Why is "feminism" good but "racism" and other "-isms" bad? [closed]
Oxford defines the suffix -ism as
denoting an action or its result: baptism exorcism
denoting a state or quality: barbarism
denoting a system, principle, or ideological movement: Anglicanism feminism hedonism
denoting a basis for prejudice or discrimination: racism
- denoting a peculiarity in language: colloquialism Canadianism
- denoting a pathological condition: alcoholism
There is no inherent good or bad about these uses (except possibly the disease definition).
The source, according to ODO is
from French -isme, via Latin from Greek -ismos, -isma
There isn't anything about the -ism suffix that is inherently ethical or unethical. The moral aspect relates to the other side of the word. In terms of "feminism"; the immoral variant would be "sexism".
But most -isms are just classifications of people or ways of thought. Something like "communism" or "socialism" isn't inherently good or bad. It's just a political affiliation.