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"And yet, all of these fictions come to me. I receive them and they constitute my world. They define me" (10). Different perceptions of the world exist, as represented by the spectrum of colorblindness, and therefore not everyone's experiences or existences will be the same. However, because a "standard" perception of the world and humanity exists, those who do not have that same perception are deemed "other."

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"Pinocchio's morality, embodied in a cricket, has been squashed by Pinocchio himself" (85). Morality, and therefore the foundation of humanity, can be constructed and deconstructed according to what society deems appropriate at the time. For those like the unnamed protagonist and Pinocchio in the original story, who struggle to blend in perfectly with domestic society and accustom themselves to the morals governing humans, they are considered "others."

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We learn in the biographical note to Everyman's new edition of that Carlo Collodi never had children. Any reader of this book will understand why. Collodi loathed children. Boys especially, the scummy little rodents. Every boy in Pinocchio is imbecilic, disobedient, greedy, and filthy. But none is worse than Pinocchio himself. Collodi describes him as a "rascal," "imp," "scapegrace," "disgrace," "ragamuffin," and "confirmed rogue." "Wretched boy!" laments Pinocchio's loving father, the carpenter Geppetto. The very first thing the puppet does upon being born is laugh derisively in Geppetto's face. Then Pinocchio steals the sad old man's wig.

Pinocchio's bad behavior is not intended to be charming or endearing. It is meant to serve as a warning. Collodi originally intended the story, which was first published in 1881, to be a tragedy. It concluded with the puppet's execution. Pinocchio's enemies, the Fox and the Cat, bind his arms, pass a noose around his throat, and hang him from the branch of an oak tree:

...a tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily, and it beat the poor puppet from side to side, making him swing violently, like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding. And the swinging gave him atrocious spasms....

His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched his legs, gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible.

Is that not how you remember Pinocchio? Me neither. I always imagined him as a cheerful little puppet who desires nothing more than to be transformed into a real live boy. That is the Pinocchio depicted in Walt Disney's adaptation, which whitewashed Collodi's tale when it was released in 1940. It's hard to blame Disney-Pinocchio is a rotten kid.

Early in the project, in fact, Disney became so frustrated with Collodi's story that he halted production. It was unsuitable for children, Disney concluded: Pinocchio was too cocky, too much of a wiseguy, and too puppetlike to be sympathetic. Finally a compromise was reached. Pinocchio's wish would be fulfilled from the start. He would not be depicted as a puppet after all but as a real boy, and a gentle, winsome one at that. Similarly the "Talking-Cricket," a minor nameless character, became Jiminy Cricket, a tiny bald-headed man who serves as the puppet's voice of conscience. (In the book, when the cricket scolds Pinocchio for rebelling against his father, Pinocchio bashes the insect's brains out with a hammer.) And Disney turned a single scene-in which Pinocchio's nose grows when he tells a lie-into a central motif. The moral of the film is that if you are brave and truthful, and you listen to your conscience, you will find salvation. Collodi's moral is that you if you behave badly and do not obey adults, you will be bound, tortured, and killed.

For his sins Pinocchio is not only hanged but robbed, kidnapped, stabbed, whipped, starved, jailed, punched in the head, and has his legs burned off. Worse, however, is the psychological abuse. At different points he is tricked into believing that he has killed both his "father" (Geppetto) and his "mother" (the Blue Fairy). Collodi savors Pinocchio's comeuppances, recounting each one in loving, histrionic detail. When Pinocchio is caught in an iron trap he is "so giddy with pain that stars of every colour danced before his eyes." During one of his several bouts of starvation, Pinocchio's stomach is "like an apartment that had been left empty and uninhabited for five months."

Other elaborate humiliations include being plunged in flour "five or six times" until "he was white from head to foot and looked like a puppet made of plaster" in preparation for being cooked in a frying pan. He is strapped with a "great collar covered in brass knobs" like a dog and locked in a kennel. And, after being transformed into a donkey, he is dressed up like a girl and forced to do absurd dances, then leap through hoops, on stage. Collodi's sadistic glee in these scenes is infectious-they are by far the richest and most entertaining sections of the book. In this way Pinocchio resembles not the fairy tales of, say, Hans Christian Anderson, in which good things happen to good children, but Heinrich Hoffmann's Struwelpeter and Hillaire Belloc's Cautionary Verses, in which bad things happen to bad children. Collodi, however, doesn't have the light touch of Hoffmann and Belloc; he is sterner, and more malicious.

