Re: Xenophobia as an inherent barrier to diversity
From: Kay Argyle (kay.argyleutah.edu)
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 17:02:02 -0700 (PDT)
> My scots-irish genetics are
> just as different from that of a particular tribe of swedes as they
> are from that of particular tribe of Kenyans.

No study I've ever come across supports that - quite the opposite.
Caucasian groups are more genetically similar to each other than they are to
African groups, and more similar than African groups are to each other -
which is exactly what you'd expect if humans originated in Africa and spread
out from there.  

Which is irrelevant.  Shared genetics often goes hand in hand with shared
culture - and of the two, I suspect that, once outside the immediate kinship
group, culture is by far more important to perceived similarity.

If humans have a genetically based, hardwired propensity to prefer
associating with people they perceive as similar to themselves (whether
"similar" means genetically or culturally), that doesn't mean diversity is
impossible, strife is inevitable, etc.  Recognizing the propensity is the
first step in overcoming it - wanting to overcome it being the second.
Which is where deciding WHY you want diversity, and what you mean by it,
comes in.

There's a fair body of research showing that fear makes people more
conservative.  You have to believe that new experiences will usually be
rewarding to want to seek them out.  Diversity takes an effort to live with
(of widely varying degrees, depending on the diversity in question).  The
difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals believe
bridging the gap will be worth the effort, and conservatives don't - fear
that what's on the other side might be somehow dangerous can even make
people actively opposed to bridging the gap.  

Kay


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