The Omaha guide., 1946-03-30
OUR
GUEST
Column
Edited BY VernG p. Harris
"A NATION OF
MNORITIES
(by Elmo Roper
Research Director. Fortune
Survey of Public Opinion

survey OF FuDnc OpInIon
The story of anti-minOrity
sentiment today is the story
of divide and Be Conquer
ed" Amy nation which in
dulges itself in selecting min
critics for Ostracism or per-
secutiOn in any form will he
conquered from within;
conquered in the sense thai
it, capacity 10 be internally
Strong, self reliant and prod
uctive will be destroyed.
With all of its well-known
weaknesses, human nature is
so constructed that no major
lily group of people can elm
inate a minority or deprive
one of its normal rights with
out serious impairment to the
fibre of the MAJORITY's
character.
Bad as are the effects of
minority persecution in any
form on the members of the
minority. they are less SER
lOus TO the long-term national
good than are the effects of
anli-minOrity sentiments on
those who hold them. These
i'll effects on the majority
would be serious even if we
were considering a hypothet-
ical case which involved blu:
one majority and one minor
ity.
But in America We do not
have SO simple a situation as
one majority and one min
ority-WE ARE A NATION
OF MINORITIES. The coun-
tries of Europe, Asia an6
Africa have furnished ina
tiOnal'' minOrities- English.
German, Polish. Scandinav-
ian, etc. Almost all Of the re
ligiOus PHILOSOPHERS which
have come into being during
the ages have furnished US
with religious minOrities -
Catholics, MefhOdists. Unitar-
ians, Quakers, etc. Difference
es in material wealth have
made minorities out of both
the very rich and the very
poor. Southern Baptists are
a smaller minority than Cath
Olics. Jews are a larger min
Ority than Lutheranse. Epis-
cOpalians are a smaller min
0rity than are trade union
members, Negroes are larger
minority than MethOdists.
The Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution are a smaller
minority than the American
Legion.
So "anti-minOrity senti-
ment'' in this country means
the antipathy of one or more
minorities for one or more
different minOrities. "A dang
erOusly cOmbustible frame
work in which TO start a con-
flagratiOn Of hatred! For We
now know that antipathy TO-
wards minOrities is cOntag-
iOus within the INDIVIDUAL.
Dislike for one minority
breeds dislike for another.
The largest Of the hate or
ganizatiOns-the ku kIux
Khan capitalized on this
fact with its three-way cam
paign against Catholics. Ne
groes and Jews.
Truly the function. though
not the purpose, of anti
minority sentiment is Divide
and Be Conquered That
minority which is today a
part of a coalition of minorit-
les which make up a temper
AIRY majority may well tomor-
row be the prosecuted minor
itv.
What are the sources of
anfi-this and anti-that sentI-
ment? We must look deep
for the causes and. regardless
of how much or how little
members of the minority
may thefselves contribute to
the dislike for it, We must
look within the mind of the
pOssessOr of anti-minOrity
sentiment for much of the
answer.
1t IS likely that We will find
a THE core of such sentiment
some kind of fear, however
vaguely defined: fear of the
minOrity's power or size or
intentions or purposes or al
legIances- or sOmethingi
And it i likely that we will
often find that this fear is
produced by misinfOrmatiOn
Clearly then, n way to COM
bat anti-minOrity sentiment is
to actively provide as much
correct information abouf
each minority as possible.
It's easy to hate someone you
don't know or to fear some