Tribal governance, as a political structure, has disappeared in the Western world and much of Asia. To some extent, it lives on in the Middle East and Africa. You can see its effect on the political structure of a country like Iraq right now. However, even though it may underlay some countries' official political structures, it is no longer the principal organizing factor of government. Much of this is due to the conquest and/or destruction of tribally-governed societies by nation-states or empires.
But tribalism lives in our modern world in other forms. Human beings yearn to group together amongst their own "kind". Not much has changed about this in the last few thousand years. In our society, we can see this in the lives we live every day. Ask yourself, what tribe do you belong to? Are you part of the Urban Progressive Tribe? Do you drive a Prius, consume organic foods, listen to NPR, watch Cosmos, enjoy watching soccer, and use an iPhone? If you answered "yes" to half of those questions, perhaps you are indeed. The same can be said for people who drive SUVs, eat a lot of red meat, watch Fox News, play fantasy football, and use an Android phone. There are many tribes in our modern society: Redneck, Hip-Hop, Libertarian, Evangelical Christian, etc.
Each of these tribes has a self-identity that is vital to how the members perceive themselves. Some tribes fashion themselves as intellectual, others as anti-intellectual. Some are centrally organized around religion, while others around leisure activities. But each one has a mythology about itself. Rednecks see themselves as close to nature, while Urban Progressives believes themselves to be intellectually superior to others. Each uses clothing, activities, consumer products, and language to gives cues to others that say, "hey, I'm in the ______ tribe."
The internet and social-networking have been excellent tools to help people conform to the norms of the tribe. If you look at Facebook, you will quickly learn exactly what to do and say in order to best fit into your tribe. Here's the problem: Tribes make you stupid. They make you think less. They subtly and quietly remove your need to think independently about what is right and wrong. That's why they are so popular: They make your life easier.
Do yourself a favor. Be aware of your tribe. Try to catch yourself before you react to a political issue. Think about how much of your reaction is based on your tribe. Try to think about that subject objectively. It isn't always easy. Tribalism acts subtly to make this difficult. The easiest way to keep yourself from becoming too tribal is to sample the ideas and opinions of other tribes. Delve into their universes...see how they think. Was your last Facebook post intended to impress other members of your tribe? Was it a way for you to let outsiders know what tribe you belong to? Think more deeply about your interaction with the world. It will make you a better human being and more likely to react logically to the world.
Any human being can be a slave to their tribe. Think outside the tribe...you might find it refreshing.
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