Us Vs Them

Notes

Claim

The "us vs them" divide is when people not only naturally divide into groups, but also develop negative thoughts and feelings towards the other group.

Explanation

Such divide could be arbitrary, and starts as early as childhood Past choices constrain future options and behavior. But whichever the source of the divide may be, once groups are formed, there is low tolerance for Diversity of perspectives strengthens decision-making and understanding within each group, and conformity becomes essential. Often the perceptions of the group are self reinforcing, because each member is grown to hate the other group and love their own, which affects how they later educate their children.

Why it matters

On the one hand, there are good implications to this divide, such as increased Empathy means understanding and acting on another's perspective, Kindness, and "other-thinking". On the other hand, it increases the distance between groups, creates social gaps and even promotes hate and violence Inequality is a normative problem caused by unjust distribution of resources and rights.

In an us vs them mentality, the interaction with the other party is less about Cooperation is working together toward shared mutual benefit and more like a Zero sum game. Similarly, there is much less Deliberation is a discussion that bridges different perspectives between groups and more Debate treats disagreement as a zero-sum game.

Examples

Supporters

Opposers

Open questions

Visual

Overview

🔼Topic:: Social and Group Ethics ◀Origin:: 🔗Link::