Autism Soccer: Tokenism: What Is It?

Tokenism is often seen as a common way to include minorities in social environments, but it is wrongly developed and causes people to feel left out and insulted.

“He who sells you the token instead of the coin always retains the power to revoke its worth, and to command you to get off the bus before you have reached your destination.” This is the way Martin Luther King Jr. described tokenism in his 1963 book called Why We Can’t Wait. It virtually signals everything that’s wrong with these early attempts to create a more inclusive society. Even if the intentions are good, a poor execution will never be enough until the promise that tokenism makes is truly paid.

But what tokenism exactly is? It’s basically the practice of including a few symbolic members from underrepresented groups and grant them places in the workforce, the media or any other kind of activity, with the purpose of avoiding accusations of social discrimination. And what’s the promise? That this mandatory inclusion will someday lead to a more a democratic and inclusive society.

Because minorities have always struggled to gain visibility, this practice emerged as a way to give them a voice, although artificial. Even though sometimes it can seem like a good place to start, tokenism carries a risk of becoming an ineffective solution. How many times have you seen actors that seem to just be in a movie's cast because they’re part of a minority group? This usually leads to stereotypical representations that, more often than not, help to perpetuate wrong ideas about these groups. Malcolm X put it like this when talking about racial discrimination: “What gains? All you have gotten is tokenism — one or two Negroes in a job, or at a lunch counter, so the rest of you will be quiet.”

What about children?

Children with autism and other psychological conditions also suffer from its patronizing consequences. We shouldn’t involve children with special needs in certain activities just because we need to fill a quota, but because we value their insight and we want to learn about who they are as individuals. We should always give them a real voice.

In a paper published by Unicef, tokenism was used to describe those instances in which children are apparently given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice about the subject or the style of communicating it, and little or no opportunity to formulate their own opinions. How can we create true solutions to their problems and needs if we’re not ready to listen to what they have to say? We don’t necessarily know what’s best for them and there’s no point in trying to advocate for a cause if you do not include, truly, those who you are fighting for.

How to avoid bad tokenism

Stop focusing so much on which minority group people belong to, and start treating everyone as individuals. Value their opinions individually and try to understand that everyone’s circumstances are not the same. Don’t underestimate children’s abilities and virtues, nor ignore their interests. If you want to include them in a panel or a project, make sure to let them know why they’re there and give them an opportunity to voice their opinions.

Positive discrimination can have many benefits, but what’s truly important at the end of the day is that individuals are valued for who they are, not for the condition they suffer, nor for their race or gender. We want our children to feel loved, represented and we want them not to be afraid to speak up whenever they desire! At Autism Soccer we believe in the potential of each of our kids and want to see them happy and confident. Contact us to learn more about our projects and activities. Join us today!