It has become all too clear that, far and above any other entity or idea, the Democratic Party has caused the most harm to race relations in America.

The most prominent example of that harm comes in the infatuated focus of that party on race-based groups and racial classifications.

I truly understand the underlying ideology behind the concepts of programs of inclusion, racial classifications and race-based groups. It is widely held that such inclusion helps to foster cohesion among group members, which in turn builds confidence and fosters positive illusions and helps to build individual self-esteem.

But the key word here is “individual.” Once individuals come together in a formal group, the group takes on its own, very complex, set of dynamics.

Forget about individual self-esteem. The “group” acquires a separate self-esteem. And it’s a self-esteem that must be fed. The group also takes on a separate set of “positive illusions,” which, without very strict monitoring, can spiral out of control.

We know that we all posses a similarity-attraction effect which causes us to favor being around people who are more like ourselves. This allows us to feel good about ourselves (“He’s cool. He’s like me. So I must be cool too”).

In contrast, we feel uncomfortable around people who are not like us because it calls into question our own validity (“He’s smart, but he’s not like me. So I must not be smart”).

We have learned that “diversity” encourages contact and fosters learning among ethnicities. But research shows that that contact can also foster negative perceptions, which can increase conflict and reinforce negative stereotypes.

I propose that the two can and do happen simultaneously. The (positive) learning aspect happens at the individual level, while the (negative) stereotyping often happens at the group level.

These involve deeply ingrained biases that make us human. While we have plenty of opportunities to keep these biases in check as individuals, it is much more difficult at the group level.

The problem is that when a group “over focuses” on identity alone, group members acquire overly high levels of cohesion. When group cohesion becomes too high, members tend to over-inflate their own ego. Not their individual egos, but the separate, newly formed, but very real “group ego.”

I propose that it is the over-inflated group ego of many race-based groups that fuels the focus on common identity.

Supporters of race-based groups conveniently sidestep the idea that overly high group cohesion can foster discriminatory practices.

As an example, when Rep. Stephen L. Cohen, D-Tenn., was elected to a district that is over 60 percent black, taking over the seat from former House member Harold Ford, Cohen (who is white) asked to join the Congressional Black Caucus. His request was denied.

When questioned about denying Cohen’s membership, Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Cheeks, D-Miss., replied, “It’s time to move on. It’s an unwritten rule. It’s understood. It’s clear.”

Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, circulated a memo telling fellow members that it was “critical” that the group remain “exclusively African-American.”

Because of the inherent flaws of group dynamics, I have come to believe that “racism” is one the biggest hoaxes ever to be levied on modern American society. Much of the reason why it is perceived as such a prominent issue today is because of race-based groups. Their very existence encourages the use of overly high group cohesion to create divisions between themselves and non-members.

Mutual learning and social acceptance may best be accomplished at the individual level, and I would predict that we all have evidence of this in our own work and social lives. Attempting to accomplish the same at the group level is much less predictable.

It is the undying effort of the Democratic Party to keep us separated into groups based solely on our ethnicity. I propose that this forces many to focus primarily on their racial and ethnic classification, making individual learning much more difficult.

As such, I can no longer look to the Democratic Party for a viable candidate.

Keith Pounds is of English and Choctaw Indian heritage. He holds an M.B.A. with a concentration in organizational psychology. He is the author of the book “A Concise Encyclopedia of the Choctaw Indians” and the soon-to-be-released “The Psychology of Management.”

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