Revenge of the tribes: How the American Empire could fall | Amy Chua | Big Think

Revenge of the tribes: How the American Empire could fall
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Yale professor Amy Chua has two precautionary tales for Americans, and their names are Libya and Iraq. "We’re starting to see in America something that I’ve seen in other countries that is not good," says Chua. "We don’t want to go there. We don’t want to get to the point where we look at people on the other side of the political spectrum and we see them not just as people that we disagree with but literally as our enemy, as immoral, "un-American" people." Tribalism is innate to humanity, and it is the glue that holds nations together-but it's a Goldilocks conundrum: too much or too little of it and a nation will tear at the seams. It becomes most dangerous when two hardened camps form and obliterate all the subtribes beneath them. Chua stresses the importance of "dividing yourself so that you don’t get entrenched in just two terrible tribes." Having many identities and many points of overlap with fellow citizens is what keeps a country's unity strong. When that flexibility disappears, and a person becomes only a Republican or a Democrat-or only a Sunni Muslim or a Shia Muslim, as in Iraq-that's when it's headed for danger. In this expansive and brilliant talk on political tribes, Chua explains what happens when minorities and majorities clash, why post-colonial nations are often doomed to civil war, and why you can't just replace dictators with democracy. Amy Chua is the author of Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations.
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AMY CHUA:
Amy Chua is the John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School. She was born in 1962, the Year of the Tiger, in Champaign, Illinois. She lived in the Midwest (Go Purdue!) until she was eight, when her father Leon Chua became a professor at UC Berkeley, and her family moved to California. Amy graduated from El Cerrito High School (Go Gauchos!) in 1980.
In 1980, Amy headed East. She graduated from Harvard College in 1984 and Harvard Law School in 1987. While at Harvard Law School, Professor Chua was executive editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduating, she clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for Chief Judge Patricia M. Wald, who was a wonderful mentor to her (and who performed the marriage ceremony for Amy and her husband Jed!).
Amy practiced for four years with the Wall Street firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, where she worked on international transactions throughout Asia, Europe, and Latin America. In 1994, she joined the Duke University Faculty of Law. Amy and her family loved North Carolina! The only problem was that Jed was teaching at Yale. Amy joined the Yale Law School faculty in 2001.
Amy’s first book, World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability
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TRANSCRIPT:
Amy Chua: I think a great example of group blindness in the United States is when Woodrow Wilson said in 1915-in a very famous speech-“There are no groups in America. America doesn’t consist of groups. And if you continue to think of yourself as belonging to a smaller group you’re not American.”
It’s astonishing that he could say this-these universalist tones at a time when Native Americans were largely still denied citizenship, Mexican Americans were still being lynched, Asian Americans were barred from owning land, and African Americans were being subjected to violence and degradation virtually every day. And yet he was saying we don’t have any groups here. So that’s an example of almost willful blindness to groups. And sometimes this kind of universalist rhetoric, “Oh we’re all just one people,” is a way of hiding a lot of inequality and smaller kinds of group oppression.
So if you look at a country like Libya they’re actually a little bit like the United States. That is, they are a wildly multi-ethnic nation. The problem is they don’t have a strong enough overarching national identity to hold it together.
And the goal is a group-or a country, in this case-that has, on the one hand, a very strong overarching national identity: “We’re Americans,” but-importantly-at the same time allows individual, subgroup, and tribal identities to flourish.
You should be a country where you can say, “I’m Irish American,” or, “I’m Libyan American,” and yet be intensely patriotic at the same time. So: “I’m Muslim American. I’m Chinese American. I’m Nigerian American.” So, at its best, in America, there should be a certain amount of porousness and fluidity...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/v...

[@bigthink]

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[@theangrykekistani9418]

how the hell is ,,libya a wildly multi ethnic nation ,, can anyone explain it to me

[@ezrafaulk3076]

Everything you just said about a tiny minority controlling *everything* , is pretty much *exactly* what's been happening here in the west since the *beginning* , and it's only getting *worse* ; we need to put a *stop* to it.

[@rainforesthermit6983]

It's classic sociology: when societies experience sudden changes in quality of life, identity groups contract in their solidarity and their boundaries become more rigid, more intolerable of the Other. There is a sort of civil war now in the US, with dialogue replaced with obscenities and passionate hatred.

[@damienbagley2925]

Interesting.

[@alau2058]

And now look at US!

[@crhu319]

Yup well said.

[@Username-jc1ut]

Shit, it got worse... way worse.

[@jean-pierredevent970]

And that's a point where I am not progressive. I don't like all too much frankly if groups come in Europe by migration who feel they very different from us and who would even think "normally" we ought to be like them. Such people have fully the right to think this way but that's not a safe situation when things get rough. And with climate change and political instability and lack of real mutual help between nations, things could get rough in the future. There have been already situations which liberals (the pure soul ones) could never have anticipated. They explain that of course by poverty etc..but I keep doubts. I am however progressive enough to accept that sometimes there is no choice and we must help as ethical beings. But my danger detector is not happy.

[@rue883]

This makes a lot of sense, if it weren’t for the fact than the tribal discord is being stirred up by people that are not part of the “tribe”. There are people outside the tribe telling the tribe that they should be angry. The problem isn’t tribalism, that is a diversionary tactic as part of a power play.

[@madigan_sax]

R S gets it

[@_Iscream]

Why not both?

[@AlmostEthical]

This reminds me of around 2013, when I travelled to Europe. On the tour were some conservative Texans, an older couple. I am a left wing Aussie, and not so young either. Chalk and cheese? Nope. We got along well and often ate together. We hardly talked politics at all. If we disagreed on anything, we politely said out bit and quickly moved on. We didn't dwell on negs. In less heated times, people treated religion and politics as private matters. Si, instead of pointlessly arguing about BS, the Texans and I had a fun time swapping anecdotes and we had lots of laughs together. It's not so hard to get along.

