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"Tribalism": a great term for what's wrong with the world today in general. I'd been fishing for a word, calling it "the team sports mentality" for lack of some

by sabat 16y ago

"Tribalism": a great term for what's wrong with the world today in general. I'd been fishing for a word, calling it "the team sports mentality" for lack of something more insightful and concise.

seanalltogether 16y ago
If that were true, the entire history of humanity would be wrong in general.
- kiba 16y ago
  More like tribalism make sense in a stone age environment, but not so much when you're trying to build a civilization that last.
  - seanalltogether 16y ago
    I disagree and would argue that all societies continue to evolve as a consequence of ongoing tribalistic thinking. edit/ and just to clarify, i don't think it's the only reason, but it is one of a few primary catalysts
- thwarted 16y ago
  Most of the meaningful (and most interesting/worth talking about) events in humanity's history have been because of an us-vs-them mentality. Even something good and benign like landing on the moon was partially because of a desire to best, and differentiate from, another world superpower. The critique ("wrong with the world today") is if this is a good way to go about it when it's used in the extreme (or tending towards being extreme), not the quality of the results. Does the means justify the ends?
  - sabat 16y ago
    The money comes from those with us-vs-them mentalities (your example of the Moon shots), but that isn't where the urge to innovate usually comes from. when it's used in the extreme (or tending towards being extreme) That's what I was trying to get across -- extreme behavior considered to be normal. Everyone on the freeways driving either 45 or 90, no sane moderation.
- sabat 16y ago
  It's not binary. I'm speaking of a matter of degree, and about US culture specifically. Meaning: we're becoming a polarized nation, two Americas (America and 'mer'ca). Of course the human race has always had tribes. But tribalism (tribalitis?) means: too much tribal loyalty.
  - rue 16y ago
    "Becoming"? Just cursorily, first there were the colonies - some of which felt more British than others - who well into the 1800's were essentially nations: you had your Georgia mans and your Virginia mans and so on. Even during the secession there were more than two groups people associated themselves with.
cabalamat 16y ago
> for lack of something more insightful and concise What's wrong with "bigotry"? It covers roughly the same meaning IMO.
- sabat 16y ago
  That would carry unintentional racial overtones.
  - cabalamat 16y ago
    You can be a bigot without being a racist bigot.
stcredzero 16y ago
Noam Chomsky calls it "irrational jingoism."

by sabat 16y ago

"Tribalism": a great term for what's wrong with the world today in general. I'd been fishing for a word, calling it "the team sports mentality" for lack of something more insightful and concise.

seanalltogether 16y ago

If that were true, the entire history of humanity would be wrong in general.

kiba 16y ago
More like tribalism make sense in a stone age environment, but not so much when you're trying to build a civilization that last.
- seanalltogether 16y ago
  I disagree and would argue that all societies continue to evolve as a consequence of ongoing tribalistic thinking. edit/ and just to clarify, i don't think it's the only reason, but it is one of a few primary catalysts
thwarted 16y ago
Most of the meaningful (and most interesting/worth talking about) events in humanity's history have been because of an us-vs-them mentality. Even something good and benign like landing on the moon was partially because of a desire to best, and differentiate from, another world superpower. The critique ("wrong with the world today") is if this is a good way to go about it when it's used in the extreme (or tending towards being extreme), not the quality of the results. Does the means justify the ends?
- sabat 16y ago
  The money comes from those with us-vs-them mentalities (your example of the Moon shots), but that isn't where the urge to innovate usually comes from. when it's used in the extreme (or tending towards being extreme) That's what I was trying to get across -- extreme behavior considered to be normal. Everyone on the freeways driving either 45 or 90, no sane moderation.
sabat 16y ago
It's not binary. I'm speaking of a matter of degree, and about US culture specifically. Meaning: we're becoming a polarized nation, two Americas (America and 'mer'ca). Of course the human race has always had tribes. But tribalism (tribalitis?) means: too much tribal loyalty.
- rue 16y ago
  "Becoming"? Just cursorily, first there were the colonies - some of which felt more British than others - who well into the 1800's were essentially nations: you had your Georgia mans and your Virginia mans and so on. Even during the secession there were more than two groups people associated themselves with.

cabalamat 16y ago

> for lack of something more insightful and concise What's wrong with "bigotry"? It covers roughly the same meaning IMO.

sabat 16y ago
That would carry unintentional racial overtones.
- cabalamat 16y ago
  You can be a bigot without being a racist bigot.

stcredzero 16y ago

Noam Chomsky calls it "irrational jingoism."