When there is not much awareness about race, misconceptions are created to help people to identify with this group. How can these misconceptions further alienation/segregation?
I don't know if I agree with the premise at all.
Often humans look to create nice divisions : pretty, and not so
smart, and not so
poor, and not so
desirable, and no so
industrious, and not so.
Given two categories, it is easy to classify, and often other classifications tag along for the ride. Thus, we get this: When I was a child in the South, in the 40s, we learned...
That blacks were not white, were lazy, and dangerous.
That jews were different, money horders, and crooked.
That catholics were different, and strange, and not Christian, and cultish.
See how classifications lead to jointed classification, which lead to gross misrepresentations?
We still have that nonsense in Texas. I am a Bluedog Democrat, but in my area, they think of me as a communist.