[@Matt-fs1yy]

I have no interest in "getting along" with Republicans. Anyone who would separate a small child from it's parent, knowingly causing harm to said child--or would vote for same, is SCUM.

[@jojobabok9373]

It's not hard, if you don't have much stakes in the matters being discussed. You always have the option to "intellectually disagree" with each other & move on. The zero-sum pitted groups can't afford that vis-à-vis each other.

[@gary8165]

It is good to get along however I suggest avoiding the hard issues that effect a population is denying the elephant in the room. The us vs them dynamic is destroying America. There is no intellectual discourse on the hard issues but pure tribalism painting the other as the enemy of the Country.

[@mebeingU2]

@@gary8165, I agree with you. But if you think of what the speaker said, often when said power shifts, there is a retaliation that takes place. I had not considered that for the US before. If the current majority feels that its been taking advantage of or not supporting fair treatment for minorities, there could be a fear that if the power shifts, the new group with no power will be harmed. So, they fight with all tools available to retain power.

[@KatarnCrusader]

You have to keep in mind that you as well the older couple had better education (and were told better manners) then the younger generations in the USA had/have.

[@plasmaballin]

3:33 She says we don't want to get to that point, but unfortunately, we've already passed it long ago.

[@Username-jc1ut]

I can't even see the point anymore.

[@dinsel9691]

She herself says that Widrow Wilson was "willfully delusional" when he claimed America to be "one". Because there was not "one" America... though it may have looked like it, as there was clearly an overwhelming monocultural majority that held power at the time... i.e. white, protestant and english speaking... But also as she pointed out, when the ruling class changes. Old scores are settled and power and money changes hands. It is no coincidence that Republican party shifted so much to the right when USA had the audacity to elect an African American for the President of USA. When Trump supporters talk about "real americans" they are talking about the aforementioned majority that was and still has most power in USA. And the inclusion of the word "real" in real American.. let's you know they will never consider a majority Hispanic USA to be American.

[@Doomblade3890]

@@dinsel9691 Unfortunately this only perpetuates the "us vs. them" mentality on both sides.

[@BitchspotBlog]

@@Doomblade3890 The problem is that neither side seems willing to give that up. Both sides are tribalizing around small, often insignificant traits and ignoring the larger characteristics under which they ought to come together. Instead of saying "I'm an American!", they say "I'm an African-American!" They're black first, everything else a distant second. Or people will do it around religion. They're Christian or they're Muslim and everything else trails behind. Or sexual orientation. They're gay! They're trans! They're forming communities about things that absolutely don't matter. I don't care if you're black. I don't care if you're Muslim. I don't care if you're gay. I care if you're a decent human being and that seems to be lost today. All you have to do is wear the right label on your sleeve and nothing else matters... right up until you offend some of the people in your tribe, then they hunt you down and destroy your life. Nobody is capable of compromise anymore because everyone has drawn the battle lines based on tribe. It's why Iraq and Afghanistan and India are such a mess right now because they are all so tribal. Things in the U.S. will never get better until we recognize that tribes don't solve problems. Tiny insular communities that hate everyone else doesn't fix anything. It's time that most people grew the hell up.

[@stevechance150]

@@BitchspotBlog Sorry, wrong. One group is saying "We're going to make it harder for your team members to vote, by closing polling locations on your side of town, and outlawing ballot drop boxes". This is different, this is one party actively trying to deny the other party the ability to exercise their constitutional right to vote. I have conservative friends who believe people should have to own land in order to vote. America is going backwards.

[@robadc]

And the entire comment section is different tribes attacking eachother. Oh the delicious irony

[@bobs182]

People are innately prone to tribalism as human tribal cooperation is our one niche we have for survival. Language and intelligence help us cooperate with each other along with a tribal instinct. Not living in relatively small tribal groups may mean our tribal instincts are not as important for survival as is has been.

[@TacDyne]

This is due to decades of brainwashing to force the perpetual victim mentality on them for being whatever they are. I studied this first hand while going through school. It started in first grade and continued all the way, even throughout college.

[@robadc]

@@TacDyne No ones taken any sides here but you. You're only demonstrating the point.

[@mingonmongo1]

Sez the guy with a Lucha Libre 'wrestling' mask for an avatar...... _"Oh the delicious irony"!_ ;-p

[@robadc]

@@mingonmongo1 Lmao, so thats what it looks like? Nah, it was the first thing I ever made in photoshop. I leave it on to remind myself how far I've come since then.

[@harenterberge2632]

The two party system, which is a direct result of the district voting system, is the main cause of tribalism. If you have more parties these can have more nuanced positions.

[@rabbit251]

Very good point. In other parliamentarian democracies other parties are allowed and the democracy is more representational. Sometimes this works as in Germany which is good at building coalitions and sometimes it fails like in Italy which usually changes its government every year. Either way, their systems are better than what we have in the US which has to resort to factions within a party. In Europe if a party leaves a coalition it means new elections in which they may lose power because of their power play. In the US it has very few consequences at all.

[@harenterberge2632]

@@rabbit251 Germany has a threshold of 5% of the votes for a party to enter into parliament. This way the extreme fracturing is prevented.

[@Catlily5]

I heard that the electoral college causes a 2 party system. I always wondered why we couldn't seem to get more parties. Maybe that explains it.

[@harenterberge2632]

@@Catlily5 That only affects the presidential election. The district voting system is the cause of having only two parties in parlement and senate. Every district can send only one candidate, so the best bet for a voter is to vote for a candidate that you know many other voters will also support. This naturally causes small parties to dissapear. In a direct proportional system all the votes in the country are combined and the seats are divided among the parties proportionally to the number of votes. This means small parties can also get one or several seats.

[@Catlily5]

@@harenterberge2632 Interesting, I like that.

