The following is based mainly on “Social Justice, Multicultural Counseling, and Practice” (2010) by Heesoon Jun:
Dichotomous thinking is either-or thinking. It sees the world as either-or opposites:
- good or evil,
- right or wrong,
- straight or gay,
- white or black,
- male or female,
- civilized or savage,
- rational or irrational,
- sane or mad,
- mind or body,
- winner or loser,
- capitalist or communist,
- free or slave,
- modern or backwards,
- rich or poor
It is the main thought pattern among White Americans. You see it in their foreign policy, films, ideas of beauty – and even in their Internet comments. It is also found in Europe. Black Americans, meanwhile, favour diunital (both-and) thinking.
White Americans add hierarchical thinking to it. That turns these pairs into good/bad opposites, where the bad is something to avoid, overcome, control or even destroy.
It leads to a profound ethnocentrism. White American culture reads itself as being at the good end of all these good/bad opposites. So it sees itself not as some accident of history, but what all of history has been leading to! It is universal, it is what people all over the world deep down want! America’s high immigration rate proves it!
This leads to a save-the-world mindset, as post-colonialist thinker Homi Bhabha points out. That in turn leads to imperialism, the white man’s burden, White Saviour films, Bush “saving” Iraq and Bono “saving” Africa.
Studies have shown that dichotomous and hierarchical thinking is highly correlated with racism. If “white is right” then, according to this style of thinking, black must be bad and shameful and screwed up:
- If White English is proper, then Black English must be improper.
- If white women are beautiful, then black women must be ugly.
- If white people are nice, then black people must be ill-mannered.
- If white people are trustworthy, then black people are not.
Different is not just different: different is bad!
It also determines how whites think about racism itself:
- Since racism is “bad” and since “white is right”, mainstream White American culture cannot possibly be racist – just maybe whites in the South or in the working-class or in the 1950s or in the Klan.
- Most whites seem to think the answer to racism is to “not see colour”, to not see any differences. But it is this different-is-bad thinking that led to racism in the first place! And which colour-blindness leaves untouched.
This style of thinking is a big reason why white commenters repeatedly misread my posts – even after I point out their mistakes. Examples of their dichotomous misreadings:
- “White people” means “all white people”.
- “White people did something terrible” means “white people are evil through and through, every single one of them, and are the only evil people in all of history.”
- “You said something racist” means “You are a terrible person.”
Dichotomous and hierarchical thinking came to America from England in the 1600s. Back then the English saw the Irish as the despised other. When they arrived in North America they quickly saw American Indians and blacks in that same light.
See also:
As usual, I appreciate the clear critique of how “white” society functions, both internally and externally. But I do think you’re generalizing about “either/or” and hierarchy. Europeans don’t own “either/or,” notwithstanding the wicked ways they have pressed that concept into service. People will have their own ideas here, but I doubt humans can exist without some moral aspect reflecting “either/or.” The question is why. Nor did “whites” invent hierarchy. Show me any ancient society anywhere in the world that wasn’t fundamentally and functionally hierarchical. Indeed, despite broad scale injustice and oppression, no society has ever wrestled so interminably with its textbook claims of egalitarianism as has the western world. Many societies just assume all people are not equal, and they draw real either/or lines between individuals and between peoples. And either/or has its virtues too. Slavery, diverse in form and style, is a universal reality in human history, and the chattel slavery of “white” Christian society is probably the worst we’ve seen. Yet the same society produced an abolitionist movement, the likes of which never existed previously in history, and the legacy of which still informs people striving for justice and equality today. This is not an apologetic, just a point worth reflecting upon. Thank you for your thoughtful entries.
LikeLike
Though I wouldn’t compare Bono to Bush, and I’m not quite sure what “Black English” is, your commentary is quite insightful nonetheless. Not that you need advice, but I think you could be leaving room for misunderstanding when you make “sweeping” statements. I say this because I am quite familiar with race arguments as I, too, have offended the offender in the past. I’ve found that documentation and footnotes (even for opinions) make it difficult for detractors to contradict you with any conviction. Yes, they’ll still accuse you making unjust accusations because you must be angry and bitter, but your points of reference (sort of like a “works cited” page) will force your commentators to search for contradictions to your points, thus forcing them to see the truth, much to their chagrin. Like you, I believe the proof is in the message and that should be all you need. But I’ve learned from Dan Rather that documentation is paramount.
LikeLike
Being different is bad/odd/negative.
Note the difference in skin tones between the two Spocks.
Darker is bad also.
In fact, in traditional/historical context, (during the past 400-500 years) darker is ALWAYS bad.
Maybe that’s why the Christ’s skin is rarely ever depicted as the color of “burnt brass” as it’s actually described by John in the book of Revelations.
