Once again you've put your finger on something that bothers me deeply, that I wasn't clear how to articulate. That implicit assumption of sameness and samemindedness, especially when coupled with an assumption of that being "right-mindedness." I bristle when people say "our group this," or the "the group, that," and I've always put my distaste for that into the assumption of group identity, but this is more accurate: it's the assumption of sameness within any sort of group. oooohhhh grrrrrrrr.

I have been part of many events which have been based on having and maintaining a sense of sameness, and preemptively squashing any potential for discussion about these values. The older I get the less comfortable I am with it.