That is right: the relative social status of being a part of the newfound “white male citizenry” proved to be more valuable and more important to many people than linking arms with the people who actually had more in common with them economically and socially. The invitation from the elite to participate in the relative psychological gain of white identity and social life outweighed the absolute realities with which these European men were living. The small advantage of white identity blurred the reasoning of these men.
