Loyalty to a perceived identity can have innocuous and enriching components, such as, say, the promotion of a regional language. The problem with identity politics is that it places the “in” group at odds with the perceived “other” – an approach that can easily foster chauvinism, invidious discrimination, and open antagonism.
忠于观念身份（perceived identity）可以包括丰富的无害内容，比如推动地区语言。身份政治的问题在于它将“我”族和观念上的“他”族对立起来——这一方法很容易导致沙文主义、不公平歧视和公开对抗。