Why do human beings create divides in order to separate people from one another?

SGT Joseph Gunderson — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:27:01 -0400

Religion, race, politics, national boundaries, classism; none of these are real. They do not occur in nature. These are human constructs, created and perpetuated, and for whatever good they may, may not, or once have had, they all manage to do one thing very well and that is divide. So, I ask, what is the purpose and why do human beings insist of being divided into nearly ordered groups?

Response by SSG Pete Fleming made Jun 29 at 2017 12:37 AM

SSG Pete Fleming — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:37:56 -0400

We are still human are regardless of all those things we still have the free will to choose how we treat each other... all that other stuff is either an excuse to act or an excuse to hate. But not of that is the cause.

Response by SPC Brian Mason made Jun 29 at 2017 1:24 AM

SPC Brian Mason — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 01:24:42 -0400

Order out of chaos. We have enough differences and agenda, naturally among other things. The basic needs of every person were required more in quantity as we spread out. More efficient ways of doing and producing these needs draw people to other areas and those who can do so.
1. When demand came to a certain point, 4 chickens stopped equaling the same amount of crop. Religion came about in many cultures because man got smart enough to wonder "what is that large, blindingly bright ball of stuff in the sky?" How, when, why, where. Things were made on purpose or by accident. Humans love to surround themselves with people who are 'like' them. I won't get into a religious debate here. At some point, groups had some proof hinting at the existence of 'someone or something' out of the realm of all possiblity.
2. Race: Humans have twisted the meaning for hundreds of years. There is only one human race; just different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Black people originated in Africa; their resulting dark skin from being exposed to the sun more than those who lived in colder, more remote, less harsh sunny areas. I'm no expert on this, but it's unlikely that we'll come to some uniform, one-world culture.
3. Not an expert on politics, and only biased toward the U.S. Every test I've taken, every view I've researched, and my gut tells me I'm more Conservative than anything; so much I class with the Left. In our short, almost 241 years of existence we didn't even have a 2-party system. Again, no ranting and going off-topic on this.
4. What? Boundaries have existed since 'forever' and exist in the animal kingdom. They lay claim to their territory in many ways: pissing in certain areas, taking dumps in certain areas, erecting barriers, etc. I'm not sure if humans have used the first two example, but every culture has had 'boundaries' of some sort. Through force, physical barrier, and other methods, man has laid claim to parts of this rock. On it's basic level, these groups call these places, with boundaries - HOME. One wouldn't let anyone walk in their house so why would an established culture let an invading culture walk right in without opposition or barriers in its way? Those what would are likely erradicated from this planet or exist in very small groups.
5. Class: Yet another word for the same thing. There has to be a hierarchy in all groups. Leader. King/Queen. Alpha. President. Chief. Emporer and so on. One person can not do everything. As power passes down, other people/groups are given authority over another, for good or bad. Without such leadership and rules it all devolves into chaos.
*Humans LOVE labels on everything. It's natural. It helps us classify thing. It's why we have names instead of "that white guy with blonde hair and blue eyes". It separates the good and bad. We have to have a universal label on everything so we can differentiate everything in the world.
I don't know what the statement that "none of this is real" means in your mind. We're not mindless robots, thank goodness. To some extent, diversity is good, but like-minded and those with similar characteristics will inevitably be drawn to each other. What is natural and good prospers. What is unatural and evil poisons everything it gets close to. When a minority tries to change the meaning of a universal word and its understanding there will be conflict. Ex: The concept of marriage is at its basic level is the same. In our culture, marriage is between a man and woman only. In recent time, a minority has tried to change what it is. While it still includes two consenting adults, other deviants have been vying for 'marriage rights' for pedophiles. Another example: A woman married HERSELF. Another married a sex doll. Another married her dog. When that type of twisted mentality is allowed to permeate such a union it ruins it. It's not about 'happy and feelings'.
More problems have come about because certain groups have been allowed to twist things to their own agenda despite the obvious harm to themselves and others. This 'let people do whatever as long as their happy' mentality is dangerous.
An apple must always be an apple; it cannot be a rock or animal. Division is better than a whole race of mindless people all having the SAME interests, SAME look, SAME preferences, and same goals for the entire human race.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jun 29 at 2017 2:37 AM

