, claiming to make up the majority of the population while working to influence the national agenda.
mores the morals, ethics, customs, and ways of a society or culture.
movement a growing organization of social or political activists working to effect change in a specific area.
multiculturalism the expression of or providing for diverse cultures in a single society, in schools, in the workplace, and in everyday life.
nationalism patriotism and devotion to one's own culture; the desire for independence from other nations.
nihilism the philosophy that morals are a human invention and do not exist in the natural world. Also, the advocacy of positive societal change through anarchy.
nonviolence a philosophy of pacifism, according to which change can be brought about by peaceful means.
outing making public the fact that someone else is gay or lesbian.
passive resistance activism that attempts to create change by nonviolent means, such as through sit-ins, boycotts, economic sanctions, or noncompliance.
patriarchy government rule by males.
politically correct acutely aware of the past injustices suffered by minorities, women, ethnic groups, the disabled, and other groups, and thus attempting to act and speak with a degree of sensitivity that is devoid of prejudice, stereotyping, or offensive notions of any kind. Sometimes taken to an extreme.
power elite those in society holding influential positions.
prejudice negative feelings toward those of another race, ethnic group, gender, sexual orientation, etc., that stem from stereotyping, broad generalizations, unfounded notions, and general ignorance.
Promise Keepers a Christian men's movement, originating in the 1990s, through which men gather and make promises to maintain sexual fidelity and work to strengthen their marriages.
provincialism small-town thinking that, through lack of worldly experience with a broad spectrum of people, is prejudicial and tends to stereotype those who are different. Also, concern for only one's own town or region.
quota system a program that requires a minimum number of minorities or women to be hired for specific positions in an institution, company, etc., to guarantee equal opportunities for all and to counter any form of discrimination.
racism prejudice and discrimination toward another race; stereotyping those of another race. Also, the belief that one's own race is superior to others.
rally a public gathering to raise support for a common cause.
religious right a broad group of religiously oriented people with conservative or Christian values and their own political agenda.
riot a turbulent or violent group demonstration or protest.
reverse discrimination discrimination against one who has long been part of a majority and thus who has never or rarely experienced such an indignity, as a white male being turned down for a job taken by a minority member to meet a quota system.
sacred cow a person, thing, institution, or belief that is considered taboo to question or criticize in any way.
scapegoating accusing a minority for a society's problems, economic or otherwise.
segregation separation of races, at schools or other institutions.
separatism the advocacy of segregation of the races.
sexism prejudice and discrimination against members of the opposite sex; gender stereotyping.
sexual harassment inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances, flirtation, humor, remarks, etc., in a school, place of employment, or other social setting.
sit-in a peaceful protest against some social wrong, characterized by the demonstrators sitting down in a group and blocking pathways, doors, etc., and refusing to move for an extended period.
social Darwinism the belief or observation that genetically and biologically superior people rise to the top of a social group and the inferior ones become relegated to the bottom.
social engineering the application of the findings of sociology studies to improve social conditions.
socialization the learning by experience of the ways of social groups and society.
stereotype a faulty characterization in which one believes what is true of one member of a group must be true of all members; an inaccurate perception based on limited experience.
taboo that which is strictly forbidden by a society. That which must not even be spoken about or mentioned.
third world of a nation, poor, developing.
tokenism the hiring of a single minority member or a small number them, largely for appearances.
tolerance acceptance of people and social groups who are different.
upper class a group of people in society who are wealthy and often highly educated.
upwardly mobile moving up in social class, due to economic or educational gains.
values the morals, ethics, and guiding principles of a society.
WASP white Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
white supremacy the prejudiced philosophy that whites are superior to other races.