ABSTRACT
TheheartofwhatIhavetosaysumsupthus:thecountryfirst, andthentheworld,faceproblemsofeffectiveandintelligent organizationandreorganizationonanever-wideningscale.Organizationforcedandcontrolledeithermerelyfromthetopor byanysinglegroupamonguswillinyourviewandminepollute theveryspringsofsignificanthumanliving.1Butgrass-rootsorganizationraisesproblemsofproducingenoughmutualunderstandingtokeepfactionfeelingfromdwarfingallsenseofthe whole,enoughmutualunderstandingtogettheurgesofour leadershipasofourcitizenryintosomethingofanautomatic balance,andtokeepthoseurgessobalanced.Ishalltrytoshow thatgroupprejudiceisthemostfundamentalhandicaporobstacle ortrapalongthatroad.Ishalltrytoshowalsothatwemisconceivegroupprejudicewhenwethinkofitasprimarilyaprejudice againstsomeoneormoreparticulargroups:asanti-Semitism,antiCatholicism,anti-Anything-in-particular.Itisinsteadatbottoma
prejudiceinfavorof"MyOwnGroup"asagainstallothers, "pro-us"prejudiceeternal,live,andwaiting,readytobefocused andintensifiedagainstAnyOtherGroup.Andthismakesthings lookverydifferent,onceyouseeit.ForIshalltrytoshowthat ourverywaysofgrowingupproducethisbasisanddriveforoverwhelminggroupprejudicesinalldirections,andthatourways oflivingonasadultsreinforcethoseprejudicesateveryturn.I shallthereforearguethatcorrectivemachinerymust,ifitisto beeffective,operateonamassscale,atrulypeople-widescale,as contrastedwiththede-prejudicingofanyfewandfavoredindividuals.Ishallarguethatsuchmeetingsasthisaredrop-in-thebucketstuff,iftheyjusthappenandpass,andthattheyareattheir verybestonlydrop-out-of-the-oilcanstuff-usefulasadropor threeofoilcanbeusefulorevenindispensableinasqueaking joint,butdoomedtobetemporaryandveryminorpalliativesunlessanduntilwecangetdowntocausesandtocureswhichboth reachtotherootandgotothemass.AndbecauseIfindonly short-rangevalueeitherinmerelyviewingwithalarmorin merelycryingoutforchangeofheart,Ishallproceed(sofaras Ihavebeenabletoget)tospeakofconcretemeasuresofrelief andcure.Themeasureswillhavefourcharacteristics:First,they willbemeasureswhichpromise,sofarasemployed,towork. Second,theywillbemeasureswhicharecapableofemployment inourhereandnow,andwithmeansandpersonnelwhichareat hand.Third,theywillbemeasureswhichcanbeputtoworkin thelittleaswellasinthelarge;whichdonotdependonany preliminarywide-scalepoliticalorsocialreform;whichopenfor immediateworkbyindividualsorbysmallergroupsaswellas byanation.Lastly,theywillbemeasuresalreadysufficientlyunder waytobemakingrealdentsontheproblems;thoughonlydents.
