“ism” has almost become a word in its own right. Whether it’s liberalism in the media or reductionism in a social movement, it seems clear—we like to label categories of how we perceive, think about, and discuss the world. There’s usually a certain amount of irony intended when we discuss “isms,” however—a subtle nod to the fact that grouping so many viewpoints under one heading might simplify their individual points. Nevertheless, given the ubiquity of isms, I find it worth considering what might be useful about them.
For our theme of action, Kristy and Ariel both invoked a different kind of ism—vegetarianism. Some would argue that this is, in fact, a way of viewing the world and categorizing the viewpoints we encounter. It has a distinguishing characteristic, however—it is based around an actionable item that gives rise to a lifestyle. This separates it from many of the other isms we encounter—it would be tough to describe the characteristic activities of someone living an essentialist lifestyle, for example. When John Lennon commented on isms in 1969, many interpreted his lyrics as a criticism for theories that were “all talk,” with no tangible manifestation. Vegetarianism might exemplify one value of isms, however, in that they can produce tangible, actionable items.
Both Kristy and Ariel also remark that the tangible value of vegetarianism could be negligible, observing that individual actions seldom have wide-ranging impacts. And yet, the very status of vegetarianism as a school of thought might allow it to have a broader impact. Because people who object to eating meat have created the simplified banner of “vegetarianism,” government institutions fund research on it. Advocacy groups lobby for it. Whole business models are based around it. In short, ism status also has the potential to take individual action and bring it to the agendas of larger institutions which can create meaningful, broad-based change.
It is worth remembering, though, that isms are still a simplification of many different viewpoints running together. One vegetarian does not necessarily have the same beliefs about animal treatment as another—likewise for apocalypticism, conservatism, or any other ism you can name. Nevertheless, there is value in this kind of simplification, as it allows us to take individual ideas and create broad-based, meaningful processes. It’s worth remembering what situations make this useful, though, and when its just another ism.