Conference shines light on prejudice

As a topic of much public display and discussion in recent years, Utah's religious divide is but one manifestation of a power struggle that plays out nationally and globally between people who perceive themselves as "the chosen" or "in" group and those who are or perceive themselves in the "out" group.

And while many agree such tribalism is unacceptable, "there are certain things we agree we should do but we don't do — like treat people with dignity."

That's according to Stewart Twemlow, one of nearly 20 panelists and speakers during the opening day of the International Conference on Prejudice and Conflict, which runs through Sunday at the Little America Hotel downtown. As a psychiatrist who puts entire communities — rather than individuals — on the couch for analysis, Twemlow is director of the Peaceful Schools and Communities Project at the Baylor College of Medicine.

He said determining why "people don't do what they know they should do," particularly when it comes to forming reasons to discriminate, is at the heart of examining prejudice of all kinds. Three underlying needs are present in all people, whether they are part of the "in" group or not, he said. They are:

• Everyone is looking for a reliable, dependable relationship.

• Everyone needs to know how to fit in a way that will help them preserve themselves.

• Everyone has to have hope that there is a future for their particular group or organization.

In work with numerous schools trying to eliminate bullying — which is simply a sadistic form of prejudice — Twemlow said punitive measures of any kind don't work. The most effective way is to "enhance benign, altruistic leadership" by seeking out students, teachers or volunteers that are able to turn the tide of what is acceptable not because they seek power or status, but simply because they believe it's the right thing to do and are committed to doing it.

"We call them natural leaders. They are not those who volunteer," but are people with qualities who can foster a climate within a community that embodies the three underlying needs all people have, he said. In such school settings with natural leadership, Twemlow said, racial prejudice decreased dramatically.

The same is possible in larger communities, he added.

Alexander Morrison, executive director of the local Alliance for Unity and an emeritus general authority of the LDS Church, said Utah's religious divide is not really about religion, but about power and who wields it. While public discussion of painful issues is often helpful, "I fear that such a single-minded, almost obsessive focus (on divisions) soon becomes not only self-indulgent carping and complaining but ultimately evolves into a self-fulfilling prophecy.