In today’s world, when there is a lot of talk about equality and diversity – there is also a growing demand to put these topics into practice. And so, genuine intentions are important when it comes to diversity efforts – otherwise, it is just a sham, when someone joins a group just to look or sound diverse.

Although the symbolism is not real as it is merely an illusion, there are many controversial views on it.

What is tokenism?

According to experts, tokenism is the practice of including a person in a group to show that the group is diverse. This token person may be invited to join not based on merit, but based on their ethnicity, skin color and gender identity. Experts say this practice has become a topic of discussion, as many people are frustrated by these incidents, which they call superficial indicators of diversity and inclusion that do not lead to any real structural change in our society.

There are many examples, such as the uprisings around the death of George Floyd and the Movement for Black Lives in the United States, where tokenism has proven to be false, silencing and ignorant. Also, experts believe that the media and entertainment industry often tokenise people in their discussions, leaving one person from that community to defend or argue on behalf of everyone else.

However, this is not a true variety.

How does tokenism affect mental health?,

Mental health experts believe that tokenism does nothing to promote diversity, but rather makes it negative. Here are some common negative effects of tokenism:

• Building Pressure
• greater isolation from others in the group
• making stereotypes

Tokenism can have serious effects on a person’s mental health, causing:

• Depression
• burn out
• attrition
• Minority tax – when a person from a minority group is given extra responsibilities to make it seem like diversity exists

Mental health experts believe that tokenism can make a person feel lonely, as he does not have anyone who can understand him or his identity, which can lead to complete isolation. It also causes a lot of stress and anxiety in many people, especially those who belong to the marginalized sections of society.

This also creates pressure which causes depression and not everyone can handle the exhaustion – leading to burnout. Also, doctors believe that if you are a symbol, you can feel invisible, especially if your achievements are overlooked or your contributions ignored.

Ways to avoid pretentiousness to take care of your mental health

Some ways you can avoid this gesture and help reduce your mental health problems are:

• Allow diverse people to be decision makers
• Don’t force people to be spokespersons for your community
• Actually practice inclusion
• Don’t pretend to be diverse

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