America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

SummerMadness · Nov 7, 2018

America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

It’s fashionable in the Donald Trump era to decry political “tribalism,” especially if you’re a conservative attempting to criticize Trump without incurring the wrath of his supporters. House Speaker Paul Ryan has lamented the “tribalism” of American politics. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has said that “tribalism is ruining us.” Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse has written a bookwarning that “partisan tribalism is statistically higher than at any point since the Civil War.”

In the fallout from Tuesday’s midterm elections, many political analysts have concluded that blue America and red America are ever more divided, ever more at each other’s throats. But calling this “tribalism” is misleading, because only one side of this divide remotely resembles a coalition based on ethnic and religious lines, and only one side has committed itself to a political strategy that relies on stoking hatred and fear of the other. By diagnosing America’s problem as tribalism, chin-stroking pundits and their sorrowful semi-Trumpist counterparts in Congress have hidden the actual problem in American politics behind a weird euphemism.

SkyWriting · Nov 7, 2018

SummerMadness said:
America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

Racists think everything is racism.
Becasue my immediate family includes black, white, brown, and handicapped people, I recognize that tribal problems are not racists problems. "Tribal" means that groups have a collection of aspects, and skin color is not even an issue compared to the real problems these groups hold on to.

Calminian · Nov 7, 2018

SkyWriting said:
Racists think everything is racism.
Becasue my immediate family includes black, white, brown, and handicapped people, I recognize that tribal problems are not racists problems. "Tribal" means that groups have a collection of aspects, and skin color is not even an issue compared to the real problems these groups hold on to.

You called it. BLM is an overtly racist group, even condemning the phrase "All Lives Matter." Racists do tend to yell racism.

SummerMadness · Nov 7, 2018

Calminian said:
You called it. BLM is an overtly racist group, even condemning the phrase "All Lives Matter." Racists do tend to yell racism.

Black Lives Matter has an implicit too, so screaming all lives matter is more overtly racist because it seeks to silence attention directed at a specific problem.

SkyWriting · Nov 7, 2018

SummerMadness said:
Black Lives Matter has an implicit too, so screaming all lives matter is more overtly racist because it seeks to silence attention directed at a specific problem.

The problem being people who think racism
is actually the problem. And why would adding
additional comment be silencing anybody?
What a groundless point.

JackRT · Nov 7, 2018

The end result of both tribalism and racism is hatred and fear. And all too often racism and tribalism seem strongly linked.

Shiloh Raven · Nov 7, 2018

SummerMadness said:
America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

Racism has been America's problem since its inception. Minorities were segregated and racially discriminated against for 188 years in this country, so this news is honestly nothing new.

FireDragon76 · Nov 7, 2018

SummerMadness said:
America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

I do think there is genuine tribalism on the left, but it's not very significant compared to the right.

Shiloh Raven · Nov 7, 2018

SummerMadness said:
Black Lives Matter has an implicit too, so screaming all lives matter is more overtly racist because it seeks to silence attention directed at a specific problem.

As if all lives have ever actually mattered in America in the first place. If all lives mattered then racism never would have been a long term problem in this country and abortion would not be legal now.

RestoreTheJoy · Nov 8, 2018

FireDragon76 said:
I do think there is genuine tribalism on the left, but it's not very significant compared to the right.

Actually, it's the reverse.

ThatRobGuy · Nov 8, 2018

Calminian said:
You called it. BLM is an overtly racist group, even condemning the phrase "All Lives Matter." Racists do tend to yell racism.

"All Lives Matter" was just the way republicans tried to take the wind out of the sails of everyone who tried to highlight cases of police injustice against minorities.

...the same people who say "All Lives Matter" don't seem to have any issue with "Blue Lives Matter". Hmmm...wonder why that is.

Saying "All Lives Matter" is the moral equivalent of chastising a woman wearing a breast cancer awareness ribbon by saying "now now!, it's important to fight ALL cancers...are you saying you don't care about ALL cancers????"

FireDragon76 · Nov 8, 2018

RestoreTheJoy said:
Actually, it's the reverse.

White evangelicalism is the perfect example of tribalism on the right.

RestoreTheJoy · Nov 8, 2018

ThatRobGuy said:
...the same people who say "All Lives Matter" don't seem to have any issue with "Blue Lives Matter". Hmmm...wonder why that is.

Probably because of the violence associated with the Black Lives Matter protests.

http://thefederalist.com/2016/07/12/black-lives-matters-violence-undermines-its-credibility/

RestoreTheJoy · Nov 8, 2018

FireDragon76 said:
White evangelicalism is the perfect example of tribalism on the right.

Nonsense. There is no such thing.

There is the gospel, color-blind.

super animator · Nov 8, 2018

Shiloh Raven said:
Racism has been America's problem since its inception.

Racism isn't inclusive to America, every country have its own racist problem.

Phil 1:21 · Nov 8, 2018

SkyWriting said:
Racists think everything is racism.

Short, to the point, and extremely true.

Shiloh Raven · Nov 8, 2018

super animator said:
Racism isn't inclusive to America, every country have its own racist problem.

I never said it was. I said racism has been a problem in America since its inception.

wing2000 · Nov 8, 2018

RestoreTheJoy said:
Nonsense. There is no such thing.

There is the gospel, color-blind.

The "Evangelical Tribe" abandoned the gospel for "saving America" a long time ago IMO.

RestoreTheJoy · Nov 8, 2018

wing2000 said:
The "Evangelical Tribe" abandoned the gospel for "saving America" a long time ago IMO.

Not the Church. They are everywhere, in every sort of denomination and non-denomination, and they are still trying to do the work Jesus told them to do in the power of the Holy Spirit.

rjs330 · Nov 8, 2018

Shiloh Raven said:
Racism has been America's problem since its inception. Minorities were segregated and racially discriminated against for 188 years in this country, so this news is honestly nothing new.

Racism, tribalism, religious bigotry is a HUMAN problem. Sure America has had it's share of racism. But America has overcome her racial bigotry as a country. Minorities were discriminated against a LOT longer than 188 years in other countries. And still are in many. At this point, I see far more racism from minorities than I do from those that aren't.

America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

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