From: Greg Jordan (jordan@chuma.cas.usf.edu)
Date: Fri Mar 28 2003 - 09:04:03 MST
On Thu, 27 Mar 2003, matus wrote:
> Lets be fair here and compare *types* of tribalism. When some nationalisms
> include such memes as murder, oppression, and torture of political
> dissenters, and are opposed idealogically to human progress and the general
> increase in the standard of living, embrace genocide, are west hating
> racists and want nothing less the destruction of freedom, progress, and
> modern civlization, it is easy to understand why one should prefer
> *tribalism* that embraces the value of human life, values free speech,
> progress, rule of law, representative governments, and objectively makes the
> lives better of all its tribal members.
Yes, as long as we have tribes, and tribes are the highest unit of social
identity and political life, I have my preference for my tribe, and other
tribes similar to it. But the tribesmen of the very different tribes also
prefer *their* tribe and tribes similar to it - the ones who hate
democracy, freedom, and secular lifestyles. There are some in our tribe
who would prefer to belong to their tribe and vice versa, but all in all,
preferences for tribe have an eerie correlation with tribe
membership. Tribesmen tend to like their own tribe.
'Why are they so different? Wouldn't they like to be a tribe more like
ours? Wouldn't they like to join our tribe, and become like us? By being
different, they are limiting us, they are endangering us. They might even
dare to think they will make us like them! Our tribe must at least survive
and prosper - therefore we will expand and attack the other tribe.'
> And then compare that world to the one in which the strongest world power is
> a democratic constitutional republic which embraces (albiet tribalistically)
> such values as free speech, rule of law, and individual civil liberties, in
> *at least* orders of magnitude greater levels than any of the other systems
> out there.
I have problems with my own tribe's lack of certain civil liberties, and
its rule of law tends to put me at certain disadvantages. True, all in
all, I still prefer my tribe to almost any other. But then, not everybody
is like me. Not in my tribe, and not in all the tribes of the
world. Sometimes I have more in common with people from different
tribes. Sometimes they have it better than me, sometimes I have it better
than them. Sometimes they're more like me, sometimes less. Sometimes they
may stand to benefit me in some way, sometimes not, and sometimes they
may stand to harm me. There is no simple rule. But if we start thinking
outside of the box of tribalism, we can start to think of ways in which we
can communicate in more reliably helpful ways, finding connections where
we wouldn't have otherwise, and all of us helping one another get to a
condition we would like to be in. I do believe it's possible, in theory.
gej
resourcesoftheworld.org
jordan@chuma.cas.usf.edu
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