What Does collective Mean
From the Latin collectivus , collective is that belonging to or relating to a group of individuals . A collective is a social group where its members share certain characteristics or work together to achieve a common goal.
Typically, the group makes decisions based on consensus and tries to exercise its social and political power. However, there is also talk of a collective to name the group made up of people with different motivations and grouped just for living in a common space.
For example: “Equal marriage is a measure that promotes the rights of the homosexual community” , “The Roma population is one of the most persecuted and discriminated groups on the European continent” , “The group of war veterans still demands greater support from the State ” .
Collectives and discrimination
Every day the news shows us acts of contempt directed at various groups, such as gypsies, homosexuals and Africans, in various parts of the world. The concept of discrimination has been linked to that of collective since ancient times, and the attacks are based on the simple fact of not accepting differences .
In Europe, for example, Roma communities and people from Africa are the focus of the highest percentage of discrimination, according to a study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. The same report warns that easily distinguishable groups, given certain characteristics of the physical appearance of their members, feel contempt more often than other minorities.
This is also true of immigrants from eastern countries such as China and Japan, objects of many ridicules for their physical appearance and the way they express themselves. For discrimination there are no limits or preferences, no matter the level of academic training or purchasing power; People from various parts of the world and from different social classes are mercilessly attacked, simply for being in a country where most of the people are not like them.
The homosexuals must also endure all kinds of insults and ill - treatment, even when supposedly found in open environments to diversity. Despite the linguistic differences between the United States and Argentina, for example, both countries have found a way to give the adjective "homosexual", and its variants, a negative character, and use it to attack other people, regardless of their status. sexuality, as well as to denote the poor quality of a product (a gay song , in a hostile context, means a bad song ).
This situation is alarming for those who are forced to face it on a daily basis, either for financial reasons or because they do not have the option of moving to a place with greater tolerance. Unfortunately, discrimination often leads many to hide their true identity , as occurs with homosexuals who deny their sexuality; But many of these people do not have the option of hiding and, in the absence of support and protection from the authorities, they must accept contempt as a form of communication.
Other meanings
For grammar , a collective noun is a term that, in the singular, allows us to express a grouping of similar objects, people or animals. In this way, they differ from individual nouns: "Fish" is an individual noun, while "shoal" is a collective noun that refers to a group of fish. Similarly, "flock" is the collective noun that names a group of birds.
In Argentina , Bolivia , Paraguay and other countries, colectivo is synonymous with bus . It is a land vehicle that allows transporting many passengers (between ten and a hundred) through a pre-established route: "Excuse me, could you tell me which group takes me to Plaza de Mayo?" , "I was late because I had to wait for the bus for more than half an hour . "