Welcome to Conversation with Katherine and my podcast ISM

I have traveled a great deal.  In my travels, I frequently have encountered various types of 
"ISMS".  It could be sexism, tribalism, racism.  Al of the ISM have a common feature, no matter what country or culture.  They generally are negative perceptions of a group.  The negative perceptions usually involved disparaging remarks.  The word "they" and "those people" are often common descriptive terms.  Each culture that I visited looks at other cultures with askance at their "ISM" and generally ignores their own.

I know of someone who came from an African country and at the embassy they were warned not to associate with Black Americans.  "Because they will bring you down". When I was in Fiji a Gypsy warned me against the Native Fijians.  The Gypsy used all of the negative statements about Native Fijians the I had previously heard about Gypsies.