A READER WRITES: “Dear Brian, When I started to read your blog you were promising me increased happiness which I badly needed. Now I am getting increasingly unhappy listening to these intolerant and aggressive exchanges. How can I recover my equilibrium with reds under the beds, Islamists under the carpets and Steyn fans in fear and trembling and a frenzy of hatred. Normally when I feel upset I go to some Buddhist meditation classes but maybe the Buddhists are trying to take over the world so I dont know what to do now and am looking to you for some kind of an injection of happiness, goodwill to all men, restoration of faith in human nature etc. Please help. Unhappy but trying”BB SAYS: The philosopher Spinoza says: “Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand.”
Humans can broadly be divided into two types – those with a Tribal Mentality and those with a Humanist Mentality. Both mentalities exist in most people to varying degrees.
Tribalists tend to be loyal to their own group, community or society. They tend to be nationalist and conservative. In extreme cases Tribalists dehumanise and demonise outgroups. They tend to focus on the conflicts of interest that can exist between various groups. They suffer from what behavioural psychologists call the outgroup homogeneity bias (individuals tend to see members of their own group as being relatively more varied than members of other groups).
Humanists tend to look at people as individuals, and to see the similarities that exist between different societies, rather than the differences. They tend to be cosmopolitan and progressive. They tend to focus on co-operation between groups, rather than conflicts of interest.
People with a Tribal Mentality regard those with a Humanist Mentality as treacherous, cowardly and naïve. People with a Humanist Mentality regard those with a Tribal Mentality as bigoted, narrow-minded and irrational.
Examples of very Tribalist groups would include German Neo-Nazis, Russian nationalists, Japanese supremacists, Muslim fundamentalists, extremist Irish Catholic Nationalists, American Exceptionalists and so forth. The point is: the tribal mentality is found in all societies. In Sri Lanka, many Buddhist monasteries are hotbeds of ultranationalist, reactionary, anti-Tamil extremism. So even a peaceful religion like Buddhism can be co-opted by Tribalists. All these tribalist groups tend to be xenophobic, but the irony is that they have much more in common with each other than they do with Humanists. For example, an American Exceptionalist has more in common with a Muslim fundamentalist, than either type does with a Humanist – because both the American Exceptionalist and the Muslim fundamentalist have a Tribal Mentality.
Often, the anger of Tribalists is not focused on other tribes, but on what they call “the Liberal Elite” (i.e. Humanists). Humanists also exist in all societies and, what is more, they tend to agree with each other even though they are from different societies. In other words, Humanists everywhere in the world form alliances in a way that Tribalists cannot. The real danger for Tribalists comes not from other tribes (extremists need opposing extremists in order to exist) – the real danger comes from Humanists, who tend to be shrewd. Hence the diatribes from Tribalists about the “Liberal Elites” whom they suspect of trying to take over the world by taking control of universities, internationalist institutions, the media, human rights organisations and so forth. In one sense, the Tribalists are correct – the Enlightenment revolution in philosophy, with its humanist concepts of human rights, democracy, rationality and personal freedom, has made great progress in taking over the world. Humanism has a universal appeal that transcends any particular tribalism. So don’t worry, if anyone is going to take over the world, it is not going to be any particular group of Tribalists – it will be the Humanists. So be happy!
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Please check out this reference which argues hat tribalisms of one kind or another, including various humanist ones, are the driving force of world politics in 2009.
ReplyDeletehttp://global.adidam.org/books/not-two-3.html
I began reading this article the first time I came across your blog. Your initial premise caught my attention and I was interested to see how you would develop it. Then, you made a huge generalization grouping ‘American Exceptionalists’ in with hate based types of people like Muslim Fundamentalists and Neo Nazis. I am amazed that your understanding of either the group of people you called AEs or the exceptional country called America is so lacking. I hesitate to use such strong language because I can only base it on this short example of your writing.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that America is a unique and exceptional nation on the historical stage of nations is both observable and quantifiable. In brief, this nation was founded on the belief that all men(human beings) are created equal and that we, human beings, have certain rights that are given by God, or by nature for those who chose not to believe. If you believe in nature and evolution, then these rights and equality are the very characteristics that evolved throughout the evolution of the human race which survived simply because they are the best characteristics suitable for the continued survival of the human species. Those who believe that the rights of the individual are in-viable are those you call American Exceptionalists.
Nazi’s beliefs are founded in Marx and other more esoteric sources, and claim the right of one group of people, in the case of history to rule over and eliminate any who are different. This fits with your view of tribalism, but it is only a small part of that which constitutes tribalism. I’ll come back to that shortly. Muslim Fundamentalists believe that Allah has called them to conquer the world, establish a caliphate, and ‘KILL’ any who will not become a subservient follower of the Quran. If you have not made a study of Muslim beliefs, please take the time to do so. You appear to be well read and the literature is obviously clear.