Jesus, however, according to white supremacy/WASP/Euro-centrics, MUST be white!
Christianity is a lesser religion than Whiteness… since the former conforms to the latter, obviously.
LikeLike
Matari,
To add on a little bit to what you wrote I would also include light or dark as it relates to good or evil, smart or dumb, beautiful or ugly and civilized or savage respectively. The darker your skin tone is the more negative you are seen where the opposite is true with lighter skin tone.
LikeLike
Not to jump on Christianity, but it’s somewhat telling how true/radical/”the more passionate” Christians also believe that people are born either good (a true child of god) or bad (to be influenced by the devil). A dualistic philosophy of right or wrong from the start, that is unlike many other religions. Religions where people are viewed as individual blank slates, and where it always comes down to the chosen actions of individuals. Free will. Not some predestined outside force that has decided our lives from the womb.
LikeLike
@ Louis DeCaro Jr
Sure, either-or and hierarchical thinking have their place and use, just like any other thought pattern. BUT using it to dehumanize millions is an abuse. I am pretty sure that most people think their own culture is better than others. The Ancient Egyptians did. The Imperial Chinese did. But they and MOST others outside of the Western and Muslim world did not see that as an excuse to wipe out or enslave millions of people. This is not a case of “everyone does it”.
Most of the civilian deaths of the past hundred years were caused by people with clearly dichotomous views: Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, Truman, Mao, Nixon, Pol Pot, the Rwandans, the Muslim Sudanese, Osama bin Laden, Bush the Younger, etc.
LikeLike
@ Louis DeCaro Jr
To function as a moral being you do need an idea of right and wrong, good and evil. But the morals of White Americans have become so dichotomous that they become hard to live up to. So while it does sometimes lead to good things like fighting to free slaves, more often than not it leads to moral blindness and therefore worse morals in practice – like keeping slaves in the first place.
LikeLike
@ Nestafan2
Thanks for the suggestion. By Black English I mean Ebonics.
LikeLike
@abagond: Good post.
In USA even among the so called alternative thinkers there is an idea of pure good vs pure evil. George W Bush is either good or bad, Wall street is either good or bad, green movement is either good or bad, foreigners are either good or bad etc. As an european, I have been thinking about this many times. Naturally the WW2 and Soviet Union showed us what happens when world is seen in these terms.
For some reason in USA the dichtomous way of seeing the world has been alive for a long time and has been gaining strength again in past twenty years. And also, in US it is usually connected with morality. Politicians in US see often that it is their moral right to “help” other countries and bring “democracy” to them, despite what these countries want or think. This usually means in reality waging a war over seas.
Many americans see their ideas as the good ones, real ones, compared to the others in the world. In personal level this shows in the thinking: I’m a good person. Despite how it is in reality.
I remember when I was living in USA back in the 80’s people were really surprised when they asked would I like to stay in US and I said no. The idea that USA is the “best” place is very much propagated trough the media and education system, in political culture etc. and always in dichtomous sense: us vs the rest of the world. “We are better than “them””.
I think the origins of this are in the concept of the New Jerusalem/ Promised Land of the founders of the nation.
Interesting.
LikeLike
How is this post any different from the comment I made earlier some weeks ago under the programming note17 post?
Where I argued exactly the same thing. Only stating that this type of “Dichotomous thinking” or in my words polarized perspective infects all of us. Not just White Americans ?
LikeLike
I think dichotomously when shopping; Shouldn’t I or should I? Should I buy the cheaper one? Should I bid for it on ebay? Only when shopping though!
LikeLike
@ Kwamla:
Right, what you call polarized thinking is dichotomous thinking. Everyone uses dichotomous thinking to some degree, but White Americans have taken it to such extreme lengths that it has warped their culture. And many White American commenters are so wedded to it that they misread my posts and comments. Zek was utterly textbook on that. This is not to say that I do not practise dichotomous thinking myself, I do, but much of it is read into my posts by people who think that way.
LikeLike
@Herneith
Should you buy that authentic name brand designer handbag, or should you opt for the cheaper “generic” knockoff? I say that you might as well treat yourself well until your well-to-do hubby shows up. : ))
I notice that prices are generally cheaper on the web than they are off the shelf at the neighborhood retailer — unless you ask the store or department mgr to sell the same item to you at the web price. In which case the dichotomous thought becomes – should I ask the mgr, or shouldn’t I ask? lol I always ask, because they always sell it at their web price when I inquire…
LikeLike
A perfect example of dichotomous thinking is the Mormon Church (all churches really, but this church is to the extreme). A belief system that is “all American”. A pure product of White American thought and a reflection of their belief system.
