Democracy and Diversity

STORY OF MEXICO OLYMPICS

In 1968, Olympics held at Mexico city, in the medal ceremony of 200m race, where gold and bronze medals were won
by the Tommie Smith & John Carlos (AFRICAN AMERICANS) & the silver was bagged by the white Australian athelete,
Peter Norman.
In the ceremony Tommie Smith & John Carlos (African- Americans) stood on the dice with black gloved clenched fists
upraised & heads bowed while the American anthem was played. They received their medals wearing black socks & no
shoes to represent BLACK POVERTY. The silver medalist, white Australian athelete, Peter Norman, wore human rights
badge on his shirt to show his support to the two Americans.
Q. Why did Tommie & Smith wear black socks & no shoes?
--To represent Black poverty.
Q. What did their clenched fists &black gloves represent?
--They meant to symbolize the Black Power.
Q. What did the two players intend to do with this kind of gesture?
They wanted to draw the international attention to racial discrimination in the United states.

So to fight this racial discrimination Martin Luther King Jr started a movement in United state of
America, that movement was called Civil Right Movement. This movement practiced non-violent methods of civil
disobedience against racially discriminatory laws and practices.

The Black Power Movement - It was an anti-racist movement advocating violence to end racism
in the USA

Q. What was the result of their action?

a) The International Olympics Association held Carlos & Smith guilty of violating the Olympic spirit by making a political
statement.
b) their medals were taken back.
c) back home they were subjected to lot of criticism.
d) Norman too suffered for his action & was not included in the Australian team in the next Olympics.
e) but their action did succeed in getting international attention for the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

ORIGINS OF SOCIAL DIFFERENCES

Social difference means difference in people due to difference in their race, religion, language or culture.

Social differences can take different forms in different societies. Social differences can be both accidental or
by choice.
1. Social differences based on accident of birth.
A person doesnt choose his community where he should be born. He just happens to be born in a particular
community. People are tall, short, dark or fair, male female, more by accident and not by their own choice. We
cannot choose which culture or family to be born in and as male or female. It is by birth that a person belongs
to a certain community.

2. Social differences based on our choices.

For example, some people are atheiststhey do not believe in God or any religion, some choose to follow
religion other than in which they were born; Some choose what to study and what occupation to take up and
which game to play or which cultural activities to take part in. All these lead to formation of groups of our
choices.
Every social difference does not lead to social division. Explain
(a)Social differences divide similar people from one another but, they also unite very different people.
(b)People belonging to different social groups share differences and similarities cutting across the boundaries
of their groups. Eg. Carlos & Smith joined hands because as they both were similar but Peter supported them
as they were athletes.
we all have more than one identity and can belong to more than one group. Explain

We can say so because the same person can be the member of more than one group. For eg- The same person
can be member of football team whereas the same person can be a member of doctors group. So when the
same person play football ,he or she carry the identity of a footballer and when the same person remains in
the team of doctors ,he or she carry the identity of a doctor. So the same person is caring more than one
identity.

E.g - It is common for people belonging to the same religion feel that they do not belong to the same
community because their caste or sect is different. It is also possible for the people from different religions to
have same caste and feel close to each other.
--Rich & poor persons from the same family often do not have close relations with each other for they feel
they are very different.

When a Social Difference Becomes A Social Division:

A social difference means the difference in a group or people due to their race, religion, language or culture. It
becomes a social division when a social differences is joined by another set of social differences. When two or
more social differences join together, it turns into a social division. This creates a divide in the people making
them feel that they belong to different communities.
Where does it happen?
Social divisions happen due to various social differences based on race, religion, culture or language. It
depends on the social diversity of the population of a country. A small country like Belgium is very diverse
since it has Dutch, French and German speakers in its population. Sri Lanka is also diverse in respect of religion
and language. Therefore it is wrong to say that social divisions happen only in big countries.

OVERLAPPING & CROSS-CUTTING DIFFERENCES.