[@jamesrossi8442]

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

[@Knockaswagga]

James Rossi the enemy is not all white people

[@elconquistador98]

Said Pogo

[@nevadataylor]

If you accept Science/Evolution, you might know that it's because animals are always adapting to their environment. With cut-throat capitalism being the environment for us to adapt to, clearly this creates the sickness of the people. I strongly make the opinion, that all this shit ends, with the end of humanity being governed by systems of exploitation; namely capitalism.

[@johnmiller567]

@@elconquistador98 Deck us all with Boston Charlie, Walla walla wash and Kalamazoo.

[@paulpolzin3733]

@@nevadataylor Modern capitalism, yes. Today's capitalism sucks because it promotes monopolies, and corporations seemingly possess the ability to abuse their power. If capitalism was actually utilized correctly, you'd think differently. Capitalism was supposed to be compitition, not exploitation (unlike the capitalist system we use today). If we actually start to promote smaller businesses to close the gap, then we can start deassembling corporations like Disney and Google. As they hold the monopolies. If the US promotes compitition, like it was supposed to do, then the economy would have been prosperous. But no, because now we get leaders like Trump. The funny thing is that corporations are able to "buy" politicians, lmao. That needs to be stopped, because this is essentially corruption. So capitalism that is utilized correctly (and used as it was intended to be), then we would have less corruption and actual economic growth. People would be less exploitive if we have a little governmental intervention.

[@MegaChickenfish]

At one point our US motto was "e pluribus unum" or "out of many, one." I think I prefer that over the tribalistic, exlusive nature of "in god we trust", which a rapidly growing population of young people in the united states *are not a part of.* I get why it was put there: The country was scared of their enemies and desperate to find _something_ to try to unite everyone behind, and for whatever reason they chose a vague sense of monotheism, since that was at least _most_ people. But if I was alive during that red scare? *I'd have been executed.* Atheist, doesn't go outside much, questions the government when they're doing something ridiculous, _all the makings of a dirty commie!_ *Let's not go down that hellhole again.* E Pluribus Unum.

[@weiskl887]

The updated version of Red Scare has arrived and improved version is mix it together with Yellow Peril for good measure. You got a brand new enemy bone to chew on now for fun. The Bankers continue to laugh their way to the bank while peasants gets the usual stuff of more Talk of Values.

[@StephensCrazyHour]

You'd have been executed? Really? How many Americans were executed for their political beliefs during the red scare?

[@alexanderb7721]

A number of them. Look at the history of Labor Day (originally on May 4th). There was a protest which got violent and the organizers, anarchists (basically leftists libertarians, they don't actually believe in anarchy) who did nothing wrong were hanged to set an example. They did not commit a crime, but were killed for standing for their beliefs. People like to push away the past, but socialism, labor movements, and the tribulations they suffered were a very real part of this country's history.

[@Flapalot]

@@StephensCrazyHour The incredibly famous case of Sacco and Vanzetti. Two anarchists who were given the death penalty despite the fact they were innocent. This isn't even going into the cases of violent clashes of US national guard and union strikers such as the Ludlow massacre.

[@macvena]

1. You're comment typifies a tribalistic view. 2. No one was executed during the Red Scare. The Roseburgs were executed for espionage and delivering nuclear secrets to the Soviets, which later went to the Chinese as well. 3. E pluribus unum is still one of several nation mottos, along with Novus Ordo Seaclorum, and In God We Trust. 4. The division in the 21st century is directly linked to the rejection of everything that made the United States. If you embrace that trend, you're likely a part of the problem.

[@user-oy9zy4ds9m]

A smart person doesn’t want war, but a smarter person knows war is inevitable.

[@casuallavaring]

I don't think so. Worst case we see a peaceful breakup of the country.

[@ryanjones9498]

Minorities live in a world were if a white says a racist word they lose everything. Job, endorsements, movie deals. If a white were to say a racist word in a large crowd the whole room would gasp and say, that’s not okay. Non-whites are living in the best times for them ever in history. Yet they can’t just pull their pants up and move forward in a positive direction. No they have to keep the world is racist towards us we can be successful in the white mans world narrative.

[@yitaowang8547]

But with the current technological advances, if humanity ever goes into war it is going to destroy itself.

[@rari2943]

@@ryanjones9498 annddddd you're part of the problem

[@MrHistory269]

@LavaringX best case scenario it breaks up peacefully worst case scenario is civil war

[@michaelchildish]

Groupthink, confirmation bias, group attribution bias, and a whole trough of other biases and logical fallacies are tearing us apart in the west

[@zaidsada6841]

Not just the West but humanity

[@NotGilmore]

@@zaidsada6841 true even everywhere I traveled it’s a massive issue.

[@ChaosTheory666]

I think she underestimates the resentment of minorities who were oppressed and how much the elite (or minority ruling class) represents the majority as well as overestimates the importance of power. Those that were oppressed can easily become the new oppressors, and that's partly due to power being dynamic (she pretty much lends credence to that here); in fact you could call power meaningless in a universe where a gamma-ray bursts could evaporate our solar system. At any rate, beware those who oppress whilst professing their status as victims. The Nazis saw themselves as victims and committed atrocities. The "proletariat" (Communists) saw themselves as victims and committed atrocities. The Serbs saw themselves as victims and committed atrocities. And they felt justified doing so.

[@michaels4255]

+chaos theory, most of our minorities came over here *after* 1965 so we never had a chance to oppress them, yet they have learned to resent White Americans anyway. This "blame White men" attitude is consciously promoted by the media and the schools, and that is the main reason they do it. Scapegoating White Christian men is the de facto policy of today's left, like scapegoating Jews was the policy of the Nazi's.