Not even Pinocchio 's dullest young reader will fail to miss Collodi's message, since he rephrases it in one way or another in nearly every chapter. As the Blue Fairy puts it in the book's conclusion:

Boys who minister tenderly to their parents and assist them in their misery and infirmities, are deserving of great praise and affection, even if they cannot be cited as examples of obedience and good behaviour. Try and do better in the future and you will be happy.

There is some business at the end about becoming a "real boy," but it seems an afterthought. In fact the final two-thirds of the book were an afterthought. Pinocchio was originally published serially in the weekly Giornale dei bambini, the "newspaper for kids," where it gained a large following. But when Pinocchio was hanged after the 15 th installment, Collodi's young readers were horrified. His publishers forced him to extend the story, bringing Pinocchio back to life through the intervention of a beautiful child with blue hair (the character that later morphs into the Blue Fairy). Collodi also altered the genre, rewriting his tragedy as black comedy. He struck a compromise: Pinocchio's life would be spared, but in return his punishments would become ever more baroque and gruesome.

Collodi, who had written satirical works of fiction and worked as a civil servant, began writing for children because "grown-ups are too hard to satisfy." He enticed his young readers with fanciful descriptions of carriages "lined with whipped cream, custard and vanilla wafers" and idylls in the hedonistic "Land of Boobies," where there are no adults and summer vacation runs from the first of January to the last day of December. The appeal is obvious: When left to his own devices, Pinocchio is a hero of child loafers and rebels everywhere. But the fun never lasts long. And then the violence begins. Though Collodi may have set out to satisfy his young readers, it is ultimately their parents who have the last, maniacal laugh.

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Why Was the Original Pinocchio Subjected to Such Sadistic Treatment?

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We learn in the biographical note to Everyman's new edition of that Carlo Collodi never had children. Any reader of this book will understand why. Collodi loathed children. Boys especially, the scummy little rodents. Every boy in Pinocchio is imbecilic, disobedient, greedy, and filthy. But none is worse than Pinocchio himself.

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"Graciuesse, in fact, doesn't want anything, doesn't know anything, doesn't feel anything. Her sole purpose in life is to do what she's told" (24). Judging by what Adeline tells her guests to eliminate their fear of Gracieusse's sudden appearance, she sees her as something far less from human. Wicked Weeds contains many examples of alterity and otherness, but Gracieusse may be the most dramatic representation of the dehumanization that can affect someone when they are constantly treated as the "other."

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Othering is a phenomenon in which some individuals or groups are defined and labeled as not fitting in within the norms of a social group. It is an effect that influences how people perceive and treat those who are viewed as being part of the in-group versus those who are seen as being part of the out-group.

Othering also involves attributing negative characteristics to people or groups that differentiate them from the perceived normative social group.

It is an "us vs. them" way of thinking about human connections and relationships. This process essentially involves looking at others and saying "they are not like me" or "they are not one of us."

Othering is a way of negating another person's individual humanity and, consequently, those that are have been othered are seen as less worthy of dignity and respect.

On an individual level, othering plays a role in the formation of prejudices against people and groups. On a larger scale, it can also play a role in the dehumanization of entire groups of people which can then be exploited to drive changes in institutions, governments, and societies. It can lead to the persecution of marginalized groups, the denial of rights based on group identities, or even acts of violence against others.

Othering is often subtle and may involve unconscious assumptions about others. Here are some signs of this phenomenon:

Attributing positive qualities to people who are like you and negative qualities to people who are different from you

Believing that people who are different from you or your social group pose a threat to you or your way of life

Feeling distrustful or upset with people of a social group even though you don't know anyone from that group

Refusing to interact with people because they are different from you or your social group

Thinking that people outside your social group are not as intelligent, skilled, or as special as you and your group

Thinking of people only in terms of their relationship with specific social groups without giving any thought to them as individuals

This phenomenon often happens without conscious effort or even awareness. People feel bias based on what they presume is the norm. While othering is sometimes apparent, it often functions as an almost invisible barrier that keeps people who are seen as outsiders from accessing opportunity and acceptance.

