- Joined
- Aug 27, 2019
I think a factor in why whites are less likely to see themselves as one big ethnic group is that many take more pride in where they are from or their cultural roots. If you find yourself in a new place alone, most people will end up connecting with people they find that came from their same hometown or country because they believe they have more in common with them. Skin color doesn't really matter in the case, you could be surrounded by other whites but end up feeling closer to the one black person because they're part of a shared culture by being born in the same country. Expats abroad will find other expats of their home country to celebrate national holidays as an example.
Personally, I've always found culture a much better "glue" then skin color when it comes to people. You can see that when looking at the groups that first came over to the new world, especially when it came to the Scottish. They would create large networks of fellow expat Scottish to help each other out, create Scottish clubs for various elements of Scottish culture exclusively for fellow Scots. Diaspora of a specific people out to new lands, whether forced or willing, usually ends with those people maintaining and sometimes even strengthening shared cultural links. This is seen in the previously mentioned Scottish Diaspora, but also noted with the Greeks as well when they started to extend outwards. It's also why you see cultural enclaves pop up in more modern times.
To loop back into trying to answering your second half, people do group themselves for survival but they typically form their groups around cultural origins rather than skin color. There is inherently more trust given to those that have shared culture roots and you see that with any group. When it comes to blacks in America that end up all grouping together a factor for that isn't just skin color but also a shared culture. This cultural is what many refer to as "Hood Culture" or similar, expressing itself in linguistical practices (i.e. "A'yo das mine. Y'all can' hav dat shiet!") alongside other things like ways of dress. That's why, when a black person "leaves" this culture they're attacked as traitors (Uncle Toms) or enemies.
This reason is also why you see such a divide between African-Americans and actually Africans. They do not share the same cultural origins, African-Americans have long created their own culture separate from their ethnic origins. Earlier in the thread there was a twitter post that showcased various examples of Africans taking potshots at African-Americans, if there was really solidarity based solely on their shared skin color that wouldn't have happened. Probably, if you looked at comparing Africans to other black populations whose origins are from slave populations you'd see a similar cultural divide be expressed that makes both groups not want to be lumped together.
I know I've been spending time away from the thread to lighten my mind, the Salon area of the site has been a great refresher
. If you let yourself get too sucked into the doom and gloom you'll end up just like the people that get mocked in this thread who've had their whole life consumed by fighting phantoms of racism and sexism.
