People strongly self-select according to age, and if my FB feed is an indicator, they are not very shy about it, albeit humorously. Kids these days...
In social settings people select somewhat by sex, though this gets complicated by selection by marital status as well. It's not simple, but you can see it happening at parties, at work, in professions. Human beings group together by intelligence and education, and by religion, nationality, hobbies, and region of the country. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. I see it in my own choices. I may choose by race or ethnicity somewhat, but it's way down the list.
So, of course grouping according to race and to sex is going to be more pronounced at colleges. Human beings can't associate with everyone all at once and break off into groups, usually with soft edges, but identifiable. At college, they associate by field of study somewhat, or by other common activity such as band, theater, sports team, religious or political organisation. But most of the main dividing lines used in our society are not applicable on campus: a large percentage of people are 18-23, they have fairly similar intelligence and (obviously) very similar levels of education. Most are single, most of those are seeking some sort of romantic or sexual connection; they don't have a profession just yet; their hobbies may not be practicable on campus; the ebbs and flows of sexual and romantic energy complicates many interactions...
And we haven't even gotten to personality considerations and social skill.
Hyperawareness of race and sex are thus to be expected at college.
2 comments:
That hyperawareness is deliberately fostered in colleges, though, through institutional segregation (racially segregated dorms, study groups, etc.) and precept (required racial awareness classes, sexual harrassment classes). They also will be picking up on professors' hyperawareness of the race (and, depending on the discussion topic, the sex) of students in class discussions.
I'd be willing to bet that non-students of the same age are far less likely to self-segregate to the same degree.
Join the military and meet the broad swath of the American People. You'll find all kinds, or they will find you.
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