Antilocution describes a form of

prejudice Prejudice can be an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person's per ...

in which negative verbal remarks against a

person A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

, group, or community, are made but not addressed directly to the subject.

History

American psychologist Gordon Allport coined this term in his 1954 book, ''The Nature of Prejudice''. Antilocution is the first point on Allport's Scale, which can be used to measure the degree of bias or prejudice in a

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

. Allport's stages of prejudice are antilocution, avoidance,

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

, physical attack, and

extermination Extermination or exterminate may refer to: * Pest control, elimination of insects or vermin * Genocide, extermination—in whole or in part—of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group * Homicide or murder in general * "Exterminate!", the ...

. Antilocution is a compound noun consisting of the word 'locution' and prefix 'anti' which expresses locution's antithesis.

Description

Allport considered antilocution to be the least aggressive form of prejudice. It can nevertheless be destructive and life-changing for its object/target. Those who employ antilocution may neither know what they are doing nor consider themselves committing a discriminatory act. A subject may feel the need to join in if the antilocution is employed by the

majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...

that perpetuates discriminatory behaviors toward the object. Antilocution is similar to 'talking behind someone's back,' though antilocution involves an in-group ostracizing an out-group on a

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group ...

ed basis. "Antilocution" is used less often than " hate speech", which has a similar meaning but places no regard on the fact that the out-group is unaware of the

Causes, employment, and danger

Individuals may engage in prejudicial conversation when they feel threatened. Such conversations may be based on misperceptions and by the subject. For example, a group may apply stereotypes to a new, unknown member. Such individuals may deny that their behavior is prejudicial, and is instead a matter of expressing opinions. Antilocution can lead to widespread discrimination toward the object as the subject(s) do not feel that they are transgressing. Facts are needed to dispel such stereotypes and create a positive disposition toward the object.

References

{{reflist Prejudices Human behavior Racism Bullying Social concepts

History

Description

Causes, employment, and danger

See also

References