Being known matters
Author Yascha Mounk in The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time starts his book by reminding the reader that throughout history there have been small groups of people who have mistreated, enslaved, and otherwise wielded power over other large numbers of people who have been deemed to be less equal. The suffering either from direct mistreatment or from benign neglect of being overlooked due to their skin color, sexual orientation, disabilities, ethnic background, or religion or more were not constrained to geographic location, historic time, religion, or race.[1]
Mounk’s assessment made me think of the podcast Daniel Kahneman did in 2020 with Lex Fridman. He related a story from when he was a child in Nazi occupied Paris early in World War 2. A German soldier picked him up and hugged him, not realizing he was Jewish. When Kahneman was asked if he thought the person was evil, he responded thoughtfully that the conditions for genocide were present:
- People dehumanize others from a different group.
- One group had uncontrolled power over another.
- There are distinctions between the in group and the other.
With all three, almost anything was possible, even killing people as though they are animals and not feeling remorse.[2]
Author Yascha Mounk examined ways that some sectors in society seek to right discrimination that still exists. One technique was to have people of like characteristics or preferences to be joined in affinity groups. This was originally called identity politics which eventually morphed into identity synthesis.[3] It has compelling arguments that could easily anger both conservative and liberal individuals regarding how to right the wrongs of injustice due to discrimination. It was a new form of activism that was bred from the altruistic idea that together a group of people would be able to effect change and advocate for themselves better. However, Mounk fears that identity synthesis has the possibility to cause more harm than good because it has the potential to undo the “progress toward genuine equality between members of different groups.”[4] He called it a trap that has three characteristics.
- The Lure: There really are injustices in the world that need to be corrected.
- It captivates smart people who are full of good intentions.
- It makes it harder to accomplish the goals they seek, in the case of discrimination, making it harder for people to know and understand others to gain a sense of belonging even with people who are different.[5]
Mounk made several recommendations to argue against the identity trap:
- Claim the high ground, stay clear of social pressures that rely on slogans and lip service.
- Don’t Vilify Those Who Disagree. Like Kahneman recognized, not every Nazi soldier was evil.
- Today’s Adversaries Can be Tomorrow’s Allies. Real dialogue has power to do this.
- Appeal to the Reasonable Majority. Often a small group speaks loudly. The reasonable majority can be very diverse.
- Make Common Cause with Other Opponents of Identity Synthesis. Build coalitions.
- Don’t become a Reactionary. [6] Self-differentiate and take a step back to think through what is important. [7]
Reflecting on a number of concepts in this book, I was drawn to an experience I had in 2002 while opening a group home in a residential neighborhood. An angry neighbor tried to stop us by calling other neighbors, city government, newspapers, and television stations. The firestorm of media, legal, and horrible perceptions were real. At a town meeting called by the city councilwoman, the school cafeteria was packed. Aside from the neighbors, standing in the back of the room were armed police officers and local media outlets. Once the meeting started, I was thrown to the wolves. The crowd started shooting arrows of questions. I slowed the pace and said that I would like to give the audience an overview of our agency and the work we do, a typical day in the life of our residents and tried to give assurances that our employees would be in the home whenever any of the children would be home from school.
The questions that followed were enlightening. The people were obviously concerned with property values, but also fears about what people living with disabilities might do such as vandalize the neighbors, rape their daughters, or have loud raucous parties. I shared that our children were always supervised, went to bed early to catch a morning school bus, and were not adjudicated for crimes. I further explained that we helped them learn to feed themselves, walk or bathe. It meant nothing. We were different and we did not fit their idea of who belonged living next door. The questions were derogatory in nature. There was no doubt in my mind. If looks could have killed, I would have been dead. The anger and hatred were palpable. As I looked to the back of the room, my staff were weeping. There is much more to this story but for the purpose of this blog, amazingly, our story in that neighborhood ended with our guys winning over the angriest neighbors once they got to know them. Our children became neighbors, real people.
