Ethnic succession, what Max Herman describes as “the process by which one racial/ethnic group displaces another… from an established residential, occupational, or political niche,” tends to be a hostile undertaking for both the displacers and the displaced (462). While there have been instances of relatively gradual and peaceful demographic transitions, most ethnic successions follow periods of severe conflict between competing groups. Herman notes that skin color, the rate of change, and the cultural identities of the people in question play significant roles in the ecological outcome. In other words, he claims too much difference incurred too quickly will likely lead to serious tension amongst rival groups.
In the excerpts from Anbinder we see these themes confirmed. He cites intolerance of racial, ethnic, and religious difference as major contributing factors of The Five Points Race Riot of 1834. Additionally, the tensions between the Bowery gang and the city workers of most Irish-American descent are noted as stemming from religious and ethnic roots, as well as from competition between the groups caused by a lack of resources, in this particular case manifesting as the limited availability of jobs.
I think the relationship between intolerance of any kind and the instinct towards self-preservation is a complex one. For many people, survival justifies a spectrum of intolerance towards people who fall outside their own community ranging from mere indifference to outward hatred or distrust to violent attacks. Some people are only concerned with their individual well-being, most care about those within their nuclear family, but many people also have allegiances to a variety of groups ranging in nature from religious, political, social, etc. Conversely, overt difference allows us to dissociate from all of the commonalities among us. In other words, we more readily look at those who are outside our common circles as Others, which makes it easier in turn to reject a sense of empathy for them.
–Sophia Curran
