Relations between dominant and minority groups are complicated societal as well as a psychological issue. They rest on a wide range of external factors such as the perception of one’s power resource, self-image deriving from others’ perception, the historical presence of a group, and its endurance in society and many others.
Dominant and minority groups can emerge and last in any sphere of social life. What makes them exist is the identity, i.e., feeling similarity with and equality to other group members, whether it be racial, socioeconomic, or ethnic (cultural, national, and religious).
What is even more vital is the historical presence in society or inside the particular territory. That said, if a location was primarily inhabited by the people of one race, then the newcomers belonging to other races would inevitably become a minority because they do not have a strong presence and power resource. The same can be said about people of different religions, speaking different languages or belonging to different economic classes.
Belonging to a minority has numerous effects, both negative and positive. First of all, minority group members often feel unaccepted by society and prejudiced, that is why they have a negative self-image that may result in further deviant and defiant behavior, self-isolation and avoiding any social contacts, conflicts within and outside the group, etc. Moreover, the existence of minorities in society can lead to elevating hostility and conflicts between dominant and minority groups, segregation, adopting restrictive legislation, xenophobia, hate crimes, and so on just because people are meant to be different by nature.
However, I believe there is a robust positive outcome of belonging to a minority group. Being a social creature, human strives for being understood and accepted. Belonging to a minority group gives this sense of acceptance necessary to all human beings serving as some kind of safe haven.
What I believe should be remembered is that we all belong to a particular minority group even if we are not aware of it. Of course, race and ethnicity are visible criteria for becoming a minority but think about tastes in music, arts, sexual orientation, and many other spheres of life in which people differ. The latter is not for a lifetime, that is why they are ignored because tastes change and people are free to switch from one group to another, but the fact remains.
There are numerous instances of treating people who have different tastes differently. Recollect confrontation between the representatives of subcultures, for example, that of skinheads against emos, punks, and goths that was characterized by excess violence and bullying. What I want to say is that I think it can be equated to prejudice and discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities. The only challenge here is that somehow people belonging to a dominant group fail to draw this line between being born the other way or choosing to be the other way.
I do not want to say that there is any justifiable excuse for discrimination or prejudice because I believe that we all are born equal and have the right to self-expression and living the way we think is right for ourselves. But if there were any legal excuses for discrimination, why treat differently or worse those who did not choose how they look like, the family they were born in, or the upbringing they were given?