ABSTRACT
Making comparisons is a natural human activity. From antiquity to the present, generations of humans have sought to understand and explain the similarities and differences they perceive between themselves and others. Though historically the discovery of new peoples was often the product of a desire to conquer them, the need to understand the similarities and differences between the conquerors and the conquered was none the less strong. Citizens in all countries around the world continue to compare their position in society to that of others across many different dimensions: (1) their regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious, familial, and cultural allegiances and identities; (2) their material possessions, economic, social, and political positions; and (3) their relative location in systems of power and authority. One need only observe the dramatic changes that have taken place across the Middle East and North Africa since late 2010 to see the many differences and similarities in the kinds of things that ordinary people can become highly motivated to change. Privately, individuals grow up worried about their types of fashion, circle of friends, collections of music, appearance and behaviour of their partners, money earned by their parents, universities they attend, and careers they may achieve. These concerns are a function of baseline criteria and standards (however determined) against which they compare their own set of choices, circumstances, and achievements.
