Words ending in, ist and ism seem to mostly divide Humankind.

[pwb]

Socialism, racism, communism, obstructionism, terrorism, just put the ist on the end and it becomes an individual, terrorist, racist, etc, and the list goes on. Feel free to add your own.
I am having trouble thinking of good words ending in ist and ism. One Baptism.
These words of division are used daily in the media and in conversation. I might be up a Little to late, but I really wish we could all stop with the labels and the division they create for humankind.
Peace

[eShirl]

1. philanthropist

[Lasher]

2. Please desist.

The gist of pwb's list is, there is a schism.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. obviously you have some schin in the game.

[Cetacea]

3. Bagism

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. Palin. . . philatelist . . . priapism . . .

an endlessly erect, stamp collecting nitwit?

[Tunkamerica]

6. the list....you get the gist... exist....

prisms, conversationalists, exorcisms and solipsisms.

[mmonk]

7. Corporatist is what divides me from some Democrats.

But it's more than a word. It is an idea or philosophy that guides people.

[seabeyond]

8. whether the word divides or not, instead of the people being racist, for example

you dont get to ignore them cause of that they define. racisim divides us as a people so we will pretend it doesnt exist?

[zeemike]

9. I agree....but that is what they are about.

The ism and ist is a way to divide people into groops....There are communists and then there are non-comunists, and if you proscribe to any idea or dogma you are an ist.

So once you have the people divided into these categories you can control by pointing out the evils of each to each...and all sides can be perceived as evil if you believe enough.
And there is evil in the world and it is the enemy of peace, and so it picks away at any sore.

[seabeyond]

10. the word does it and not the peoples behavior themselves? nt

[zeemike]

11. Words do have power.

whether you think so or not....ie Orwell.

[seabeyond]

12. of course they have power as i did not deny.... word. they also have definition for a reason.

are you going to really play the game that it is in the word and not peoples behavior?

[zeemike]

15. Words are not the problem it is the use of words that matters.

And if we feel hate toward the racist among us evil has won.
For it does not matter whether the ist has negative or positive aspects to it but whether you can make one side hate the other because they are an ist.
that is the very nature of divide.

[seabeyond]

18. nor would i suggest judge the judgmental. again... word counts. i agree

witht he intent of the post. the "wording" of the post is bad though. blaming word instead of responsibility in the use of the word

[zeemike]

19. Perhaps the OP was just trying to work it out.

Because it does seem like at first that the word itself is the problem.

[seabeyond]

24. i think it was absolutely the intent to work it out. hence, me helping along, lol

why i initially posted.

i agree

[eShirl]

16. as the violinist is separated from the pianist

and the bassoonist from the percussionist

[zeemike]

20. Absolutely.

And in order for them to play in harmony together they cannot think of one among them as being lesser than them.
To to sow division one could make jokes about the bassoonist, and work that into hostility.

[seabeyond]

25. but see... there is a beauty in both the individual and whole... seperating and together

so i dont see this as an honest analogy

they each have their own unique flavor and wonderful blend together. strengths and weaknesses...

really, i am just playing with you in all this, not arguing.

[zeemike]

27. I understand.

Too bad some of us can't realize the truth in the strengths and weaknesses blending together.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. Words like "Christ"?

Yep, I agree.

:hi:

[madokie]

14. And you chose Baptism

Geeze how southern Baptist indoctrination about ruined my early years. I remember the day I realized this all was a crock better than I do the day a few months before that when I was baptized by being dunked in the cold ass spring creek.

[trotsky]

17. Socialism divides people?

Maybe the right-wing caricature definition of the word does, but actual democratic socialism is about everything BUT dividing people.

Then there's secular humanism, rationalism, etc., etc. I think I know the point you were trying to make, but you're using an overly broad brush.

[MineralMan]

21. Nudist? Naturism?

I always figured those brought people together.

[The2ndWheel]

22. I don't think it's the word endings which divide people

More like thermodynamics. Entropy. It takes more energy to keep people together, than to let them drift apart. Whether it's two people, 300 million people, or almost 7 billion people. And the more people you try to keep together, the tougher it gets.

[SidDithers]

23. Baptism is a "good" word?...

How about scientist, optometrist, dentist, orthodontist, physical therapist, oncologist, endocrinologist, podiatrist etc.

Edit: biologist, chemist, physicist

bassist, pianist, floutist, harpist, guitarist

And on and on...


Sid

[MineralMan]

26. Ya know, stopping and thinking for awhile before posting

is a really good exercise. Political -isms and -ists may be just what you describe, but you might have though of hundreds of other words with those suffixes that don't fit your poorly-considered generalization.