SN Greg Wright — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 02:37:16 -0400

I think I am a-typical. I have never been racist. So, I apologize for the 'cliche' that follows. I have had significant relationships with ALL of the major races: white, black, asian, latina, AmIndian. I'm not trying to say that I'm some f'n crusader. What I'm saying is that I've never given a shit about a girl's color. It's always been about, do we fit? (sometimes yes, sometimes no. Nothing to do with skin tho.) What I've learned is, there are a finite number of human responses to any given stimuli. Strangely enough, humans respond in those manners no matter what color their skin is. So. For me, and me alone, people that make those divides are creating their own misery. Most of us, regardless of color, just want to go along and get along.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jun 29 at 2017 5:58 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 05:58:25 -0400

To attempt to show superiority over others.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 8:52 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 08:52:15 -0400

The reason you don't see this in the animal kingdom is because humans aren't animals. We have so many things going on that animals don't have. We can reason. We have a sense of morality. We feel anger, jealousy, fear, etc. But we also feel love, compassion, empathy, etc. As an example, if a lion in Africa takes a carcass away from a hyena, it wasn't out of meanness or envy, or because he thought he was better than the hyena. He just saw a meal and needed it to live. Likewise, the hyena doesn't get mad and hold a grudge, or vow vengeance on all lions or demand justice. He just goes and looks for more food. And the other animals watching don't step in to "right this wrong" and take a collection to feed this poor animal that has had his meal stripped away. No, they just go about whatever they were doing. Contrast that with how humans would view a similar situation and lines would be drawn in the sand. Right now as I type our leaders are telling other leaders that if they use chemical weapons on civilians that we'll take action. And IMO that's a good call. But if we were just animals we wouldn't care about some people on the other side of the world.

I disagree with your statement "Religion, race, politics, national boundaries, classism; none of these are real." They are most certainly real. Saying they don't appear in nature is incorrect unless you mean they don't appear in the animal kingdom. But I already addressed that humans and animals are not on the same level. The Bible makes this distinction very clear. It says that God made man in His own image which means we have His attributes. Justice, right, wrong, love, compassion, etc. are things we have that animals don't. The reason all of this turns us against each other is because of sin. While we're still made in the Creator's image, we're now bent toward evil and that is very apparent in the world and has been since the fall.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 9:18 AM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 09:18:55 -0400

People want to belong to a group, they want an identity. We create these labels, these divisions, and sometimes take pride in them (not always inherently bad). The issue is a conflict of views, a conflict of how people see the world, or an issue.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 10:07 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:07:11 -0400

Because some people would rather look at someone's skin color or religious preference and judge them on that alone. I have had the pleasure to met and talk with people of all colors and many nationalities in my brief time on this earth and to this point I feel blessed to have met them and share our experiences.

Response by Maj John Bell made Jun 29 at 2017 10:21 AM

Maj John Bell — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:21:10 -0400

Well.... first of all Banksy's quote shows that he is tragically idealistic.

Humans of the same race, religion, politics, and economic status, have always treated each other horrendously.

From Wikipedia: Tribalism has a very adaptive effect in human evolution. Humans are social animals and ill-equipped to live on their own. Tribalism and social bonding help to keep individuals committed to the group, even when personal relations may fray. That keeps individuals from wandering off or joining other groups. It also leads to bullying when a tribal member is unwilling to conform to the politics of the collective.

Socially, divisions between groups fosters specialized interactions with others, based on association: altruism (positive interactions with unrelated members), kin-selectivity (positive interactions with related members) and violence (negative interactions). Thus, groups with a strong sense of unity and identity can benefit from kin selection behaviour such as common property and shared resources. The tendencies of members to unite against an outside tribe and the ability to act violently and prejudicially against that outside tribe likely boosted the chances of survival in genocidal conflicts

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 10:23 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:23:01 -0400

People are by nature a social/ tribal creature. To put it simply, birds of a feather flock together. And when they don't, competition and inevitably conflict breaks out.
People organize into groups for a number of reasons:
1. To form a defensible whole out of like-minded and like-suited individuals.
2. To better find a compatible mate
3. As civilization develops, for social/ economic and caste reasons. IE craftsmen need a market to purchase raw materials and sell goods.
4. In terms of economic status, to keep the have-nots from preying upon and taking from the haves. Or more simply, keeping predators from taking what they want from the defenseless - a neighborhood watch, if you will.

