Ethnic Divisiveness: Majority-majority, Majority-minority, Minority-minority

Recently, the City of Detroit paid a company going by the name of PowerNomics a 6-figured sum to come up with some idea about how to improve the city's economy. Part of the report recommended the development of an African Town... perhaps not an unreasonable idea given the existence of Greektown and Mexicantown. But the report became contentious when it accused Hispanics, Arabs and other minority immigrants of "depleting community resources and taking jobs from blacks"... as if job creation was a zero-sum game.

Why bring this up?

This is how the "herd mentality" works. This is the source of conflict. "We are right, they are wrong." It is the process whereby we identify with "our group"... race, religion, ethnicity, politics, city, state, nation... and seek to validate our shortcuts... beliefs, "facts", "truths"... by demonstrating the shortcomings of shortcuts held by "outsiders".

In this case, a black businessman and consultant addresses a predominantly black government group in a predominantly black city and tries to convince them that the government must provide special assistance to an "official minority" to the exclusion of others.

Well, so what? This is nothing new. Happens all the time.

Precisely!

Recounting previous points:

• we have an instinct to survive, acquire, and pass on our DNA
• we survive best in "herds"
• herds are structured to satisfy the strong and accomodate the weak
• the rules of one herd may vary from others based on experience and environment

To this list, let's add

• herds will not readily accept "outsiders"

Why, because outsiders alter the dynamics of the herd and may not play by the rules of the herd. Therefore, they are seen as a threat to the survival of the herd.

So, in the example above where we have used Detroit as a "herd", a black "majority-minority sub-herd" views with suspicion new "minority-minorities sub-herds" such as Arabs, Koreans, Hispanics, etc. They are "stealing" jobs and resources that "rightfully" belong to the "majority-minority". In this example, the "majority-minority" has a dysfunctional perspective regarding the successes of the "minority-minorities". What is ignored is, the other minorities:

• in many cases, have started with less resources when they arrived than the black citizens of Detroit already had
• have had a significantly different attitude toward individual effort and group cooperation
• have had a greater alignment with the "majority-majority" with regard to business and education
• have had a significantly different attitude toward family unity and responsibility
• have not regarded themselves as "victims", but rather as the recipients of great opportunity

In this example, the experiences of one herd versus others have caused choices and perspectives that are dysfunctional versus the functional choices and perspectives of others.

Now remember, this is a generalization about the "herd", not of specific individuals within the "herd" that may be seen as "strange" (geeks?) or "not with it" (not adhering to the norms of the herd). Yet, ultimately, it is the outliers that represent the possibility for the dysfunctional herd to eventually change and become functional (in comparison to other herds).

It is from the outliers that change, new perspective, new understanding, progress, greater functionality, competitive advantage... and better chance at survival originate. It is also from outliers that the opposite may occur... from which the Adolf Hitlers or Usama Bin Ladens may emerge. Identifying the emerging functional from the emerging dysfunctional may not be simple from within the herd.