[@guillermojimenez2152]

@@michaels4255 Mexicans where always here what are you talking about

[@T1tanicus]

@@michaels4255 Half this country was Mexico before the United States invaded it, what the fuck are you talking about.

[@visorij3374]

T1tanicus yeah but barley any one lived in those parts and even then most of the Mexicans who did live there where just white Mexican Americans.

[@javierperalta7648]

@Antonio Perales del Hierro I'll never understand why chicanos pretend to be víctims when you are descended from the Spanish conquistadors.

[@mheermance]

Watching this two and a half years later, it's not looking good. Social media seem to be accelerating the divisions.

[@iwax64]

Excellent. Yes. As a “continental” European I am glad that we don’t have a two party system. We have 14 political parties and most have a decent chance to govern. In coalition. Hence, compromise is built in. That is society!

[@ChrisVisserDev]

Like in The Netherlands where the 2nd largest party is excluded from the government, because the largest party simply joins up with smaller parties of the same side.... Or a EU where we can't elect a "president" or even the people joining the parliament.... yea tell me how that's more fair than an electoral college....

[@doublestrokeroll]

No, in Europe you're basically all the same color (historically) yet you're far more racist towards each other than America has ever been. A tiny region of ethnically identical people who can't even get along.....Not sure you should be lecturing Americans on "compromise". lol

[@dr.phylisphical9294]

Ours isnt a 2 party their can be more than 2 but thoose 2 parties are very dominant.

[@iwax64]

@@dr.phylisphical9294 Of course, so in effect it’s a two party system. Was there ever a serious third contender at Federal level?

[@iwax64]

@@doublestrokeroll True race / race-based identity politics doesn’t exist in post war Europe, but populism clearly does try to change that. Even without that, racism exists and must be addressed. But that has little to do with governance through an “either-or” two party model that dominates across the Anglo Saxon world. Multiple party participation demands collaboration by default. Hence, there’s no marginalization of anyone’s interest possible. It is fundamentally mote democratic than “winner takes all” politics.

[@michaelwhite1811]

Be an American for whom fulfilling the duties of citizenship is your greatest priority: 1. I will vote. 2. I will pay my taxes. 3. I will defend the constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. 4. I will respect the life, liberty, and property of my fellow citizens. 5. I will engage in economic exchanges based on mutual consent and mutual benefit regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, or gender identity.

[@morgan1719]

6. I will support my country's destruction and destabilization in regions all around the world If you fail in this duty of American citizenship you will be ostracized, at the least.

[@susanpatton3782]

Absolutely!!

[@sk8freak176]

The issue is when one tribe wants to be left alone and the other is hell bent on imposing their will through force and violence.

[@twistedwithmelancholy8436]

sk8freak176 Yup, modern lefties who keep voting for bigger government

[@Jessman9000]

Twisted That’s funny coming from the righties who keep crying out for civil war because afew sjws decide to protest on the streets. I also don’t see your point, you people, whether you like it or not are doing the same thing. You vote for mega-corporate control of society while the democrats vote for larger government which makes it easier for the corporate sector to corrupt and control.

[@twistedwithmelancholy8436]

Jessman9000 I'm not right (or left). So your assumption of my position is incorrect. Regardless. My point is not about the crony capitalist establishment, but about the idealogical mindset/philosophy of the voting base(s)

[@uropygid]

Twisted: Democrats tax and spend. Republicans don't tax and spend more.

[@uropygid]

Masters: Thank you for using the language I usually use. Don't forget what the no tax right has done to our education system. The tea party and the base get most of their education from the bible.

[@ntwadumelamata7785]

Yes it's a possibility. Just like it's a book called The Rise and Fall of The Roman Empire. There will be one day be a book called The Rise and Fall of The United States of America.

[@BobThebuilder-bh5jz]

True

[@btbocis]

Long live United States of America ! May people that wish or prophesy war and calamity to you be put to shame! May you remain United Forever for taking the most difficult and honorable task by bring people from all over the world across race , ethnicity , tribe , religion and location. Way to go.

[@mrnarason]

according to that the us still has about 250 years of domination. if the roman empire lasted around 500 years.

[@Minuz1]

500 years excluding Byzantine? Some empires live long, some are shorter (3rd Reich for example)

[@whysoserious8666]

Sure you’re not talking about the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon?

[@kathleenhiggins9413]

When treating others as you would wish to be treated is fully integrated into the mind of humankind and so at last, the rule of law within any society. This, to me, would be the dawning of enlightenment upon earth and our saving grace. Meanwhile, you've given great insight into the nuances of division that presently exist.

[@DasRaetsel]

Kathleen Higgins That was probably the most thoughtful and prudent point in this whole comment section :P

[@NathansHVAC]

Kathleen Higgins you forgot to say treating people as you would be treated, but with other people's money.

[@erincaitlin1655]

Kathleen, I totally agree, but some people's egos are out of control. Just look who's in the WH, and the 71 plus million who wanted to keep him in power for a second term!! It's all about tribalism, and "herd mentality" or cultism... I believe the USA might have ended slavery but they never accepted their innate racism, nor did they try to educate future generations to disown racism.

[@andrewmiller480]

@@erincaitlin1655 the USA was founded on slavery and racism.

[@buffuniballer]

@@erincaitlin1655 reading this now while Biden is in office and I still see no improvement other than the lack of tweets. There is still division. Still people demanding others do as they say should be done, still racism, including the paternalism from the left that suggests ethnic minorities are unable to survive without their help, which is just as racist as they proclaim the right to be. You are right, just a different form of racism, and the left is comfortable with their brand because they believe they are helping. I'm no fan of the right either, just pointing out that I don't really see today's left as any sort of solution to the ills they proclaim exist.

[@panpiper]

Identity politics will be the death of us.

[@scj3188]

*WHITE identity politics.

[@incognitotorpedo42]

Sc j, um, no. ANY identity politics. Today's white identity politics is just a response to 30 or 40 years of everyone-except-white-males identity politics practiced by the left.