So why do disparate groups fight? Generally, for reasons of the seven deadly sins (Greed, Pride, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Lust, and Gluttony) and for extra credit, the newest issue which is because they can and get away with it.
That is why ordered societies have laws and enforce them uniformly. Without that, it is a very close run to anarchy.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 10:23 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:23:13 -0400

Race is a social construct - made by humans. There is one race. The human race and scientists have said this since the 1950s.

http://www.newsweek.com/there-no-such-thing-race-283123

Why Are We Divided by Race When There Is No Such Thing?

The notion of race may be real, but the science is not. We are all the same, with no exceptions.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 10:42 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:42:47 -0400

Because it makes it easier to dehumanize large groups of people.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 29 at 2017 10:45 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 10:45:10 -0400

It's the tribe thing. Humans form alliances and associations with people they see as having similar characteristics or interests. It worked well in primitive times when we were hunter-gatherers. It makes things sometimes more difficult in an advanced society. RP is its own large tribe. Within RP there are sub-tribes, veterans, retired, service members, supporters, etc.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Jun 29 at 2017 12:15 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 12:15:30 -0400

I believe there is a biblical parable about the Tower of Babel? So I am not entirely convinced the division is entirely 100% a human construct. I think some of it is designed protectively to hold us back from our technology advancing faster than our humanity..........which would be a threat to our very existence if that happened.

Response by Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 12:59 PM

Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 12:59:55 -0400

Um, Im pretty sure the above is not true. Bands of Chimpanzees often fight each other over territory. Groups of tigers fight each other. Packs of dogs. Pretty much an group of animal will fight for territory. Its pretty normal behavior. Banding together into small groups based on family, genetics etc - pretty darn normal across the board. Fighting others outside your group also normal.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 1:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 13:31:12 -0400

Race, religion, politics, wealth, etc are fairly new to the mix in the grand scheme of things. Division has existed longer than civilization. It all comes down to primal instincts. Deep down human beings base instincts are survival and mating. As people in different areas of the world began to progress and civilizations began to spring up, the other things started coming into play.

Religion was originally a way to explain things that humans didn't understand, as we can see with the polytheistic hierarchies that had gods over everything. A god of war, the sea, the sun, etc. Since monotheistic religions came to be, they've been perverted and used more as tools to control societies.

Race didn't become a thing until civilizations began to develop and expand and you started having more advanced civilizations encountering less advanced civilizations.

I suppose you could say that wealth has been a thing since tribalism became a thing since a "wealthy" tribe would have been the tribes with more resources at their disposal, whereas today wealth is determined by money.

All of these prejudices have existed for as long as humans have inhabited the earth. Heck, these prejudices exist in the animal kingdom to show you how primal they are. These things will always exist.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 29 at 2017 8:14 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:14:32 -0400

We divide ourself to form alliances and foster friendships. I don't have middle class or high class friends why? Cause I'm low income so I hang out with the other low income people cause we have something in common. Most of my friends don't believe in God so I hang out with people who don't believe why? Cause none of us believe in God so we can get along much easier as opposed to hanging out with religions people who will just slam religion down your throat and telling you your going to hell. We do it cause it's human nature.

Response by PO2 Gerry Roberson Sr. made Jun 29 at 2017 8:28 PM

PO2 Gerry Roberson Sr. — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:28:51 -0400

Gross stupidity, fear, ignorance,and real crappy agendas of those in high places. Or is that low places?

Response by AN Christopher Crayne made Jul 2 at 2017 10:11 AM

AN Christopher Crayne — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 10:11:23 -0400

What’s The Hegelian Dialect?

Divide and conquer, it’s the oldest trick in the book and has been used for generations by people of power to expand empires and control opposition. While it might sound complex to many, it’s really nothing more than the control of perception through the use of deception.