Saturday, 17 August 2019

othering

If you are 'exceptional', then everyone else is not:
Jay Doubleyou: exceptionalism today

And that leads to the idea of 'the other':
Other (philosophy) - Wikipedia

And the problem of 'othering':

The Problem of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness and Belonging


john a. powell and Stephen Menendian

The problem of the twenty-first century is the problem of “othering.” In a world beset by seemingly intractable and overwhelming challenges, virtually every global, national, and regional conflict is wrapped within or organized around one or more dimension of group-based difference. Othering undergirds territorial disputes, sectarian violence, military conflict, the spread of disease, hunger and food insecurity, and even climate change.1

In a remarkably candid and wide-ranging recently published interview, US president Barack Obama cited tribalism and atavism as a source of much conflict in the world.2 In his view, many of the stresses of globalization, the “collision of cultures brought on by the Internet and social media,” and “scarcities,” some of which will be exacerbated by climate change and population growth, lead to a “default position” to organize by “tribe—us/them, a hostility toward the unfamiliar or unknown,” and to “push back against those who are different.”


The Problem of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness and Belonging - Othering and Belonging

And from the Guardian:

Us vs them: the sinister techniques of ‘Othering’ – and how to avoid them


john a powell

Rapid social change causes all humans anxiety – but our response to this need not be negative, despite the best efforts of our politicians and media

Wed 8 Nov 2017 



 

The audience at US president Donald Trump’s speech to the National Rifle Association in Atlanta last April. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

We are in the midst of a rapidly changing world. More than 300 million people are currently living outside their homelands. Ethno-nationalism is on the rise – from the Rohingya peopleforced out of Myanmar in what many are calling the world’s latest genocide, to neo-Nazis marching through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, in an action President Trump pointedly refused to condemn.

Humans can only process a limited amount of change in a short period of time without experiencing anxiety. It’s a natural human reaction – but how we respond to that anxiety is social.

Othering is largely driven by politicians and the media, as opposed to personal contact

When societies experience big and rapid change, a frequent response is for people to narrowly define who qualifies as a full member of society – a process I call “Othering”. An alternative response is seeing the change in demographics as positive, and regarding the apparent other as enhancing our life and who we are. This is what I refer to as “belonging and bridging”.

Othering is not about liking or disliking someone. It is based on the conscious or unconscious assumption that a certain identified group poses a threat to the favoured group. It is largely driven by politicians and the media, as opposed to personal contact. Overwhelmingly, people don’t “know” those that they are Othering.


Us vs them: the sinister techniques of ‘Othering’ – and how to avoid them | Inequality | The Guardian

Here he is speaking:



john powell keynote: The Mechanisms of Othering - YouTube

And the idea of otherness from other writers and thinkers:
Consequences of Othering: Aladdin: Looking Deeper
The ‘othering’ of humanity, a divided world and the global rise in terrorism – Middle East Monitor

For example:

Furthermore, experiments such as the Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes exercise demonstrate just how readily we can be swept up in a group identity, learning to embrace only those of our tribe and reject the “others”, even when the difference is entirely arbitrary and meaningless.

Othering 101: What Is “Othering”? | There Are No Others

See:
Jay Doubleyou: jane elliott - brown eyes vs blue eyes
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