>Social proximity, as you claim, undoubtedly plays a role in that
>attribution, but I would also emphasize the power structure: members of
>dominant groups are always portrayed as individuals. Thus, Millikens may
>be socially distant to most US-ers, but they are members of the ruling
>elite - so their crrimina behavior is alsways individual aberration, never
>an example of the rule.
I would suggest that this is because, rhetoric notwithstanding, social distance isn't ever really measured from us, but always from the ruling elite itself. It *should* be measured from us, the majority -- but it never is. Whence also the US media never asking more than a few nominally hard questions about, oh, NAFTA or stupifyingly large salaries, or any of the other things that benefit the r.e. at our expense -- those things are givens, the norm!
>Our wonderful educational system actively contributes to that stereotyping
>- just look at the graduation ceremonies, who is recognized individually,
>and who is recorgnized collectively.
Woody Allen said it best: 'no matter how cynical I get, it's never enough!'