The Curse of Tribalism

One of the things that has brought us to the present awful state of affairs is tribalism. It’s corrosive to support our own team even if we know what they’re doing is wrong and to oppose the other guys even if we think they’re right. We should have left that stuff back in the cave. Reason and fairness should prevail over team colors.

That’s one of the things we try to espouse here at YSDA. I admit to being a Democrat, but I don’t hesitate to criticize Democrats when I think they’re wrong on the merits. I’ll give Republicans credit when I think they’re right about something. It’s possible to be honest about your partisan leanings without being especially partisan. We can have an overall philosophy and ideological bent (that helps us make sense of the world) while also being rational and fair minded.

I”m thinking along these lines this morning because of what happened last night. What happened is that I watched every pitch of the Brewers-Cubs game. I wore my favorite Brewers shirt and cap. I had may rally towel. It did no good. It was a horrible game with the Crew losing 6-0. They never showed any spark. I would have been elated had they won. I was depressed that they lost.

Moreover, I thought I detected a pro-Cubs bias in the announcers and I thought the fans at Wrigley were aggressive and obnoxious compared to the more sportsmanlike Brewers fans.

It was a lesson in tribalism, something I eschew in politics. But it gave me a better understanding of how a lot of people feel about politics. I used to think that those who saw America in terms of blood and soil — white, Christian, English-speaking — were maybe 5% of the population. Turns out they make up about 50% of Americans.

What made America a great country for me was the idea (yes, America is an idea) that anyone could gain admittance. Your race, your religion (or lack of one) and your primary language were irrelevant. If you believed in Enlightenment values — reason, free speech, tolerance, pluralism, fair play — you could be an American subject to some reasonable legalities.

But half of my country (the Cubs fans of American politics) reject all that. For them America is no better than any other nation that has ever existed. For them we are not exceptional. It’s the same old backward, cave man tribalism. I loved the idea of America. I do not love what’s become of its reality.

That’s it for this week. Dianne and I had hoped not to use our game 5 Brewers tickets tomorrow night, but alas we will. We’ll bring home a win. I promise.