Overlapping social difference refers to the situation when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities. For example, the difference between the Blacks and Whites in the US is overlapping because the Blacks tend to be poor, homeless and discriminated against. These overlapping differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and tensions. On the other hand, cross-cutting social differences are easier to accommodate. For example, in Netherlands, class and religion tend to cut across each other. Catholics and Protestants are about equally likely to be rich or poor. So there are no conflicts between the two communities there.