OVERLAPPING DIFFERENCES
1. Overlapping differences happen when one type of social difference is joined and further reinforced by another set of
social differences. It leads to further division in the society due to multiple social differences.
2. Examplea)difference between Black & White in the US becomes a social division because they tend to be
poor & landless, and often face injustice & discrimination.
b) In our country Dalits tend to be poor & landless and often face injustice & discrimination.
3. Overlapping differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and tensions.
CROSS-CUTTING DIFFERENCES
1. Cross cutting differences happen when one type of social difference is weakened by another set of social difference.
Then it becomes difficult to group people into a single category because they are going to have different opinions and
views on different matters and issues. On some matters there might be an agreement and on some a disagreement.
2. Example The Dalits of Bihar and U.P are very poor where as the dalits of Rajesh than is well to-do people.
So if I have to make a group of dalits of Bihar ,U.P and Rajasthan to discuss certain issue related to poverty,
then even though being dalit the point of view of dalit of Rajasthan would be different from the point of view
of dalits of other states. It would be so because the dalits of Rajasthan are not poor so they might dont know
the problem faced by poor dalit.
3. Cross-cut social differences are easier to accommodate.

Homogeneous society:

A society that has similarkinds of people without caste, religion, race, economic ethnicdifferences.

Heterogeneous Society

A society which has different kinds of people such as many caste, religion, race, ethnicity, economic status
POLITICS OF SOCIAL DIVISIONS
Q. How do social divisions affect politics?
The combination of politics & social divisions is very explosive and dangerous.
a) Democracy involves competition among various political parties. Their competitions tend to divide society.
if they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions , they can make social divisions into political
divisions and lead to conflict , violence or even disintegration of a country.
b) Social divisions affect voting in most countries. People from one community tend to prefer one party more
than others.
The combination of politics & social divisions (negative example)
1. As in the case of Northern Ireland, this region of UK has been for many years a sight of violence& bitter
ethno- political conflict.
--Its population is divided into in to two major sects of Christianity: 53%--Protestants & 44%--Catholics.
--Catholics are represented by the Nationalist parties, who wanted Northern Ireland to be united with the
Republic of Ireland, predominantly catholic.
--Protestants are represented by the Unionist who wanted to remain with UK.
--hundreds of civilians and militants were killed in the fight of political parties till 1998, the UK govt. & the
Nationalists reached a peace treaty after which the latter suspended the armed struggle.
2. In Yugoslavia the political competition along religious and ethnic lines led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia
into six independent countries.
such examples lead some people to think that politics & social divisions should not be allowed to mix; if social
divisions exists in a country they must never be expressed in politics.
The combination of politics & social divisions (Positive example)
(a) In many countries there are parties which focus only on one community. Yet all this does not always lead to
disintegration. Every expression of social division in politics does not lead to disasters. Social divisions of some
or the other kind do exist in every society of the world and are reflected in politics.
1. In a democracy it is only natural that political parties would talk about social divisions.

2. Political Parties make different promises to different communities.

3. Political Parties look after due representation of various communities and make policies to redress the
grievances of the disadvantaged communities.
 Three factors that determine outcome of politics of social divisions.

1. Peoples Perception: First outcome depends on how people perceive their identities. If people see their identities
in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate them in a society.
However, If the people see that their identities are multiple and
are complementary with the national identity. In such a case, politics in social division is not destructive. Rather,
it helps to represent the weaker social groups in the political system.
2. Political Leaders way of using the Social Divisions: Second outcome depends on how political leaders raise the
demands of any community. If the process is peaceful and the demands are raised without undermining the
demands of other communities, there is no potential danger. However, if the demands of one community are
raised at the cost of any other community, it can lead to conflicts in the society.
3. Governments Reaction to Such Demands: Third outcome depends on how the government reacts to demands of
different groups. If the rulers are willing to share power and accommodate the reasonable demands of minority
community, social divisions become less threatening for the country.

Q. ARE SOCIAL DIVISIONS, DANGEROUS OR NORMAL & HEALTHY?

In a democracy political expression of the social divisions is very normal and can be healthy as well.
--It allows various disadvantaged and marginal social groups to express their grievances and get govt. to
attend to these.
--The expression of various kinds of social divisions in politics often result in cancelling one another out and
thus reducing their intensity. This leads to strengthening of a democracy.
--People who feel marginalized, deprived and discriminated have to fight against the injustices and such fights
often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful & constitutional manner and seeking a
fair position through the elections.
--sometimes these social differences can take a form of the unacceptable level of social inequality and
injustice. The struggle against such inequalities sometimes take the path of violence and defiance(open
resistance; bold disobedience) of state power.