[@deepfriedsammich]

All political power is coercive and manipulative. It is win-lose. It is a zero-sum game. All politics boils down to various group identities attempting to dominate and colonize others. There are no exceptions. This is the nature of power. It's opposite is liberty, the idea of natural rights, and freedom. It is cooperation and trade which promote empathy and mutual respect.

[@iamimport1741]

Peter Cohen actually, refusing identity politics it's what is going to kill us. All the others get tribal. No choice situation

[@iamimport1741]

Sc j we need that fast...faster. we needed it yesterday

[@DecodeChannel]

Empires inevitably fall, and when they do, history judges them for the legacies they leave behind.

[@JedmcCj-uq5dw]

No they don't. In today's society at least in western society, we don't allow countries to fail at worst they have a depression. People have no clue how easy life is today. In the USA we don't worry about any country trying to take what's ours, a couple hundred years ago we would of taken Canada and Mexico and probably south America. The only countries that fail are the ones the USA wants to fail like the Soviet union. Society is nothing like it used to be, going broke used to mean certain death now its virtually meaningless. If you disagree id like to hear why.

[@joserendon6199]

hiroshima, nagasaki, vietnam, lagos, cuba, etc, etc, etc, etc.

[@impalabeeper]

"The top 1% changes almost on a daily basis." What is your point? It doesn't mean oligarchs don't exist.

[@impalabeeper]

Dennis Walker When someone criticise the so-called 1%, it is tacitly criticisng those who didn't drop out (Koch Brothers etc.) and invariably keep an estimated $1 trillion of finances in tax havens. Sure, there maybe some individuals who are innocent, but there are certainly a significant portion of that 1% who are stil in the game and manipulating society to maintain power and wealth for themselves.

[@impalabeeper]

Dennis Walker "And can you honestly say in their position you wouldn't do the same ?" Just because you can do it, it doesn't mean it's right. I've actually put myself in the shoes of influential rich people; but I was raised to be honest so I probably won't (and what am I going to do with so many money? A million is more than enough for me). I do boycott products and services of unethical companies myself. " Don't hate the player or the game , hate the people who wrote the rules of the game. The reason we are right where we are at today is career professional politicians ." And who influences to write the rules of the game? You're downplaying the obvious influence of corporations who are the actual rulers of America and scapegoating career politicians who themselves are lackeys.

[@SimGunther]

Aged like a fine wine indeed!

[@thechadeuropeanfederalist893]

How about everyone identifies only with themselves instead of with groups or ideologies? Everyone is an individual. You shouldn't identity yourself as a political ideology, because it incapacitates your thinking. Your only allegiance should be to the truth.

[@rocky5152]

The Chad Globalist excellent comment!

[@deliverus6856]

Some Terrance McKenna shit right here he’ll yeah

[@TJ5897]

I did think, that's why I'm a leftist.

[@danarnold8780]

@@TJ5897 You do realise by identifying yourself as a leftist, You're falling into the very trap they just described. You are grouping yourself with a specific group and, rather you realise it or not, are allowing them to manipulate your brain. I mean no hostility, just a desire for you to stay open minded. I like to stay in the center of things rather than going left or right.

[@stalwartarjuna]

Because then it winds back to a 'Life of Brian'-esque scenario: "You are all individuals!" "Yes, we are all individuals." Tribalism is inevitable.

[@ShaynaLynn]

What does it feel like to be wrong? If you don't know you're wrong, it feels exactly like being right. Herein lies the problem.

[@damienbagley2925]

Interesting thought.

[@allgoo1964]

Great explanation. I've noticed this game of "I'm this side, you are other side." The topic of discussion doesn't matter to them much, they just want to feel "We are winning."

[@zanzivar5892]

As George Carlin said : George Washington said : ""ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL"" At the same time, part of his PROPERTY was around 200 slaves. Nobody but "white MEN had the right to vote", no NATIVES, no BLACK PEOPLE, no WOMEN,.....NOBODY but, WHITE MALES. """ If HONESTY is introduce in this country, IT WILL FALL APART """. One of the reasons, It is falling apart is cause HONESTY, is not part of the equation. And that's the FOUNDATION of the USA, sadly.

[@obijuan3004]

Good video. Interesting example about Iraq, the same thing happens in African countries where the colonial power gave the minority group the power over a majority group, like in Rwanda.

[@who_is_Yabets]

... And Rhodesia, and South Africa

[@thenathanimal2909]

In the US, intensely focusing on our differences such as race or sex has magnified tribalism. This has allowed the power hungry to harness this emotion for power.

[@rabbit251]

Currently the Republicans are playing really playing nationalism (Trump) and culture. That is fine except the Democrats don't seem to recognize that. Politically what the Democrats want (national health insurance or greater or better forms of it), infrastructure, etc., are all things that most Americans agree upon. But many people are angry about political correctness. In Virginia where the Republicans just won the governorship, there big issue was really about an incident in which a transgender boy said he was a girl and should be allowed to use the girl's bathroom. He had an incident at one school about this and at the second school he raped a girl. This was really the whole issue to swing voters. If your children aren't safe, then people really don't care about social programs. Democrats tried to use the tactic that Newsom in California used to simply paint the Republican as a Trumpster which worked there. They tried the same in Virginia but the Republican candidate refused Trump's endorsement or go near him. He made the issues about culture and was able to win. Republicans got smart. Democrats are going to lose big in the next election!

[@Catlily5]

@@rabbit251 I br

[@willrunriot]

Stop focusing so much on the "groups." Identity politics are inevitably divisive. Just be an individual.

[@FrankHarwald]

THIS!

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Rusty Shackleford but individuals lack the strength of identity and therefore belonging that a group provides

[@FrankHarwald]

@@EmperorsNewWardrobe Identity originates from the fundamental values individuals stand on & which goals they seek. Groups only provide association between people to further strengthen the pursuit of those goals.

