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> And I am saying that the whole concept of "our team" is a dangerous one. I agree. I think more dangerous is "the other team." > To me this means you should

> And I am saying that the whole concept of "our team" is a dangerous one. I agree. I think more dangerous is "the other team." > To me this means you should be against the whole concept of "teams" In theory, yes, I don't like how we split into different teams and fight against each other, and would get rid of the concept of teams. In practice, I find that if I have to use the team concept (and this in-group/out-group dynamic seems to be strongly embedded in many cultures), then I try to get rid of teams by extending my definition of "my team" as much as I can, to include friends, enemies, strangers, other animals, and other lifeforms. I would like to eventually get rid of the concept of teams, gradually through expanding and integrating other teams into one huge team until there are no "other teams" left, and also getting back on the same team when we get into conflicts. Anyways, thank you for following up with me and helping me think through this and reflect on this more deeply.

donw 5y ago
> I would like to eventually get rid of the concept of teams, gradually through expanding and integrating other teams into one huge team until there are no "other teams" left, and also getting back on the same team when we get into conflicts. This is how you kill a hundred million people without breaking a sweat.
- jimkleiber 5y ago
  Yes, that's one way to do it. Or one could just change their perspective to see the other people as people, focusing on the similarities rather than the differences. I'd argue that if one has so much hatred to try to physically get rid of the "other team" instead of trying to expand one's own definition of team, then that person is likely to subdivide people into teams once those people are gone. That's why I think uniting over a common enemy doesn't work, because once the enemy is gone, people just carry their anger and fear of others into seeing new enemies and splitting off into more and more teams. At least what I've found for myself is that it is much cheaper, quicker, and longer-lasting, to just redefine the boundaries of my team instead of strictly enforcing those boundaries through violence.

donw 5y ago

> I would like to eventually get rid of the concept of teams, gradually through expanding and integrating other teams into one huge team until there are no "other teams" left, and also getting back on the same team when we get into conflicts. This is how you kill a hundred million people without breaking a sweat.

jimkleiber 5y ago
Yes, that's one way to do it. Or one could just change their perspective to see the other people as people, focusing on the similarities rather than the differences. I'd argue that if one has so much hatred to try to physically get rid of the "other team" instead of trying to expand one's own definition of team, then that person is likely to subdivide people into teams once those people are gone. That's why I think uniting over a common enemy doesn't work, because once the enemy is gone, people just carry their anger and fear of others into seeing new enemies and splitting off into more and more teams. At least what I've found for myself is that it is much cheaper, quicker, and longer-lasting, to just redefine the boundaries of my team instead of strictly enforcing those boundaries through violence.