Othering can be based on a wide range of attributes including:

Age

Disability

Ethnicity, nationality, and race

Gender identity, sex

Language

Occupation

Political affiliation

Religion

Sexual orientation

Skin color

Socioeconomic status

While racial and religious othering are some of the most obvious examples, some types can be much less overt and apparent.

Rivalries can famously rage between sports teams and schools, but people may dislike others based on things like the grade they are in (e.g., "Freshmen are all so annoying!"), where they live (e.g., "Ugh, California plates...no wonder they can't drive!"), or even their profession (e.g., "Accountants are all the same, am I right?"). These types of othering can play a role in shaping attitudes and relationships with other people.

The exact causes of othering can vary from one situation to the next. How and when people are othered often depends on how noticeable their differences are in a specific context.

If these differences are perceived as a threat, people in out-groups are more likely to experience othering. Some factors that may play a role in this phenomenon are listed below.

A tendency to engage in othering may have evolved as a way to improve group cohesion and minimize danger from outsiders. In the ancient past, it was important for people to form close-knit groups and clearly define the boundaries between their allies and their enemies.

Helping those who were close to you-most often your family members who were similar to you and shared the same genes-was critical for survival.﻿﻿

In-Group Bias

Also known as in-group favoritism, this is a psychological tendency to favor one's own in-group over members of out-groups.

Researchers suggest that factors such as competition for resources can lead people to bond and form alliances with members of their own groups.

Other factors such as self-identity and social identity also play a role in this favoritism. In-group bias often influences how we evaluate others, how we treat them, and how we share our resources with them.

Out-Group Bias

People also have a tendency to notice all of the individual differences and variations in members of their own group, while simultaneously believing that members of the out-group are "all the same." In psychology, this is known as the out-group homogeneity bias.﻿﻿

An example of this is thinking all of the people in your friend group are unique and special while considering anyone outside of your inner circle as boring, uncool, uninteresting, or similar. When, in reality, all those people could be just as unique and fascinating as those in your inner circle.

Social Identification

According to social identity theory, being part of a group can have a significant impact on the behaviors and identities of those who belong to that group.

When people see themselves as belonging to a certain social group, they tend to discriminate or even engage in hostile behavior toward people who are not members of the group.﻿﻿

Lack of Knowledge

﻿ In many cases, people other those that they do not actually know. Lack of personal knowledge and contact with people can lead to assumptions about them. This makes it easier to perceive them as overwhelmingly different or even less human.

The causes of othering can be complicated and multifaceted. Factors that play a role in othering include:

A lack of education

Personal bias

Culture

Entitlement

Economic instability

Social influences

Generalized beliefs

Personal biases

Additionally, media portrayals can also lead to biased beliefs about others who are different from the individual in some way.

Othering stems, in part, from our natural tendencies to categorize people in terms of their similarities and differences. The factors that define group boundaries can sometimes be based on physical characteristics (such as race or sex) or based on geography or proximity (nationality or religion), but they can often be quite arbitrary.

Robbers Cave Experiment

In a series of classic studies conducted by social psychologist Muzafer Sherif, researchers found that creating division within a group of similar boys (all white and middle class) could generate tremendous intergroup conflict over even the smallest differences.﻿﻿ Known as the Robbers Cave experiment, the study involved 11- and 12-year-old boys attending summer camp who were divided into two groups.

When the researchers pitted the two groups against each other in competition, intergroup conflicts and hostilities quickly emerged. Each group perceived the other group as having a host of negative traits while believing their own group possessed positive traits. While group cohesiveness and cooperation improved within each group, the boys became increasingly hostile towards each other.

Justifying Past Mistreatment of Others

Othering can also arise as a way to justify the past mistreatment of others. For example, if you've treated someone else badly, you might experience feelings of shame or guilt about your behavior.

In order to reconcile your belief that you are a good person despite your negative actions toward another person, you might engage in othering as a way to dehumanize the individual. It's a way of distancing yourself from them and reducing your empathy for them. As a result, you're less likely to feel bad about your own behavior.

