Elias Jones,
Charlottesville, VA.
It is tribalism that leads to assumptions both affirming (they are like me, they accept me, I am safe with them) and disruptive (they don’t like us, we don’t trust them, they are different). Tribalism perpetuates white privilege, empowers classism – which is informed and compounded by racism and sexism – collectively absolves abuse, fosters narrow concepts of community, amplifies distrust and fear, fuels separatist desire, and validates misconceptions. Too often, empathy ends at the tribal boundary. One reason those who choose bias over acceptance rebuke science is because modern science no longer categorizes humans by race, but by ethnic groups. Race is concept too easily institutionalized to enforce classist agendas. Ethnicity is closer in tone to cultural specificity. Consider the existence of tribes and how they might reinforce perceptions and attitudes toward race; law enforcement, political parties, families, neighborhoods, churches, hobbyists, etc. If your tribe insists on attributing all characteristics (positive and negative) to race, how likely is it that you will too? Unless you choose not to.
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