In-Group Variegation Bias

By Deane Barker

It’s assumed that members of your side have complex nuanced reasoning for their positions, while members of the other side all have the same reasons for their opposition. We assigned noble, sophisticated arguments to members of our team, while projecting the idea of a group of lemmings, marching in lockstep onto the other team.

Examples

“All Republicans are the same. They’re all just obsessed with money and hate the poor.”

“All Democrats are the same. They just want free handouts.”

“Cancel culture” often exhibits some type of variegation bias. When someone on the “other” side does something objectively bad (ex: exhibits racism or sexism) we claim that this is evidence of an ingrained, unchangeable personality trait and they should therefore be “canceled.” But when someone on “our” side does the same thing, we seek to explain the nuanced reasons behind their actions.

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