Groups & How They Can "Other"

Why do people/groups label other people/groups?

In psychology, we learn that groups are important for creating cohesion, collaboration, fostering change at the group level, and establishing group identity. Humans are social creatures and naturally create delineations to identify who belongs to a particular group and who doesn't. The sharing of resources and expenditure of energy are often undertaken for the advancement of the group, and it is typically undesirable to use those efforts on behalf of others that do not support/provide benefit for the group.

Labeling is a quick way for groups to tell each other apart, to know almost right away who is a friend and who is a foe, and to evaluate threat potential. More often than not, labels serve to "other" individuals/groups vs. being inclusive. We're more adept at pointing out what doesn't belong/what's different as a species than we are at looking for ways we are similar to others.

The power of groups to establish identity cannot be understated. We are taught the basics of who we are by family groups. Our perception of ourselves can be honed or eroded based on the groups we're accepted in just as much as those we are excluded or ostracized from.

According to McComie, how has the USA’s “appropriation” of the name America to define its national boundaries and citizenry complicated the issue of national identity in the Americas?

The USA's appropriation of the name, America, has created a distortion of reality that America refers solely to the United States and that anyone living outside of its borders is not American, despite living on a continent bearing the name. The people of South America are not "Americans." When we speak of America and Americans it is globally assumed that we mean the United States.

This act of appropriation creates a myopic, and often narcissistic view of America and what it means. It negates that fact that there are two continents bearing the name, full of diverse people, countries, and ideals. America positions itself as the default, the "shining beacon on the hill" as Obama famously said, and everyone and everything outside of those borders has no claim to "Americaness." No other people live the American experience; we've defined ourselves as the standard and we are not inclusive.

Most of us have innately bought into this idea as we have been exposed to this way of thinking all of our lives. We are aware that an entire continent exists to our south, but still believe we are the only ones living in America while our neighbors live in their respective countries. Consider the image below. Does it feel natural to see this, or strange/antithetical to what you've been taught or experienced?