The seventh point is that when we belong to a majority identity (depending on the implicit boundary), this identity becomes normative and de facto subconscious. That is why, in the previous example, a person can articulate his/her argument on the exclusive basis of his/her minority identity, being oblivious to the fact that their majority identity (with a different boundary of reference) is equally present and real, especially for those who belong to a minority group from the perspective of that particular boundary of reference. The eighth point is that normative identities carry privileges. This is where power dynamics come into play. When a group is a majority, especially in more democratic societies, the majority normativity becomes the more or less implicit reference point, and actions are organized around that identity factor in a way that gives its members a privilege. For example, a carnivore in North America finds meat easily in restaurants; by contrast, a vegetarian, until recently, had a much more difficult time finding vegetarian choices on the menus of restaurants, or even vegetarian restaurants per se. When in the United States, the language for all interactions is assumed to be English, even though certain villages of Maine are majority French-speaking still, and many parts of California, for example, are majority Spanish-speaking. In both points seven and eight, it is always easy to notice when we are part of a minority group; the correlation is that our belonging to a majority group often becomes unconscious, unless a minority group reminds us of that majority status. There is thus an interdependence between those two dimensions of identity dynamic, and the more aware we become of it, the more the relation between minority and majority can become complementary and positive. The ninth point is that identity similarities tend to attract their respective members, and identity differences tend to divide their respective members, unless there is a history of tolerance and, better still, openness or even attraction to complementarity in these differences. When no such tolerance exists, constant identity tensions exist, transmitted from one generation to another. These tensions can easily turn into conflicts, especially when such identity factors are operationalized by one group or another, often for political and/or economic benefits for a third identity
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group (be it, for example, political ideology, economic social class, religious or linguistic identity group). On the other hand, when all persons in a given society and its numerous institutions foster the open recognition that differences are not only a normal reality of our human identity dynamics, but that openness and respect towards them are essential for social harmony and the greater possibilities of social justice too, then and only then can a society become more genuinely harmonious and peaceful. Yet that awareness of openness is not enough; members of a society must also realize the importance of practicing the greatest possible identity inclusion, especially in any decision-making process. The tenth point is that when identity differences are perceived as dangerous, the divisions follow with different degrees of exclusions. Such exclusions can easily lead to radicalization and violence, whether outer (as in the case of murder), inner (as in the case of suicide), or apathy (a subtle form of violence in that normal participation is suspended, leading to false results, as in the case, for example, of declining numbers of eligible voters, undermining the very nature of democracy and its desired values).
Five practical tools The understanding of the above ten key points in identity and power dynamics does not require a person to change his or her identity factors. It simply enables a person to begin to reformulate his or her identity in terms of potentially useful complementarity rather than wasteful opposition. This change in perception about oneself in relation to others around us is not enough, though. It requires putting into practice new behaviors. Here are five practical tools: The first tool is to emphasize face-to-face encounters; they are essential for human transformation. Indeed, literature in psychology confirms that true longterm understanding and transformation only comes from developing new kinds of friendships, beyond the ones that naturally occur in the environment in which we grow up. The second tool requires the effort to change the boundaries of reference in our daily activities, so as to realign identity dynamics in more inclusive ways.