I would like to explore one aspect of your position, skript. I will do
so with proper respect, of course.
I like to try to deduce how ancient social phenomenon evolved to the
present, and often I like to do the reverse. In this case it's the latter.
Starting with the assumption that humans everywhere, all
races/ethnicities, tend to want to associate with others of their type
in preference over associating with others of differing race/ethnicity,
I'd like to determine how/why this came to be, *as an evolutionary
function*. I think it's easily demonstrable that there are exceptions to
this general tendency, but by default, one wants to associate with like
kind. In my observation, the rule holds for at least 90% of any given group.
I'd also postulate that some races/groups are more prone to like-kind
association that other groups, but in general, like-kind applies to all
discreet groups, everywhere, and throughout time.
So how did this come to be?
I'd suspect that in early primate prehistory, social groupings were
relatively small. Extended family groups, with some level of blood
relationship. Periodically, surplus young adult males were driven from
the group by the dominant males. These surplus males would tend to be
the more aggressive males, with the lesser males subservient to the
authority of the dominant male and his clique. Now and then the dominant
male would falter, and either be killed or driven from the group, to be
replaced by either one of the young aggressive males, or perhaps one of
the clique. Basically that would be the end of the road for the former
dominant male.
So relatively physically capable young males were driven to the
periphery, and they often banded together for mutual
protection/survival. These were "stag" bands, with no females: likely
some level of mutual sexual gratification was practiced. These bands
might approach another group (or their former group) and try to either
defeat the dominant male and his clique, or more likely, simply steal
females for mating purposes.
So it would seem to me that deeply within human instinct is the
unease/rejection of outsider, males especially. From pre-human times
there was nothing but bad news to come from groups of outsiders.
This *tendency*, attenuated somewhat as surpluses of all kinds became
more routine, began to weaken as the surpluses reduced survival pressure
to maintain the social status quo. The comestible surpluses could
support both "surplus" males and females, to a degree, making for less
degree of blood relationship. But still the individuals of the groups
were more closely related to each other by custom, means of
communication, hunter-gatherer techniques--essentially clans--than any
outsider would be--who ostensibly came from his/her own social grouping.
A that point two mitigating motivations began to manifest themselves:
trade and intermarriage--which often was a form of trade.
I'd guess that after a certain point, two separate groups, whose social
strength was close to equal, thus discouraging open warfare, might
encounter each other and size each other up with minimal contact. In one
or the other of the groups, or maybe in both, perceptive and intelligent
individuals might perceive that members of the other group had material
goods that seemed of value, and since open warfare was impractical, and
individual theft was risky, these perceptive individuals proposed to
exchange material items with the other group.
Maybe the perceptive individuals might be thought of as "proto-Jews"... ;^)
This was the beginnings of trade.
Now this same evaluation of each tribe's material goods would also
include individuals. But trading for a fully functional and unattached
male was nothing but trouble, for both sides, nor was an extra male
usually needed by a group, but there could never be enough mating aged
females, so this was the beginning of intermarriage/interbreeding.
So I'm saying that today's tendency for humans to want to associate with
others who appear to be very similar to themselves stems from these
early interactions between separate human social groups. It was risky to
interact, and it was most comfortable when limited to exchange, and not
necessarily to social gatherings for celebration ("party down!") since
customs/communication were uncomfortably strange. This instinct still
stays with us, and any outside attempt to enforce mixed association is
basically pissing against a headwind.
Your thoughts on this, skript?
--
--Sawfish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's intolerance."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~