Tribalism is the root of all evil.

[Mankini]

I have been monitoring the happenings in the US mass media pretty closely the past year. My conclusion upon seeing so much race hatred emerge in the mass media is that, rather than nationalism, conservatism, demagoguery, hero-worship, or the other crap I usually rant and shriek about in US society, tribalism has emerged as the greatest threat to peace amongst us.

What happened to the Irish due to Cromwell? -Tribalism. Rwanda? -Tribalism. Germany? -Tribalism.

Demagogues know that somehow appealing to collective identity is their way to power. And why is this?

Why is it that collective identity is so often appealed to by politicians? We as Americans tout our individualism so much...but somehow collective identity always returns as the true gauge of our character...???...The shit is the most dangerous element of human nature and must be tightly restrained...Just like our Paleo violence instincts.

 

[Tude]

You speak like a reflective of a conspiracy site person <cough I'm on about 5 or so of them> shit going on and shit we don't have anything to do with.

 

[Mankini]

I was just thinking about such things after reading "American Nations", and thinking about flag-waving, patriotism, and populism. How to motivate the masses? And why can't you motivate the masses by appeals to individualism rather than ''unity''?....On second thought, naked self-interest -is- often appealed to. To instigate fear, etc. ...So when is self- interest appropriate for demagogues, and when to use tribalism?

 

[wizehop]

I think in most cases false "tribes" are created as a way to divide and conquer. Its classic Imperialism and Rwanda is a perfect example. The European overseers created the rift between the people by promoting the idea the the Tutsi where of a higher class even though they were the same people. I don't think I need to write out how that ended up. We are just pons at the end of the day, but it doesn't bother me because I'm playing a different game.

 

[Mankini]

Yes. Absolutely WH. If we are willing to prevent fascism from ever rearing its ugly head again, anywhere, we must first be alert to the warning signs of impending demagogical fuckery. Its like an infection that takes hold of people; no different than Yersinia pestis. No populace is better or worse: or more prone to genocidal mania than any other: we are all in danger of being co-opted...as societies anyway. Key is for individuals to advocate individualism to the extent where flags and pomp and rhetoric strike deaf ears.

 

[Kal]

Our world would be a boring place if we all were the same. Our differences should be celebrated not hated. The only tribe there should be is the human race. No we are not the same brothers, sisters, but we are one because we are all human. I hope one day to see a one world government who thinks about the human race and is willing to celebrate those differences then just maybe we would have world peace.

 

[Mankini]

I wanna see a No-Government world where people just share, live in peace, act neighborly, and respect each others privacy. With lotz of farming, hunting n gathering, treehouses, and drunken bonfires. I think I was born 5000 years too late.

 

[Andrea Van Scoyoc]

Wow...I was going to post my rant about sheepelism, but @wizehop said it perfectly, and as for @Kal ...wow...what are you doing in my head?



Seriously, my thoughts are exactly the same.

We are one race, the human race and nothing else.

We need to live, love and help each other, not constantly find ways and reasons to hate.

 

[Odin]

Why is it that collective identity is so often appealed to by politicians?

The masses... most of who are weak and afraid, elect the strong and clever to lead them in the hopes of receiving stability and security in daily life.

Those crafty politicians know that to receive positions of power they need to sell illusions to those that will hand them authority.

One of the most comforting illusions to those afraid, is collective identity.
Most human beings are terrified of not belonging/being accepted to the majority group.

Tribalism is misused by those in power to manipulate people as pawns but it in itself is not necessarily evil. After all the basic tribal unit is a mating pair from a species and then they're offspring.

The root of evil... is FEAR...

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
– Yoda

::artist::

This can also explain money as evil.::cyclops:: As money is created out of debt in todays fractional reserve banking system and debt manipulates through fear.

Or in other days when money was backed by something of relatively agreed upon worth. Gold or silver then it was a function still of greed through scarcity and fear creates and manipulates greed.

I think I was born 5000 years too late.

I know what your sayin voodoo. I feel it too. I would not mind being a simple hunter gatherer without the crushing machinery of todays controlling powers globally crushing on the backs of those they take advantage of.

Still even in primitive times you would if your to survive in a group be exhibiting "tribal" behavior.

Unless you choose to be a recluse/hermit. (me)::drinkingbuddy::

At least though it would be a more honest type. I for one would love to be a shaman in training and even if part of a tribal community it would be one that functioned on collective cooperation and peaceful interaction with neighbors.

Perhaps this could be facilitated through the use of rituals and mind altering drugs.



I would preside as Bacchus.

 

[Kim Chee]

Money divides us more than anything else because we as a people love it more than each other.

Take away money and then we can discuss politics.

But...If we loved each other, we wouldn't be talking about politics.

 

[Kim Chee]

btw: I think I'm a pretty smart person, but I don't understand politics hardly at all. That shit simply does not compute.

 

[Andrea Van Scoyoc]

btw: I think I'm a pretty smart person, but I don't understand politics hardly at all. That shit simply does not compute.

Probably because you can't understand why people would want to intentionally fight and cause misery.

For those of us with intelligence, squabbling over silly b.s makes no sense.

 

[Mankini]

Politics as such is worthless. But moral philosophy is exciting. Sometimes we are placed in situations where we have the chance to do something magnificent: to really act on our ethical codes.

 

[shabti]

Politics as such is worthless. But moral philosophy is exciting. Sometimes we are placed in situations where we have the chance to do something magnificent: to really act on our ethical codes.

What we're discussing here IS politics. I don't mean the "They" out there. It's the "we" who have determined that "Their" message is terrible, and that "we" would rather live in a world devoid of "their" political machinations.

I hope to demonstrate that even right here, on this very forum post, we are engaging in a process of politics. Distance yourself from the emotional impact of that word, and you might see that our discussion about which "isms" are prevalent, and why, and to what effect, this discussion is how we govern our own behaviours and thoughts.

The discussion about how "we" should view "their" isms is the same discussion that those people are having, but with different focal points.

I'm a nihilist, and an anarchist. I have some Isms that I find useful, you know? The goal for me is to find a way to work with people who's isms "aren't supposed to work with mine."

I derive great joy from working alongside people of all walks. I volunteer at a place with fundamentalist christians to feed the hungry, and then over here, with pro war military dudes to give out food to needy vets.

It's not as invigorating as digging through a dumpster in a new city on the eve of a glorious sunrise, but it shows me how bullshit all that talk is. My views aren't as important as my deeds. voodoo, you said you've been paying close attention to the political changes in the wind, I suggest you watch them as you might an entertaining television show, since the spin put on this process is just as fictional.

The real truth is that many people are "tribal". You just have to remind them that you (and everyone and everything else) are a part of their tribe.

if you get a chance, Robert Greene's Amoral series of books is an excellent study of power and seduction, and can be extrapolated to the ways that the masses are seduced, and power symbiotically exerted with the consent of us all.