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Key points
- Systems of both power and privilege shape everyone's life experiences.
- Social and contextual factors influence cognitive processing.
- The more effort it takes to authentically express your own identity, the higher the cognitive load.
What Is the Coconut Tree?
“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live, and what came before you.”
You may have heard the words of 2024 Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris meme-d across your social media pages and discussed at length by talking heads on the news. But what do they really mean?
Referencing theories of identity, social group interactions, and systemic injustice, Harris described to Hispanic and Latino Americans how historically underserved youth today must face the compound effects of today’s challenges and the consequences of histories of systemic oppression and violence. For instance, research finds that systematically devalued and oppressed social groups, such as racial and gender minorities, may face stereotypes and discrimination when entering spaces that were originally created for the privileged few.
But what may be less obvious is the ways our privilege influences our lived experiences.
This means that, though all women may experience gendered discrimination at some point in their lives, other identities such as social class, age, education status, and skin tone may introduce forms of discrimination that fall into the margins of awareness. These intersecting factors of class and privilege shape everyone’s identity and behavior.
Oppression and Privilege in the Real World
Take Vice President Harris, for example. A California native and graduate of the Historically Black Howard University, Harris’ experiences navigating higher education and politics as a woman of color have culminated in a record-breaking presidential campaign. But, despite her education and vast experience, Harris continues to face attacks on her suitability for the presidential role due to her racial and gender background from politicians, newscasters, and voters across the political spectrum. Indeed, just last week, Presidential Candidate Trump questioned Harris’ authenticity as a multi-racial Black and Indian woman to a stage of Black journalists.
Such discrimination not only invalidates the journeys of those with intersectional identities but also moves the goalposts for success for all.
But the coconut tree doesn’t just focus on historically marginalized and systemically disadvantaged populations. People with identities that are typically seen as “privileged” are also the product of their situation.
All social groups that are largely represented in positions of power and wealthy occupations (e.g., white, males, wealthy, highly educated, from Western countries, heterosexual) may be unconsciously primed to expect that these demographics are normal. This proliferates a harmful cycle where individuals who do not fit one or more of these prototypical identities may face challenges assimilating and entering these spaces.
The Privilege of Cognitive Freedom
Based on one's social identity, some individuals have the freedom to think, while others are burdened by expectations of failure and harmful social stereotypes.
Cognitive load represents how easy it is to speak in different environments. The more effort it takes to socialize, work, and authentically express your own identity, the higher the cognitive load. Cognitive fluency, on the other hand, suggests ease at communication and behavior, where one can be confident that their authentic self and feelings will be accepted and valued by others. While people with marginalized identities may experience greater cognitive load, those with privileged identities do not and, in result, may find it easier to navigate environments of power and privilege.
So what causes high cognitive load versus cognitive fluency? Well, in the words of Harris, the coconut tree, and the contexts of those that came before you.
If you’re lucky, your culture, lifetime of experiences, religion, beliefs, and visible social identity match those that are often found in positions and contexts of power. You just get inside jokes, pick up on unspoken social cues, and have more in common with your coworkers and bosses. History may be filled with people who look like you, have the same education, have the same mobility status as you do, and/or know the same kinds of people that you do. These factors fluctuate by the situation, such as being around family versus being in the workplace. Similar fluctuations in cognitive fluency mean that you likely feel like you can be your true self across multiple situations. You feel at ease, more autonomous and agentic, and happier, and you’re more likely to seek out these spaces.
But sometimes you don’t understand an inside joke about sports, or miss the importance of a religious holiday, or don’t share the same background of vacationing across the country when you were younger. These small social faux pas may conflate with visible representations of one’s historically devalued identity, such as skin tone, hair texture, or behaviors and vocal tones that represent one’s cultural affiliation. If this is the case, one may go out of their way to prevent potential identity-based threats, such as spending many hours and cognitive processing energy on assimilating into a different culture.
Society as the Coconut Tree
The interplay between social identity and social contexts is among the most important factors for predicting behavior and how we interact with others. Unfortunately, social hierarchies and societal norms that privilege certain identities over others have created systems of power and privilege that are difficult to escape from. Indeed, you did not just fall out of the coconut tree. You exist in the context of those that came before you.
And if the United States is lucky, we are not going back.
