Roger -
So, what's the question here?
The original (implicit) question was *does* Openness amplify Inequality
as a matter of course?
My elaborated question in light of both yours and Marcus' response is
what the balance might be between:
1. A specific "conspiracy" by (straight?) white males to exclude all
others from this profession (or access to any desirable resources?).
2. A less specific "conspiracy" by *any* dominant group to exclude all
others from access to desirable resources.
3. A specific structural (in phase space) feature of this profession as
a dynamic system which selects for homogeneity of membership and
therefore access to certain desirable resources.
4. A general feature of a more general class of systems of which a
profession such as this is likely to tend toward homogeneity.
Simply put, I think it may be a truism that "dominance begets dominance"
rather than white-male-straightness is fundamentally hinky?
On the other hand, I think it *is* arguable that both maleness and
straightness may select for specific behaviors (forms of
aggression/competition?) that might actually aggravate/accelerate this
dynamic at least in comparison to many (some average of) females and/or
homosexual males.
I'm not as sure about whiteness (melanin content of skin?) though there
may be a positive correlation between social groups which evolved in
harsher climates with long periods of low productivity (winter)
punctuated with shorter periods of high productivity and strategies for
controlling the resulting resources effectively. This seems to be
broadly correlated with the evolution of more northern peoples which
seems also to select for lowered melanin in the skin.
I don't think it is unique to heterosexuals, nor men, nor white people
to exhibit in-group altruism as you suggest or a familiarity-selfishness
as Marcus riposted with. I only question whether this is unique to the
impugned group. I make a weak argument above, I think that said group
may be more capable or even inclined to such, but it doesn't seem to be
a simple black and white matter.
That said, *as* a member of said group by circumstance, I *am*
interested in understanding what kind of a system (social?) could be
implemented/engaged-in which would not reinforce those qualities. It
is accepted that as a member of said group (in our culture) that I have
benefited from all of this, and I think I can find many ways in which I
specifically *do*, although I can also find examples where I personally
got the proverbial "short end" of this and that, so I am not without
experience with "short ends", for whatever that is worth.
- Steve
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