Book Review: Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank

Abstract

Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank Robert W. Fuller. Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2004, 211 pages, $13.04.American society is moving toward rejecting inequity, disrespect, and dis- crimination caused by racism, ageism, and sexism. When racism is no longer tolerated, when sexism is confronted, and when other social injustices are called by name and considered wrong, discrimination based on race, age, or gender will no longer be socially acceptable.In Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank, Robert W. Fuller iden- tifies an ism that includes all the other isms: rankism. Unlike racism, which affects about 20% of the population, and sexism, which affects 50% of the population, rankism potentially affects 100% of the population. Rankism is a perceived hier- archy among individuals based on wealth, education level, employment position, family position, or other attributes. Social rankings may be defined by the clothes people wear, their looks, their talents, or the school they attended. People use the hierarchy of rankism in their daily interactions with others, which may seem nega- tive, but if all hierarchies were abolished, chaos would result. Eliminating rank by eliminating distinctions in wealth, education, or position is no more likely than eliminating racism by eliminating race.Rank is useful, for example, in identifying role models who inspire us, such as nurse leaders who work diligently to ensure positive patient outcomes and better working conditions for nurses. Differences among people are not the problem. The problem begins when people use positions of power to abuse, humiliate, or ex- ploit those in a vulnerable position. The consequences of this abuse of power can include decreased will to succeed, distortion of relationships, and even retaliation or violence.Personal recognition is as essential for humans as is nutrition. Even newborns strive for attention. Toddlers learn to communicate their need for recognition by crying, by positive and negative behaviors, and by repeating what they want. Being ignored or treated as invisible hurts our dignity and our will to strive for achievement. The nursing profession as a whole is elevated when individual nurses advance in education or positions in response to recognition and encouragement from others.Gatekeepers are those in society who ascribe rank. Each of us conforms to the expectations of gatekeepers to some extent-to become employable, to be accepted in a relationship, and to excel in society. To become a star musician or athlete, for example, one must not only have talent but must also be approved by gatekeepers.According to Fuller, many individuals are born into "Nobodyland," in which lower family and/or social rank may be associated with a lack of motivation to advance and become a Somebody. Fuller recounts an example from his own life. He attended school with a boy who competed with him in mathematics. Fuller went on to major in physics, but the other boy, who was also a math whiz, ended up delivering eggs for his family's business. …