Although I never like to think of anyone as an outsider, one cannot always ignore the latent thoughts in their mind. The only way to fix the negative way of thinking, is to become a part of the community of whom you view as “others”.
I have lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania my entire life. In my younger years, I would see the Dickinson campus frequently and view the students as outsiders, not as a group deeply connected to our community. In my young mind they would live here temporarily and move on shortly after with little loyalty. No individual was much different than the rest. It has only been recently as a student myself at Dickinson College that I have become deeply connected with my fellow students and recognize now that they have a deeply founded love for our community and its well-being. With students coming from across the country and world, there would be nothing less true than saying individuality didn’t exist among campus students. It is now true that Dickinson students are no longer others in my mind.
Negative views on a group of people never results in good behavior. One feels above their fellow community members and does not grant them the same respect they themselves demand. One does not recognize the differences and individuality of the group’s members. In such cases the bad behavior of one can overshadow the kindness and loyalty of the entirety of their fellow group. In the most extreme of cases, othering can lead to violence.
A notable example of this kind of alienation can be seen in no other than our political parties. It is always left versus right, comments such as “they want to destroy the country” and “their beliefs don’t matter” are said all too frequently. The US has never seen such political disconnect before (besides the American Civil War), and it is leading to an increased polarization of both sides who have become more entranced in their own ideals, leaving the others with little voice. When there is alienation among political rivals where there should be compromise, how is anything productive supposed to be accomplished?
“A sky view of the Dickinson College Campus”
6 responses to “An Analysis on the Effects of Othering”
Hello Ashlan, very interesting. It is amazing that you were able to attend such a great university that has been in your hometown your entire life. As a Dickinson student so is not from here, its quite extraordinary that when you were not a student here you categorized the students as outsiders of your hometown. But now you have ironically become one of those outsiders. I like how you used the example of political parties to depict a pictures of “othering.” You are correct and I agree that many of time if you do not belong to the same political party you see them as an other who is different than you. It is best to stop categorizing altogether but rather see individuals for who they are on the inside.
I 100% agree. Until everyone learns to judge people solely off of their character, we will always have a problem with alienating others.
Hello Ashlan,
I really liked how you made the connection with political parties as a broader systematic othering within the US. I did not think about this connection. What do you think we can do to help see people as individuals in term of politics and political parties? Do you think the partisan climate of US politics can change?
It cannot be stressed enough that open dialogue between the parties is the only thing that can solve the mass divide. Both sides need to admit that there are both benefits and disadvantages involved with their policy proposals. Call me a pessimist, but I think it is highly unlikely that the polarization in American politics decreases. In my opinion it would take a mass ideological reset of some kind to reign the parties closer together.
Thanks for the engaging comment! It was fun to reply to.
Thank you, Ashlan, for presenting your thoughts on what you perceive as your group and the effects of othering. It was quite interesting to know that initially, you perceived Dickinson students differently from your current perception of them. Moreover, I also agree with you to a certain extent that negative group behavior leads to poor behavior among groups. I have also had a similar experience when it comes to a difference in the perception of the current group I am in. Earlier, I did not see myself as a member of my group, which is my country, India. However, various circumstances, such as living abroad among Indians, made me see myself more as a member of the group. In addition to the example of political polarization you provided, I would say that a similar nature of intergroup relations also exists between religions in certain areas of South Asia, sometimes resulting in communal violence. Since you mentioned that becoming a part of the community, which you view as the “others”, will help in fixing negative thinking, do you think this is always possible, especially when intergroup hatred is present?
I had not actually thought about “othering” in the context of religious groups, so your response is a very good chance to elaborate on my original thoughts. As usual, conflict between religious groups makes situations much more complex; becoming a part of the community might not always apply. In situations like this a similar line of thinking is necessary, but simply religious groups need to be tolerant of each other and be okay with coexisting even if their belief sets differ (easier said than done). However, where intergroup hatred is present, the changes have to occur on an individual level first before they spread into the main group thinking. No one has to be enthusiastic about living together per se, but a sense of indifference and recognition that everyone is human is all that would be required to reduce violence.
Thanks for the amazing comment!