NCERT Solutions
1. Discuss three factors that determine the outcomes of politics of social divisions.
Answer:-Three factors which determine the outcomes of politics of social divisions:
The people's perception of their identities: When this is singular, the accommodation of other identities
becomes difficult.
 Representation of a community by political leaders: While representing a community, if politicians raise
demands that are constitutional, then it is easier to accommodate those demands.
The government's reaction: If the reasonable demands of a community are suppressed by the government,
then it leads to social divisions, which in turn threaten the integrity of the country.

2. When does a social difference become a social division?

Answer:-A social difference becomes a social division when it overlaps with some other social difference. For
example, the Whites were rich and powerful and the Blacks were poor and homeless and discriminated against.
When one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other, then it leads to division.

3. How do social divisions affect politics? Give two examples.

Answer:-In politics, there is competition between political parties. If these political parties use this
competition in support of some social divisions, it can lead to political divisions. This can lead
to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country.
One example is of Northern Ireland where religious divisions led to ethno-political conflict. Two major sects
of Christianity : 53% Protestants and 44% Catholics dominate the country. The Catholics wanted Northern
Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland and the Protestants wanted to remain with UK. This led to years of
violence where thousands were killed. Only in 1998, peace returned when the UK government and the
Nationalists reached a peace treaty and stopped all violence.
The second example is of Yugoslavia where the political parties refused to accommodate each other. Each
ethno-religious group wanted to dominate the other. Result disintegration of Yugoslavia into seven
independent countries.

4. ________________ social differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and tensions.
________________ social differences do not usually lead to conflicts.

Answer:-Overlapping social differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and tensions.
Cross cutting social differences do not usually lead to conflicts.

5. In dealing with social divisions which one of the following statements is NOT correct about
democracy?
(a) Due to political competition in a democracy, social divisions get reflected in politics.
(b) In a democracy it is possible for communities to voice their grievances in a peaceful manner.
(c) Democracy is the best way to accommodate social diversity.
(d) Democracy always leads to disintegration of society on the basis of social divisions.
Answer:-(d) Democracy always leads to disintegration of society on the basis of social divisions.
6. Consider the following three statements.
A. Social divisions take place when social differences overlap.
B. It is possible that a person can have multiple identities.
C. Social divisions exist in only big countries like India.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
(a) A, B and C (b) A and B (c) B and C (d) Only C
Answer:-(b) A and B

7. Arrange the following statements in a logical sequence and select the right answers by using the code
given below.
A. But all political expression of social divisions need not be always dangerous.
B. Social divisions of one kind or the other exist in most countries.
C. Parties try to win political support by appealing to social divisions.
D. Some social differences may result in social divisions.
(a) D, B, C, A (b) D, B, A, C (c) D, A, C, B (d) A, B, C, D
Answer:-(a) D, B, C, A

8. Among the following, which country suffered disintegration due to political fights on the basis of
religious and ethnic identities?
(a) Belgium (b) India (c) Yugoslavia (d) Netherlands
Answer:-(c) Yugoslavia

9. Read the following passage from a famous speech by Martin Luther king Jr. in 1963. Which social
division is he talking about? What are his aspirations and anxieties? Do you see a relationship between
this speech and the incident in Mexico Olympics mentioned in this chapter?

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
colour of their skin but by the content of their character. Let freedom ring - when we let it ring from every
village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's
children - back men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands
and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at
last!' I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'we hold
these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal'."
Answer
There is mention of racial discrimination in the speech of Martine Luther King Jr in USA. He is referring to the
segregation policies adopted by the Whites towards the Coloured people. He aspires for a country where there
will be security for all; where racial abuse will not occur; and where everyone will be treated as equal
irrespective of the colour of their skin. This speech and the incident at the Mexico Olympics are both part of a
movement that wanted to highlight the plight of the African-American people.