Belonging to a social group often brings about a number of benefits, but it can also come with costs. On the positive side, being part of a group can provide friendships, support, care, connection, protection, and identity.

On the negative side, it can contribute to things like othering, prejudice, and conflict with those who are outside of the group. Othering can have a dramatic impact on both individuals, social groups, and societies.

Exclusion and Discrimination

It can result in the marginalization of people who are not part of the dominant social group. People who are part of minority groups may face economic, housing, career, criminal justice, educational, and healthcare disparities.

It can lead to discrimination and prejudice against other people. Prejudice is often fueled by the belief that all members of that group are fundamentally different in some way. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of intolerance are often rooted in othering.

Othering can harm relationships by driving a wedge between people who are, in actuality, not all that different. By casting people as others, it suggests that their unique characteristics are to blame for existing inequalities. It can also end up reinforcing existing biases, such as negative attitudes about different groups of people. When people internalize these beliefs and attitudes, they can become even more rigid and entrenched.

Systemic Discrimination

On a societal level, othering can lead to institutional discrimination and even political policies that single out people who are viewed as somehow different or less deserving. Othering is also present in politics. Authoritarian leaders, for example, stoke fear and resentment of "others" in order to gain and solidify support for their political aims.

Strategic othering may be used by leaders or political parties to justify certain actions or to invoke public support from people who respond to those fears and anxieties. Consequently, minorities are seen as "enemies" and people can then justify dehumanizing policies.

This division leads people to believe that acceptance and tolerance are not possible. When these differences seem too great to overcome and when those differences are internalized and become part of an individual's identity, it makes bridging the divide between groups seem insurmountable.

This can be particularly harmful because while individual discrimination and bias can be damaging, it is systemic and structural discrimination that can cause the greatest inequality and harm to minority individuals and communities.

How to Minimize Othering

There are things that you can do to help minimize othering and they are outlined below.

Focus on People as Individuals

Try to remember that each person has their own unique history and experiences as well as complex emotions, thoughts, and motivations.

Become Aware of Your Own Unconscious Biases

Learning to recognize othering is an important step toward overcoming it. ﻿Implicit biases are unconscious associations or beliefs about different social groups. While these biases are hidden from awareness, they may play a role in influencing our conscious attitudes. Becoming more aware of these hidden biases may help you become less likely to engage in othering.

You can also reduce othering by practicing cultural humility and challenging the belief that others should be like you or that your way is better than anyone else's.

Remember that Diversity Has Important Benefits

Learning about and spending time with people who are different from you is important for growth. It allows you to look outside of yourself and your immediate social circle and explore new experiences, ideas, cultures, and beliefs.

Be Aware of Language

While the terms that we use to describe social groups can often be a way to foster inclusivity, such terms can also often be used as a way to emphasize their "otherness."

Remember That Identities are Multidimensional and Intersectional

People can belong to multiple groups based on their sex, gender, race, religion, orientation, nationality, and more. How these various identities intersect play a role in shaping that individual's experiences.

Broaden Your Social Circle

People tend to seek others that are like them, but it can be helpful to seek out friendships and social connections with people from diverse backgrounds. Othering is more likely to happen in the presence of unfamiliarity, so broadening your understanding of others and the world is one way to reduce it.

Social psychologists have proposed what is known as a contact hypothesis, or the idea that conflict and prejudice can be reduced when people who belong to different groups spend time with one another.﻿﻿

One way to combat biased behavior is to speak up whenever you see it happening. People are less likely to engage in othering when it is socially unacceptable. By not speaking out against actions that cast people as outsiders, it becomes more acceptable to engage in those same types of behaviors.

A Word From Verywell

Othering can lead to serious problems both on an individual and societal level. Using differences as a way to exclude or cast others in the role of "outsiders" not only cuts us off from understanding and empathizing with others, it harms those who are intentionally further marginalized from the dominant culture.

The first step toward reducing othering is to learn to recognize it for what it is and then consciously work toward fighting the tendency to take an "us vs. them" perspective.

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How Othering Contributes to Discrimination and Prejudice

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Othering involves seeing people as fundamentally different from the dominant group. It is a process often used to dehumanize minority individuals.

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Similar to how Gracieusse is "othered" and described to have an appearance that horrifies others, so is Frankenstein's creation.