Originally Posted By: Sini
Historically, our society is very rich. We can devote energy to feeling bad about under-contributing members of the society. When large-scale disaster happens, this will go out of the window.

You can temporarily get ahead with the existing *ism approach of shaming to get excess capacity/wealth transferred, but once that excessive capacity is gone, this will stop. Nobody going to cut into basic needs to keep these transfers going. Meanwhile reinforced tribal behavior (e.g. 'my people', 'white privilege') is at all-time dangerous levels and everyone is acutely aware who is US and THEM.

White paranoia in US is already at ridiculous levels, when I lived in Texas living in a gated community with armed guards and patrol dogs was the norm above certain income. You bet it was 90% white, because that is who can afford to pay the fees. This was some years ago, I imagine it only got worse. You can tell people to publicly act in a certain way, but you put their kids, lives on the line, and you bet all of this 'displays of virtuous behavior' will go out of the window.

Imagine if Katrina-level event happens nationwide. Do you think that somehow non-white populations won't suffer disproportionate share of negative consequences? Do you think reinforcing tribal boundaries going to make it better or worse?


"Those" white people are tending to already see themselves as a different tribe, apart from the other white tribes.

That "Coming Apart" book we talked about a while back went into that pretty in depth.

Typical classism aside, an even bigger worry is poor and mid level socioeconomic white people getting tribal. This is what we are seeing with Trump. People tend to forget that there are far more poor white people than poor colored people. That colored people are poor in a higher ratio is of course talked about a lot.

As you say, when times get tough then its easy for tribalism to come out. Forget Katrina level disaster, economically speaking the past decade has been disastrous for 40% of white people and they are starting to get agitated and looking for scapegoats instead of solutions.

For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)