Overcoming Binary Thinking
It is sad but true that we find ourselves repeatedly needing to educate people about the pitfalls of stereotyping and binary thinking.
“There’s an Islamic mystic who described how harmful it is to divide people into groups, say only good things about some and only bad things about others. He said this brings ignorance, hatred, and chaos to societies."-- clinical psychology professor Andrew Haratz
It is sad but true that we find ourselves repeatedly needing to educate people about the pitfalls of stereotyping and binary thinking. These tendencies are deeply ingrained in human psychology, requiring a continual relearning process with each new generation.
While categorizing and stereotyping groups are evolutionary heuristics essential for species' functioning and survival, the inherent artificiality, arbitrariness, and limitations of such classifications become evident when they are taken too seriously. Categories create illusions.
The Problems with Political Labels
We all, at times, succumb to the fallacy of stereotyping or overgeneralizing about others. We all have biases and blindspots, and even an activist who teaches against racial and ethnic stereotypes may falsely stereotype conservatives, the religious or people from the American South.
Binary Thinking
Binary thinking involves portraying things, including groups, as absolute binaries—good or bad, right or wrong, victim or oppressor. This mindset emphasizes moral and ideological purity, creating a dangerous and destructive "us versus them" mentality.
The Dangers of Demonizing Opponents
Binary thinking, rooted in cognitive biases and a quick, unconscious mode of thought, is a highly emotional and primitive way of thinking. It is driven by strong and irrational gut reactions.
The drawbacks of binary thinking are countless. It promotes false oversimplifications, obstructs nuanced understanding, impedes intellectual growth, fuels stereotypes and bad decision-making, and contributes to racism, sexism, antisemitism, xenophobia and other prejudices.
Binary Thinking and False Stereotyping in Today’s Progressivism
An alarming shift within some parts of progressive politics involves the emergence of racial essentialism and binary thinking, which contradicts the traditional left's focus on equality and the rejection of stereotypes. Recent trends in progressive politics reflect a tendency to judge individuals and the value of their opinions based on their skin color, sex and other immutable characteristics.
Sociology professor Reluja Behan writes, “(Robin) DiAngelo takes whiteness to be homogeneous. Phrases like ‘white collective,’ ‘white dynamic,’ ‘white voice,’ “white frame of reference,’ ‘white worldview’ and ‘white experience’ are all used to suggest a certain racial sameness.” Such racial stereotyping and prejudice, typically associated with the extreme right, is now prominent within the extreme left, signaling a regressive rather than progressive direction in the progressive movement.
When Keeping It ‘Woke’ Gets Racist, Liberals Should Say So by Eric Levitz
"Robin DiAngelo's 'White Fragility' ignores the differences within whiteness" by Raluja Behan
In a recent interview, Tema Okun, the author of the "Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" paper, expressed concern about the misuse and misinterpretation of her work. She said, “I could not possibly tally the number of hours I have spent over the last three years dislodging people from the reductive stance they construct based on the tool … I worked in one situation where the communications function had come to a grinding halt because a segment of the staff had decided that editing was white supremacist.”
Tema Okun on Her Mythical Paper on White Supremacy (Apple Podcasts)
Progressive categorizing people based on race, as seen in Robin DiAngelo and DiAngelo-inspired anti-racism trainings, has repeatedly been shown to increase racial prejudice, hindering rather than promoting racial justice. In the Harvard Business Review paper “Diversity Training Doesn’t Work,” organizational leadership coach Peter Bregman writes, “Categories are dehumanizing. They simplify the complexity of a human being. So focusing people on the categories increases their prejudice.”
Diversity Training Doesn’t Work (Harvard Business Review)
The binary thinking of all good or all bad has led some progressives to justify morally atrocious actions in the name of their cause, as seen in the support for Hamas terrorism including the murdering and hostage-taking of civilians.
Far-Left’s Pro-Hamas Messaging Damages Progressive Movement by Charlotte Clymer
How to Overcome Binary Thinking
Overcoming binary thinking requires developing a more nuanced and open-minded approach to processing and assessing information. Here are some strategies to help break free from binary thinking:
Acknowledge the Pitfalls: Recognize that rigid categorization, stereotyping, and binary thinking are false and destructive.
Recognize Your Tendencies: Identify moments when you find yourself slipping into binary thinking and be conscious of when your judgments are driven by emotions.
Seek Diverse Perspectives: Actively expose yourself to a range of viewpoints, especially those that differ from your own. Embracing diversity in perspectives broadens your understanding and challenges preconceived notions.
Embrace Complexity: Acknowledge that many issues are intricate and multifaceted. Resist the urge to reduce complexities to simple dichotomies and artificial categories. Understand that reality often exists along a spectrum, requiring a nuanced and open-minded perspective.
Find Similarities in People: Focus on commonalities among individuals and groups rather than fixating on differences. People have more in common than the have in difference.
Practice Critical Thinking: Strengthen your critical thinking skills by evaluating evidence, exploring alternative explanations, and assessing the validity of arguments.
Use Language Mindfully: Be conscious of the language you use, avoiding overly polarized and inflammatory terms that reinforce binary thinking and stereotyping.
Explore Middle Ground: Challenge the notion that there are only two extreme positions on an issue.
Learn from Mistakes: Reflect on instances where binary thinking and stereotyping led to misunderstandings or flawed decisions.
Engage in Continuous Learning: Stay curious and committed to ongoing learning. Exposure to new information and diverse perspectives enhances your ability to develop a more nuanced and informed worldview.