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Frank Harwald, interesting! Are you saying that a group identity could be healthy if it’s defined by the pursuit of a goal instead of a mere sense of belonging (by defining who is other to the group)? Sounds like a plausible idea, a sort of functional group name for the purpose of goal-seeking. It would also mean openness to new members if they join the goal

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Ginger Baker, sure, it’s not without its liabilities, but then buddhists rarely go around persecuting others

[@UTArch1]

WHY so many dislikes? She is telling the truth.

[@skwrttj]

Most people don’t want to hear the truth!

[@bravoalphahk]

She thinks "whites" started out as a single ethnic identity group (they neither did, nor are they a single group today) instead of a very gradual, egalitarian merger of many culturally familiar and historically interconnected groups. Plus, she's materialistically zero-sum; her overused "oppression" is apparently a Marxist complaint of making a little less money than the next guy, whereas resolvable oppression is tangible and direct. Also, her wholesale repudiation of individual identity and reliance on stereotype is simply irksome. But it was an interesting perspective in total.

[@dianeridley9804]

I would love to see her walk into a little bodega and see if anyone follows her around.

[@nathanm9212]

The far-right MAGA morons have went full tribal... they will account for the dislikes... can’t tell a Fool he’s a fool without backlash.

[@geraldarmstrong5646]

I see lots of tribalism going on in the comment section

[@nikolaibelinski3433]

Yeah its pretty sad that everyone is brainwashed by a clown know as donald trumpet

[@Eternale26Fundación]

@@nikolaibelinski3433 both sides deserve help tbh, the orange man, although is band and big, he's just the beggining and the tip of the iceberg.

[@jaz093]

@@nikolaibelinski3433 if you can't understand why Trump became president then you need to look at yourself.

[@85Funkadelic]

Lots of lines have been drawn in the sand in this country. Usually those lines are about denying someone their rights like gay and lesbian people or women. Other times those lines are drawn in the sand in a way that says no these rich people have the money and their systems of exploiting the environment are making them more money and you're not touching it stupid citizen. Oh and let's not forget one of the best ones The thin blue line that says these police need to murder your children so they feel safe so all us people in the suburbs can feel safe. So yeah there's a lot of tribalism and it's being pushed by the people who stand to gain the most from us being divided and not paying attention to what they're doing.

[@dr.phylisphical9294]

@@85Funkadelic also the line of not being able to live people who beleive diffrently than you.

[@erickkeenan1011]

Wilson wasn't remotely considering non white groups, he was thinking about the war in Europe and the German American population and their alignment.

[@purinat_sun]

If tribalism is the root of problems, ask yourself what party has been playing identity politics that separates people into more and more groups.

[@acdude5266]

The better question is which party wants to whitewash history and keep the resources in their tribe's possession.

[@purinat_sun]

@@acdude5266 I have no problem admitting that it’s been the Republican Party since 1964. But what good would my answer do to the point then? You don’t answer a question with another question or refute the correct answer thereto by resorting to whataboutism either. In case you already made any assumption about me, I’m neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Other than that, I’m not even a U.S. citizen. But if I were one, I’d vote for the third biggest party there.

[@billpetersen298]

You guys prove her point. You’re pointing at each other. Rather than reaching across the aisle.

[@Rikken552]

To be honest both, they just disagree with which identities are better

[@joshuatoa8150]

History paints a clear picture that all empires eventually fail / fall. "War does not determine who is right - only who is left.". B. Russell.

[@kingkobra1978]

We'll be fighting in the streets With our children at our feet And the morals that they worship will be gone And the men who spurred us on Sit in judgement of all wrong They decide and the shotgun sings the song. Some of us will be always fooled,again.

[@wojectwenty]

be a member of the human tribe 1st and treat every one as one's equal , some day in the future we may depend on them for our well being

[@kieransoregaard-utt8]

False. Human beings are innately selfish creatures. There is no way to keep people from exploiting others.

[@kieransoregaard-utt8]

@Curt Christensen False. That’s not how it works. You have to get to the root of why that person is a criminal. Shaming them? Yea, because treating an entire group of people the same way always works...genius....

[@kieransoregaard-utt8]

@Curt Christensen Yea, real intelligent comment considering SCIENTIFIC studies show spanking is actually more likely to turn people INTO criminals. Ever heard of science? You should look it up.

[@kieransoregaard-utt8]

@Curt Christensen False. You can’t find a study to say anything you want, and they do provide evidence. Your statement about Sweden is unintelligible.

[@bobbywise2313]

@@kieransoregaard-utt8 Actually studies are all inherently flawed. The ability to analyze studies and dig deeper into results is a rare trait.

[@thefourshowflip]

This desire for retribution is no longer hidden out of sight...it has unfortunately been not only openly professed by the fringes, but also has begun to garner sympathy and [tacit] support. We can either work towards equality [of opportunity] - in which we neither promote nor stifle the opportunities of anyone on the basis of things like race, sex, gender, orientation, etc - or we can enter the cycle of endless revenge as power oscillates back and forth, inevitably tearing apart the society...but we can’t do both (and we shouldn’t do the latter either).

[@ablackgoliath1827]

thefourshowflip - Easy to say if your a straight/gay white middle/upper middle class male. The rest of us a fighting for an equitable situation in a system traditionally imbalanced to favour white males (and i would argue this applies regardless of sexuall orientation). White privilege refers to this ability to make statements like yours that sound great in theory eg "equality for all" but what you don't add is the "without disadvantaging the already advantaged groups". Essentially you are advocating for keeping everything as it is with white males basking in all their undeserved racial/gender advantage. Heard it all before...

