The Relative Impact of the Dynamics of Change in Prejudice Over Time
The fundamental dynamics of historical prejudice appear to interplay as follows
* The passing of legislation (either positive or negative) generates the countervailing pushback of legislation. Progress is made but not without unintended consequences. When one or another aggrieved segment of society decides that neither legislation nor litigation work well enough or fast enough, the tendency has historically been to resort to violence.
* History teaches that violence invariably breeds counterviolence. Gandhi and Mandela understood those lessons and made more positive progress by other, more productive, means in their common quest for a better society; nonviolence against the “perpetrators” being the main engine of each initiative for justice against unspeakably violent suppression.
* In the history of progress against prejudice, White on Black, Black on White, and destructive urban violence that typically includes a wide swath of collateral damage to a lot of innocent people on both sides have played their unlaudable parts. Sadly, the analysis of racial relations events shows that there has been a marked increase in violence as a solution over the past 30 years.
* The only continually bright light and inexorably advancing dynamic in this social change scenario has been through individual initiative.
The changes achieved through individual initiative have not only been consistent in their advancement of equality but also, they are largely consistent with the publicly stated program of Neo-sociopsychology… and they do that without relying on communications for effect nor on laws and law enforcement.
Individual initiatives change stereotypes and prejudices and render them irrelevant. They change social norms at the personal rather than at the impersonal governmental level. Their success confronts prejudice in the most powerful way imaginable – by example. And, most importantly, they create connections with “the others” in the context of regular, up-close and personal contact that frequently leads to friendships which in turn “forget” the differences and accentuate the commonalities. The power of individual initiative is that it avoids the pitfalls of the ancient Chinese proverb that “a man convinced against his will remains unconvinced.” Change that is forged in the crucible of individual initiative “sticks.” It also triggers ever-expanding ripples of acceptance, mutual respect, and prejudice-blindness.
