Group bias, then, is a fundamental human trait – confirmed by decades of evidence. It is within all of us, sometimes right on the surface, other times buried deep in our bones – lying dormant until the moment of truth, when a specific stimulus elicits the predictable response.
When one recognizes the role of group bias in sports it is easy to imagine how powerful this force must be in identification with groups that really matter – race, religion, and gender. This is a most disturbing realization and one that explains a great deal of the dark side in human history. So how should we react to that revelation? Should we be ashamed? Repentant? Should we gnash our teeth and whip ourselves?
Of course not. It is not our fault we are born this way, and we cannot help how we feel – only how we behave. It is enough to recognize our undesirable tendencies and work to resist them. If we are aware of our predispositions, sense when they arise within us, and consciously regulate them, we can steer clear of the worst consequences.
Furthermore, our group identities deliver many positives. They provide a sense of community by association, a feeling of belonging through shared experience, and the comfort of security through group loyalty. Long ago, no doubt, there was an important survival advantage to being the member of a group. There is surely a good reason why we are built this way.
It is not surprising then, that group conflicts drive politics. They certainly pervade the daily life of the workplace and simmer in the background, waiting to boil over with the slightest provocation.
From The Ailing Nation, Chapter Eight: Acceptance