[@thefourshowflip]

Black Goliath That is not at all what I’m advocating for. And what makes you certain I’m Middle/upper-middle class, or even what race I am? There is absolutely nothing I said, nor is there anything in my profile that could be used to infer anything about my demographics; I presume you concluded that I’m a middle/upper middle straight/gay white man from the content of my reply. But I’ll digress. If your argument is that I would oppose moving towards a society where we seek equality of outcome, you’re correct, but it would be wholly incorrect to say I oppose equality of opportunity; I don’t believe that characteristics that you have no choice in deciding should be used to help or hinder you...people aren’t able to chose to be born male or female...they can’t choose to be born black, white, Asian, Hispanic, etc...they can’t choose where they were born, or who their parents were...they can’t choose their sexual orientation. If you had absolutely no choice in the matter, there is no justifiable and rational reason to hold you accountable for them...it’s simply nonsensical; it shouldn’t help you and it also shouldn’t hinder you. This is what I want to see be realized. That’s my ENDGOAL and of yet, I’ve said nothing about how we can get there, so why are you assuming malice on my behalf? ...That I want to keep allowing the undeserved to enjoy the fruits of historical trends based on the degradation and at the expense of the other?

[@thefourshowflip]

Black Goliath Furthermore, I’d challenge anyone to give an argument for how characterizing a person based on [perceived] group identity is a reliable way to determine anything about that individual which isn’t stereotypical (maybe I misunderstood, but I thought stereotyping was a bad thing). Does being a male or female tell you anything about a specific male or female, or does it just allow you to make a guess about them? Sure these can often be “reasonable”, like that the average male is taller than the average female, but the fact that men are taller than women on average does not mean that all men are tall, nor does it mean there are no tall women. To use this group characteristic to presume the characteristics of an individual IN the group is where the flaw lies, and to continue to distill individuals into molds which are necessarily defined by group identity is problematic and detrimental. I could be a super wealthy (.1%) straight white cismale and it still wouldn’t tell you how I PERSONALLY viewed the situation or what I would suggest as a solution...yet, it seems like if I fit those categories, I must be the “opposition” (or worse, the “enemy”) unless every one of my ideas falls completely in line with what you believe...I sincerely hope that this is not the case, but if it is...that’s precisely what the end of this video was warning about.

[@oaxacachaka]

Black Goliath, you are just a sore loser. People from all over the world make it in the US. People from all races make billions of dollars here. That in itself proves the system doesn't oppress or discriminate. There are a dozen or so ethnic groups that out earn white people in the US. If people don't make it here they are either content with where they are or they are stupid. If you come from a stock of dumber than average people than you are going to perform worse than average as a group.

[@ablackgoliath1827]

Lol - i am willing to bet money you are melanin deficient. I can presume what your 'goals are from the fact you tried to play the oh-so-tired 'white innocence' card eg "If you had absolutely no choice in the matter, there is no justifiable and rational reason to hold you accountable for them...it’s simply nonsensical; it shouldn’t help you and it also shouldn’t hinder you." You are the one being idiotic by ignoring history,a racist culture with social structures to match as well as human psychology. Note the word 'SHOULDN'T'. I don't know what world you live in but in the one i know people *are* most definitely treated +/- based on race class gender etc. Fact. Your 'shouldn't' is a red herring, what is IS and that is what's important. How do you see the redressing of MASSIVE INEQUITY not equality? By maintaining the status quo and doing nothing to change the inequities of the system? Your argument is always applied by whites claiming "it's not my fault, *I* didn't do anything!" But you guys always ignore world history and in particular US history ( much like SA history) where whites colonised and put in place legal and CULTURAL mechanisms that whites currently benefit from WITHOUT lifting a pinky. You'r either trying to get me to believe your incredibly naive or your trolling with fully intended malice. I see the latter.

[@montithered4741]

There is no we and them, there is only us. One planet, one people, one family.

[@shawarmageddonit]

I'm guessing this is one of those cases where the relatively high number of dislikes, ironically, prove the author's point.

[@hithere748]

🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@greenbird777]

Democracy can't work if one portion of the population fights to hold all the power. At that point it's no longer a democracy, but a silent dictatorship. Voting doesn't change things because politicians don't have the ability to break the power of that silent "group dictatorship". But there's no reason to stop trying. The dream of equality, freedom, justice & compassion is one ALL humans work toward & we ARE making progress. This is the dream of humanity, & we get a little closer every day.

[@RebelScout1]

Excellent video, expressed the ideas well, very understandable and insightful. Thx!!

[@kojibigger21]

The only tribes today whether in America or not is rich and poor

[@who_is_Yabets]

Fear not. The Proletariat will succeed, comrade.

[@grg537]

Astonishingly accurate. Thank you Amy Chua!

[@JavohirXR]

It's weird that people care more about political parties rather than thinking about improving usa from all aspects

[@antoniofdez]

Excellent analysis. What you explain for America reminds a lot to the situation in my country (Spain) before the civil war, with a society highly polarized between left-wingers and right-wingers, and the subsequent fascist dictatorship, which brought about a sense of "order" for some part of the middle class and the priviledged higher classes at the expense of a brutal violation of human rights to all kinds of subgroups smashed by Franco (left-wingers of all flavours, democrats in general, homosexuals, masons, etc.). As you explain, the path of tribalism is a dangerous road that ends on the total dehumazation of the enemy (the civil war of my country as an historical example), and a real democracy is a situation where a sense of unity prevails over ideological orientations. Just nailed it down.

[@jasonraider3737]

The policy implications are that in order to minimize the risk of tribal conflict and instability, nations (including the US) should adopt a: 1) Liberal (MLK) policy towards minorities, which entails fighting against discrimination and promoting equality. 2) Centrist policy towards integration: emphasizing shared, national identity, while still respecting the cultural identities of each group. 3) More conservative approach towards immigration: if the lack of a clear majority and the expansion of tribalism = an increased risk for conflict (as was the case in Lebanon, Yugoslavia, Syria, Iraq, etc.), does it make sense to pursue policies that increase diversity (rather than just accommodate existing diversity)?

