by Dr. Kevin McDonald
Two recent articles (seehere andhere) in the Chicago Tribune show that self-segregation is still the norm in 21st-century America. When whites move to Chicago, they naturally gravitate to the North Side, while blacks head to the South Side. Many of these whites doubtless voted for Obama, but “they aren’t nearly as interested in living in neighborhoods rich in color.”
Indeed, one of the articles cites a study indicating that whites prefer neighborhoods in which no more than 17% of the population is black and another in which whites rate neighborhoods higher if it is a white neighborhood independent of the physical condition of the neighborhood. As usual, whites are acting on these preferences with white flight. Whites make up a declining percentage of the population (now 28%) as they retreat to suburban areas where they can live in neighborhoods with people like themselves.
This behavior conflicts with the official multicultural utopian attitudes that are so apparent in the articles. But it does conform to psychological research that people naturally prefer to associate with people who are similar to themselves. In fact, there aredeep psychological roots to ethnocentrism that make us attracted to and more trusting of genetically similar others. Douglas Massey, Princeton University expert on segregation is quoted to the effect that “although white attitudes have changed and they don’t believe in segregation in principle very much anymore. . .in intimate settings their comfort level isn’t very high.” Sociologists such asRobert Putnam have also shown that ethnichomogeneity is associated with greater trust of others and greater political participation.
The diversity industry is well aware that most whites don’t want to live among non-whites. Here’sa poster from one such group,aricherlife.org. The caption reads in part “Your workplace thrives on diversity, so why shouldn’t your neighborhood? Diversity expands horizons, promotes understanding, prepares our kids. It promises us all a richer life.”