Tribalism Part 1: True Division
Key Terms
Tribalism: Behavior and attitudes that are based on strong loyalty to a tribe (or tribes) that determine how we divide and unify ourselves as human beings.
Paradigm: The frame through which individuals view and experience the world. Usually constructed by conceptual world-views, trusted methods, and formal theories.
Abraham Maslow: An American Psychologist (1908-1970) who created a psychological theory known as "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs."
Bo Brusco | May 23, 2020
Ah man, truth. Where to begin? Plato thought it was universal and existed in the metaphysical world. Aristotle believed it was only found in the observable physical world. Protagoras argued that it is all relative to perspective. Nowadays, I lean a bit more towards his relative version of truth. And considering the major discord among ourselves as Americans, it seems we’re all on that same page. That might be the one thing we have left in common: everyone else is wrong. Our selves and our tribes are the only possessors of true truth.
To be more specific, I’m talking about the major political divide in America. It’s like “The Land of the Free” has turned into a boxing ring with a blue corner and a red corner. We’ve got the “Do-Nothing-Democrats” on one side, and the “Money-Hungry-Republicans” on the other.
Trying to find the source of this extreme division is a dishearteningly difficult task. It’s reminiscent of attempting to clean a room that is in such disarray you didn’t even know where to begin. But I think understanding the nuances of our current predicament will give us the right perspective and motivation we’ll need to press onward. This brings us to tribalism.
Tribalism
Tribalism is nothing new. In fact, it was essential for the survival of our earliest ancestors. Nor is tribalism something inherently bad. Tribes offer us a sense of belonging—something which Abraham Maslow believed to be a fundamental human need. However, in order to fit in and avoid being ostracized from our tribe, we conform to its norms. The danger begins here. What is considered to be “normal” is wholly determined by our tribe and its leaders; in the same way that cultural norms are established by a society. Truth is also dependent upon those same parameters, for deciphering truth is an extension of the same authority which dictates tribal norms.
Truth is information, and the way in which information is disseminated today has changed drastically over the years. This change simultaneously increased the amount of tribes in America and thickened the divisions that separate them. According to Dr. Michael Morris, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, the news is no longer broadcasted to the American people, but is narrowcasted. Narrowcasting is the result of website algorithms and cookies leading people to receive their news from niche sources. “Sources that are chosen by them and are aligned with their preconceptions,” says Dr. Morris. As opposed to social media being your window to the world, it is actually your window to your world. A world specifically designed to please your own personal paradigms and support the ideologies of your specific tribe.
Social Media and Tribalism
I was 24 years old when I first became interested in politics. I was raised Conservative, but now I actively choose to not associate with any party. Usually when I say that, someone will tell me, “Oh, so you’re Independent.” Wrong. I am not Independent, nor Libertarian, nor Republican, nor Democrat. I am an American who tries to be informed.
This political ideology was born from an experience I had in college. It was when President Trump met with the survivors of various mass shootings in the White House on February 21st, 2018. These presidential guests made different suggestions on how to make schools safer in America. I distinctly remember seeing posts about it on Facebook. So many people were outraged at various versions of this news headline that read “Trump Suggests Giving Teachers Guns.” I was quite intrigued as I was studying to become a teacher. I wanted to know exactly what was said, so I went beyond the headlines and listened to the entire two hours of that meeting.
I discovered that Trump technically did say what people were so ardently accusing him of saying, but it was out of context. He was merely summarizing what other people in that meeting were suggesting. Trump did not, in fact, make that suggestion himself. He did what a good listener should do: repeat back what he has heard, in his own words, to demonstrate understanding.
This was my first time seeing everyone’s tribes manifesting themselves on social media and actually realizing what I was witnessing: false information spreading because it was inflammatory for certain tribes. But instead of looking into it for themselves, people assumed that it must be true. It was being propagated by tribe leaders and spread by its members; therefore, it became unadulterated fact.
Consider This
There is so much afoot here. As I mentioned, the divide between tribes is a very nuanced phenomenon and is impossible to unpack all at once. This was just a small bite into our 2020 American Pie; but as you digest it, I will ask something of you. Simply seek to become aware of your tribe. Perhaps you belong to multiple. Many seem to be intertwined within one larger tribe. But we tend to divide ourselves mostly by how we identify ourselves. Our religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, income class, political parties, sub-parties within political parties, and even where we live, all tend to determine to which tribe we belong. Becoming conscious and aware of your tribe is a healthy step toward being open to the realities that exist outside of the paradigm your tribe has created. I am not asking you to leave your tribe, nor to attack it, nor anything drastic like that. Just identify it and see it for what it is: one tribe among multitudes.