Since you put your self out there in your written words for all to see, I will tell you something about me. I am a Christian, though I do not believe you fully understand what that means. I do not seek to obtain power over others nor do I judge the person of others. I have a very good friend who was one of my instructors in my undergraduate course work. She is a Lesbian and a brilliant instructor. During the courser of our friendship the question of homosexuality came up. I told her that I thought homosexuality was a sin. At first she was shocked. I had never treated her in any manner other than that of a dear friend. I explained to her that because I believe that an action is a sin, does not mean that I am in the slightest bit better than another person. I told her that I valued her friendship and the relationship that had grown and that I had nothing but respect and admiration for her. And most especially it is not my place to judge another, since I struggle daily with my own short comings. We remain friends to this day.
Throughout history, any one who has used the name of Jesus, or God, or the faith of Christianity to cause pain, suffering and death are not Christians as defined in the Bible. They are the expression of Baron Acton’s famous quote, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. By the way he penned those words twice. Both times in conflicted correspondence with the church in England.
I am also a white male. I joined the Army young and travelled the world. I have enjoyed and interacted with every culture I was fortunate to interact with. I have many friends from many, many different cultures, beliefs, and political backgrounds. I qualify for many of your statements concerning the definition of a humanist, I am also highly opinionated and highly open minded. I am also a tribalist.
I seek out and build relationships with those who share similarities with me. I do not fear differences, nor do I think my self superior in any way to others. I fiercely love my country and weep to see the current political turmoil played out like a vast Kabuki drama
part 2
ReplyDeleteI seek out and build relationships with those who share similarities with me. I do not fear differences, nor do I think my self superior in any way to others. I fiercely love my country and weep to see the current political turmoil played out like a vast Kabuki drama while those behind the scenes collapse our country from with in to restructure it in the mold of their version of a better society. I have nothing in common with Muslim Fundamentalists! Not only do I relish the life I wish to make for myself, I cherish the opportunities my life provides to exchange and discuss ideas with others. This letter I took the time to write to you is one such exchange. The great sorrow of my life is that I have seen such a spirit of hatred and intolerance in the last two and a half decades that I am often at a loss of words. I lost a life-long friend at the end of a diatribe of hateful and violent speech simply because I expressed my opinion that Obama is a socialist. Whether or not I am right or wrong, his hate filled destruction of our friendship was as ‘tribal’ as your definition gets. But on the bright side, my lost friend would have read your article with joyful exclamations and patted himself on the back as a truly amazing humanist.
Their beliefs (and I think yours, though this was only one article) are just as fierce as mine and for the most part they genuinely believe that their type of socialism is superior to the individual freedom this nation was created to embrace. The problem with this course, as Baron Acton pointed out, is that the process that starts out as a grand experiment ends in tragedy, suffering, and death. I would offer a piece of history you may never have heard of even though it resulted in the deaths of nearly ten million intentional deaths; a genocide that dwarfs Hitler’s actions. It is called the Holodomor. (holodomorct.org is a jumping off point) Or slightly more familiar to common history was Mao’s Second Five Year plan. A look at the history of Che Guevera that doesn’t involve the Motor Cycle Diaries would be enlightening.
I am more than sure that you would be able to point to hundreds of examples, especially since you have a blog, of supposedly Exceptional Americans who did exactly the same as my friend or worse. But that is one of my points. You appear to have used a definition of a term A.E. to then prove that your definition is sound. It is a kind of a circular argument.
In the end, anyone who amasses power over others, whether in the name of a Fabian/ Marxist/ Utopian vein or in a manner that many today mistakenly call capitalism, the end result of that power is abuse of that power. Though my short letter may not have changed your mind about anything, I offer you this last thought. File this letter, and my ideas expressed in it, away in your mind for future reference. As those in power amass more power and their supporters cheer them on, the groups of supporters will fill the air with praises and show tunes. But one by one, those groups, beginning with the fringes will be moved from the in groups basking in the favor of the Liberal Elite and find themselves suddenly under the foot of power.
I am positive that many of your readers are of exactly a like mind and support your views with gusto. But this also appears to fit your definition of ‘Tribal’. While I am definitely an American Exceptionalist, I do not subscribe to hatred, judgmentalism, or any sense of self superiority so I would seem to fit your definition of a humanist, of which I am definitely not.
If you are of an open mind and think you might enjoy a conversation with some one who doesn’t agree with you, then please feel free to contact me. For my part I can promise you that I am more than capable of disagreeing with out anger or violent speech, and I listen, which is rapidly becoming a lost art.
Best Regards and Merry Christmas,
Charles Walter
What a load of poppycock. I can't believe I wasted my time reading this crap. "Psychologists' have the most sick and minds of all, trying to lay their 'professional sickness' off on everybody else and call it humanity and righteousness.
ReplyDeletePoppycock? I've seen this 'tribalistic' attitude in extreme forms in various parts of the world, not only what gets fed through via the media and it's very much real. In my view, 'tribalists' as termed in the article, certainly have sick minds and tend to make alliances with idiots like them from other 'tribes'.
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