Every act of imitation within a group simultaneously distinguishes that group from outsiders

Evidence

Imitation is required for attaining normal status within a group, but there is an additional requirement: we must affirm our differences from rival groups. Anthropologist Ruth Benedict notes, “One of the earliest of human distinctions [is] the difference in kind between ‘my own’ closed group and the outsider.” British upper-class terms of condemnation have included “NLU” (not like us) and “NLO” (not like one). Conventional differences are critical for group demarcation, and groups emphasize the distinct conventions that draw these clear lines. In the words of the anthropologist Mary Douglas, imitation creates “bridges” to compatriots, while distinction raises “fences” to keep out rivals. But where differences occur, every meaningful act of imitation also functions as distinction. Every bridge serves as a fence. In the musical Grease the girl gang the Pink Ladies wear matching pink satin jackets as a bridge to one another, but in doing so, raise a fence with other students. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 168

Categorization

• APHORISMS: “Every bridge serves as a fence” — a concise, generalizable observation about how group belonging and exclusion always come together.
• XREF: connects to: Group identities are invariably reinforced by reference to outsiders — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 356; Group identity is constructed by designating outsiders as others; Imitation and distinction operate as complementary forces rather than opposites — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 165 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Group identities are invariably reinforced by reference to outsiders #expands (0.85) — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 356
• Group identity is constructed by designating outsiders as others #expands (0.78)
• Unwanted imitation by outsiders drives groups to abandon contaminated conventions #complicates (0.75) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 132
• Identification with one’s group is strongest when both ingroup and outgroup are made salient #expands (0.74) — Brandon Randolph-Seng, Darcy A. Reich, and Kenneth G. DeMarree, On the Nonconscious Antecedents of…, 23
• Imitation and distinction operate as complementary forces rather than opposites #qualifies (0.72) — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 165