Black people aren’t just “bad” and white people aren’t just “good”. In the Mormon religion it is believed that God allowed Blacks to live through the Great Flood (wait for it)…so that SATAN could have representation here on Earth, and of course White people are God’s representation.
A sign of the curse Black people inherit is the flat nose and the black skin. Blacks are the killer of Able, the sons and daughter’s of Cain.
Blacks can go to Heaven…but only as slaves. Can you believe that there are Black people that have actually accepted this doctrine and actually live by it? They have basically relegated themselves to the spiritual back of the bus.
Of course the Mormon Church has “officially” let go of this doctrine. Starting in 1978 Blacks were allowed to be Priest Holders, and I guess that was the year Jim Crow was outlawed in Heaven because ever since that date Heaven has been desegregated.
LikeLike
” but White Americans have taken it to such extreme lengths that it has warped their culture”
Thank you Abagond for clarifying the difference in how dichotomous thinking affects Blacks and Whites differently. Blacks can not be absolute dichotomous thinkers in society in which they own nothing (economically) and do not have the power to define societial norms (what is good or bad).
LikeLike
Brilliant nail-hitting post!
I don’t even have anything else to say.
LikeLike
@jada
haha, the Mormon Church is such an interesting case , i’m quite surprised that Abagond hasn’t covered it , yet.
But I am not sure it qualifies as an instance of American dichotomous thinking.
LikeLike
Abagond:
As human beings, we struggle with the concepts of “black and white” and “shades of gray” more or less. Some of us slant to one side or the other depending on our state of mind. Both are on equal footing to a certain extent. Absolute truth and nuance ride along the same track, but, they depart at some point along the way. When truth takes a back seat to simple logic, that’s when the fireworks begin. Rationalizing away the facts gets you only so far. Most people can engage in a robust debate about whatever and whomever, but, the truth has to come out on top at the end of the day. Agree to disagree, disagree to agree…Whose argument makes the most sense? Arguing over opinions, debating over facts!!!
Tyrone
LikeLike
Dichotomous thinking (aka black-or-white; ‘good’ or ‘evil’) is one of the main symptoms of the ‘Borderline personality disorder’, as described in the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision).
A lot of WP seem to get away with murder by pleading insanity or ‘mental defect’. White women, in particular, are overly diagnosed with this supposed disorder, when the sad reality is that they’re simply nuttier than squirrel shit.
I used to help moderate a discussion board for people with BPD, and some of the posts were beyond sickening. One woman expressed hatred for the unborn child of a romantic rival, going so far as to wish that it would die in the womb, or shortly after birth – never mind the fact that she had been estranged from the baby’s father, her on-again/off-again boyfriend, for almost two years! She stated that she wanted to get in a physical fight with her rival, and wanted to do much damage to her so as to cause a miscarriage. I had no desire to read that sort of nonsensical garbage anymore…
LikeLike
Regular Spock versus ‘Mirror, Mirror’ Spock. Either way, he’s hot. (not the point I know).
Yep, the world is not black and white. It’s complex. Race is complex.
LikeLike
This is how most criminal are freed. Photo help free OJ. Keep up the good work.
LikeLike
This reminds me of a post I made on this LJ comm and this tumblr.
LikeLike
mmm so where is the credit to the people who have been circulating these ideas for oh, months now?
LikeLike
I did see that RVCBard post and even reblogged it on my Tumblr blog, where credit is automatically given through the notes, but most of THIS post comes from “Social Justice, Multicultural Counseling, and Practice” (2010) by Heesoon Jun. I added a note about that at the top of the post.
LikeLike
I really think that most humans by nature tend to have dichotomous thinking. It probably has some evolutionary advantage.
The following might apply more to white Americans:
to most people in the world, different is just different, or at most “foreign”.
LikeLike
I suspect that belief in “the one correct way” is most common amongst people raised in or influenced by monotheistic societies (including atheists who are reacting to monotheism, or those who study the works of those atheists). I would guess that dichotomous thinking is probably less common in people who have roots in polytheistic societies, where multiple spiritual options are considered acceptable. Here’s an example of dichotomous monotheistic brainwashing for children: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl8yW-zIzQc)
Talk about unrealistic: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg3hc3uoVtk)
Finally, uhhh… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j21aPIbmIts)
Then again, whether or not Christianity is strictly monotheistic is somewhat debatable. With the trinity concept, it certainly seems less monotheistic than Judaism or Islam. Some denominations also honor saints that essentially function as intermediary demigods . I would venture to guess that Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, with their many saints, are less dichotomous than much of Protestantism.
LikeLike
[…] dichotomous thinkingIn “stuff” […]
LikeLike