"Affinity Groups"

[ergative]

You realize you're taking away all their reasons to complain...

M.

I think for most  people, it's just odd to think of joining a group based primarily on identity rather than interests. For instance an "old white men"  group seems pretty pointless, whereas a group for "Star Wars fans", on "fans of acapella music", or whatever is much more appealing, regardless of who else is in the group.

External physical characteristics are basically irrelevant unless you're maybe doing some sort of art project where you want a certain kind of crowd appearance.

"Affinity groups" based on the last digit of one's phone number would be easy to define, but will likely attract absolutely zero members.

I think the existence of these affinity groups shows that there are some people who do not find it odd.

But I acknowledge that perhaps old white men find it odd. Perhaps that is why 'old white men' affinity groups are not really a thing, as you point out. (insert lazy joke about congress here.) Is that a reason for them not to exist? Because old white men think they're odd?

[dismalist]

There is indeed nothing wrong with social clubs. Have been around forever and the early English political clubs sure moved politics. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2638221

Social clubs must of course be able to determine their own membership, who is let in, and who must stay out.

Can an old White man's club devoted to, say, model railroading, be allowed to exclude Black men?

If not, why not?

Illegal, one should observe. But one can use correlates of race to do so. That's statistical discrimination, some of which is legal.

Am sure identity oriented affinity groups will behave that way.

I got no problem with any of this. Anybody want an identity war -- different from a class war -- can and will have one.

Me, I prefer the class war (on utilitarian grounds)! :-)

[mahagonny]

'When you're a jet you're a jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying' day.'

[dismalist]

'When you're a jet you're a jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying' day.'

Lovely memory of a real situation, but of false consciousness. :-)

[Wahoo Redux]

'When you're a jet you're a jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying' day.'

'Well, they began it!'
'Well, they began it!'
'And we're the ones to stop'em once and for all.  Tonight!'

[marshwiggle]

I think the existence of these affinity groups shows that there are some people who do not find it odd.

But I acknowledge that perhaps old white men find it odd. Perhaps that is why 'old white men' affinity groups are not really a thing, as you point out. (insert lazy joke about congress here.) Is that a reason for them not to exist? Because old white men think they're odd?

Congress is a good illustration of the point. I don't walk into a group of exclusively old white men and go, "Here's my tribe!" I'm more likely expecting to be pretty bored. If you go to an event for people who appreciate Bach, the most interesting people to talk to will be the teenager in a hoodie with tats. How has he come across Bach? Or perhaps the fresh-off-the-boat woman from an obviously non-European country. What's her connection to Bach?

In principle, instead of "generic" forums like this one, there could be individual forums for STEM, humanities, professional programs, etc. or they could even be for specific disciplines. The discussions would be able to be much more focussed, but I'd bet they wouldn't be very popular. What makes a group interesting is the real diversity in it. The differences in thought, perspective, opinion, etc. are what engage people. Even on here, the discussions with the most posts and views are those that get the biggest range of ideas expressed.

So I submit that if it appears that a group of "old white men" is an affinity group, it's probably more on the basis of unspoken commonalities so it's really a group of "rich old white men" or "old white men who golf" or something. The purely identitarian parts aren't what makes it work.

[mahagonny]

If anyone proposed a white people's affinity group on campus they would ride you out of town on a rail. Today, 'white people's group' is only permissible when they are confessing their privilege or discussing how they may learn to be allies in 'antiracism.' If these purposes were not identified it would be assumed to be a white supremacy meeting.
Try wearing a white pride T-shirt to campus and see what happens. I guarantee we'll read about you on the news.

[newprofwife]

Affinity groups are a place to vent and discuss issues that are important to certain groups (women in the workplace, first gen, POC, etc.). However, we also have social and professional development events. I attend affinity groups mainly for that. Also keep in mind that some POC folx also dislike affinity groups and don't want to join affinity groups and we respect that as well.

I do think that there should be affinity groups that welcome all faculty/staff who want to hang out together and promote networking. I realize that some faculty don't want to socialize at all. At my previous institution, we had a dining hall for only faculty and staff and it was a great place to just go hang out with staff/faculty and network. My current institution doesn't have that. 

The reality is that we all need to network with everyone. My greatest mentor looked nothing like me (old white dude) so I personally feel that we need to provide professional development and advancement where folx get to network with everyone and people can certainly find mentors who look nothing like them.