My concern with identity synthesis is where it could lead and would it ever lead to discrimination practices to again become codified into law. What would stop a government from saying they are doing something for the benefit of minority groups but make a law that in no way helps any group? It is a slippery walk. My thoughts could be naïve, but I believe that when someone is known by another person, there is a relationship where differences are real but can add a richness to the lives of all involved. The children in my group home gave me hope it can happen.
[1] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap, A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, (New York: Penguin Press, 2023), 253.
[2] Lex Fridman, “Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow, Deep Learning , and AI” YouTube video, 2020, Lex Fridman Podcast #65, 1:18.40. https://YouTube.com/watch?v=UwwBG=MbniY
[3] Mounk, 8-9.
[4] Mounk,12.
[5] Mounk 13-14.
[6] Mounk, 271-280.
[7] Edwin H. Freidman, A Failure of Nerve (New York: Church Publishing, 2017), 15.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
9 responses to “Being known matters”
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Thanks Diane! I appreciate the story of hope that you have shared! Of the 6 things that Mounk lists as ways to argue against the Identity Trap which one is one you are working on in your current life and ministry?
Hi Ryan, Good question. Generally, my board of directors is a diverse group, so I walk a very careful line when speaking issues about issues that don’t relate directly to our services. With that reality and my faith that says I am not God and judging is a God task, I try not to vilify people who disagree with me. Who knows, they might be right. That works most of the time. There is one person that I struggle to even conceive is not a villain. For that person I pray that God will intervene in a mighty way and if that doesn’t happen I pray God will sustain people impacted by that person’s actions. And, I pray that God will give me the grace to know if the way I am looking at things is correct and I stay the course, or egocentric on my part, in which case I need to repent of that. Right now, I don’t know. Thanks for asking.
Hi Diane – I am so sorry that you had that experience, but praise God that you were able to win them over.
I think you are right – when we get to know people, it can add richness to all involved. There is something so uncomfortable about getting to know people who are different though. How do you help people overcome that?
Hi Christy, thanks for the question. I am not sure if any one technique works for every situation. In the situation I described one of our kids happened to see the next door neighbor and ran to the edge of the property and called out, “can I be your friend?” It was priceless. The man melted. So one answer would be to encourage people to not be afraid to take the first step to introduce themselves to others they meet. Every person we meet presents an opportunity to enrich our lives.
Hi Diane, a great synthesis of the book. I think your story is significant. It demonstrates that relationships with people who are not like us lead us to understanding and acceptance. The walls come down. How might churches lead the way and demonstrate more of this type of behaviour?
Hi Graham, I love that question. If I was going to help a church to break down barriers I would say leave your sanctuaries and be a part of the community where you worship on a regular basis. This could take the form of picking up trash in the neighborhood, inviting local merchants into the church for a meal or finding other ways to let the local community know that the people in the church want to get to know the people in the neighborhood. I am sure there are lots of ideas that others might suggest too.
Hi Diane,
Thank you for your post. How do you maintain hope and optimism in the face of discrimination and injustice, particularly in light of your experiences with the group home and the positive outcomes you witnessed?
Hi Diane! Thank you for your resilience! Others may have packed up and left. As you won people over, which of Mounk’s strategies did you feel worked best for you in your situation? Great post!
Hi Daren and Shela, I think this reply might speak to both of your questions. What I didn’t say in the original post was that while I was in front of the group that seemed so filled with hate, something happened. If ever I heard Jesus speak to me it was that night. I had to pause because as clearly as ever I sensed Jesus say to me – Diane, don’t you know that this is what I saw when I hung on the cross. You need to love them. There was a peace that came over me and I knew that no matter how they treated me or the young people who would live there, we needed to show kindness and the kind of love that can only come from God. It truly wasn’t really my doing. I did confirm with my staff to always take the high ground, not engage in negativity with neighbors and be polite. I think God allowed our children to really bring the neighbors to a new understanding. So functionally it was Mounk’s first step, I just didn’t know it at the time. Peace friends.