We are all one tribe
“Tribes” as defined by a group you self-identify with — family, community, religion, culture, etc. They provide a common vernacular along with place of home and safety. This is wonderful.
They are horrible when they reinforce stereotypes, laziness, and bias.
For example, the tendency to overlook the mistakes of a tribe member because he or she is “on your team”. This leads to “group think”, lack of accountability, and lack of necessary change. ex: “my political leader does X bad thing, but I’ll look over it because he’s my leader”.
Similarly, there’s a subsequent tendency to feel superior to other tribes and make blanket, ignorant assumptions. ex: “all of my opposing political party members are extreme. They are all idiots”
The good thing is that we belong to multiple, and nested tribes. For example, I am part of the Christian “tribe”, but I’m also a part of the larger “American” tribe and the most abstract “Human” tribe.
Don’t take part in “us against them” tribal warfare. Nefarious tribe leaders (ex: politicians) often pit their tribe against others in hopes of selfishly growing their own numbers and keeping themselves in power.
Don’t resort to the blind support of your leaders. Acknowledge their legitimate failures and push for positive change
Ultimately, we are all humans. We are all one tribe.