[@tocrob]

@ 4:30 China has "autonomous regions" for people and reserves for animals/plants. America has reserves for both people and animals/plants.

[@macanoodough]

FDR said that. He said (to the effect of...) There are no Italian Americans or Jewish Americans, there are only Americans! The sub groups are for Food Culture, Family Structure, etc. Once you confuse your culture with your politics, it becomes a negative and something that needs to be rooted out or it will destroy us. Because while your culture brought you your food and family etc., it also failed and forced your family to get on a boat and seek greener pastures in the first place. Then there are others who were ripped from their culture and stuck in a limbo for second class citizens and who's oppressors are tapping into the xenophobia and racism of society as a whole to get them to do it autonomously. But this has the result of effecting everyone in society negatively, despite color or race etc. Because while a rising tide raises all ships, one goes down and we all go down....

[@troubledsole9104]

I am American-American who happens to have past relatives from Italy and England.

[@AZrakoon]

I'm an American too, my past relatives are from Mexico. But that doesnt make me a Mexican, even Mexican nationals see it that way.

[@jesterjames7633]

Americans are for diversity, as long as the minorities doesn't really have any power. Americans are for Religious freedom, as long as the other religions doesn't have a prayer of challenging Christianity. Americans are for trade, as long as Americans gets the better end of the deal, all the time.

[@damienbagley2925]

Those seem to be more or less the official policies anyway. It reminds me of a fellow who lived north of me in Arkansas. If memory serves me he was a Pastor of sorts named Tom Brown. Anyway, old Brown and his flock liked to use Cannabis as some sort of spiritual pursuit or other. End result: Pastor Brown got sent to prison for a not inconsequential period of time. Freedom of Religion, huh? Yeah.

[@impalabeeper]

I am not an expert on Switzerland but perhaps it is the only country where multiculturalism and diversity works well because the country is a confederation, with cantons having tacit agreement to keep each of their collective identity but working in harmony towards a common goal.

[@frantabor7319]

Every native language in Switzerland represents a different tribe. The one thing everyone agreed on, was no one trusted anyone else, so all remained armed---resulting in mutual respect, which led to one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Not surprising. When you treat your neighbor with respect, and he returns that respect, the result is friendship.

[@incognitotorpedo42]

Probably helps that they're all white Christians (or non-religious).

[@michaels4255]

About two thirds of the Swiss are Germans, which gives the country a lot of stability. Also, they don't take sides in their neighbors' quarrels, since that would pit one group of Swiss against another. Thus, the famous Swiss neutrality.

[@tubester4567]

This is why multi-culturalism will fail.

[@shead5000]

Then stay the f$ck in your white homeland.

[@tubester4567]

@@shead5000 Many of us are, but everyone still wants to live there.

[@shead5000]

@@tubester4567 ...to all dreamers comes the wake-up.

[@connie1wilson]

This is so true, people grouping together because of politics or religion is so sad! It’s so limiting when you only mix with your “own kind”.

[@Schlabbeflicker]

Ethnic revanchism will exist whether a group is mistreated or not. When a majority controls a country, you say the minority is "oppressed", but when are they actually oppressed, and when is their "oppression" simply a complaint because they haven't been given the right to veto the majority and write the laws as they see fit? For example, modern Germany has a strong tradition of secularity and respect for human rights. When the majority of Germans agree, through their own shared values, that child genital mutilation is a human rights violation, are they oppressing the minority Muslim and Jewish communities that perform these operations independent of the national ethnic? I suppose now the Catalonians are oppressed because they haven't been allowed additional tax and legal privileges that most other regions of Spain lack. Are the Chinese minority in Indonesia now "oppressing" the majority because they're better at running businesses and corporations than everyone else? Unequal resource distribution is an endemic feature of humanity, and rather than trying to "spread it around" between competing ethnic groups, you yourself admit a higher level of stability is possible if a demographically dominant ethnicity also controlled those resources. The conclusion with recent hardening of political lines in the US isn't that "we need to stop becoming excessively partisan", because this itself is a symptom, not the cause. Rather, what enables strong partisanship is a splintering ethnic cohesion. "Affirmative action" was the tip of the iceberg of ethnic power-sharing arrangements, which will only grow in coverage as larger sub-groups develop. Simply "understanding" isn't the solution, since that's the very ethic that has fueled ethnic balkanization in the US beyond the 1960's. Unlike Russia or China, America's current population is demographically self-sustaining, so encouraging sub-groups by "bringing them into the fold" like Russia has attempted to do with their endemic Muslim population is unnecessary for the US. On the contrary, the only thing that will prevent further ethnic balkanization here is a cessation of large-scale immigration and a return to the assimilation policies of early 20th century America. It DOESN'T have to be a PARTICULAR ethnicity, as whatever color you call yourself or church you sit in doesn't matter, but for long-term stability, a supermajority of the population has to adhere to ONE ethnic identity. I would hope that adherence to written law would prevent abuses of the remaining minority, but both Democrats and Republicans today show us they don't care about respecting rights enumerated in the Constitution, which is to say that most people don't care about protecting things that don't affect them. If that's objectionable, the only realistic alternative is to sit back and watch the gradual breakdown of institutional integrity, followed by constant ethnic violence, and culminating in regional uprisings or even a sectarian civil war. And you can bet that in an ethnically-fueled civil war, there will be a lot more losers that will cease to exist at all. Not in the sense of "they gentrified the Latino community center", but more "mass graves on every fucking block". The "assimilate" option sounds a lot more humanitarian by contrast.

[@dash007]

we don't need a civil war

[@CaptPatrick01]

Dashawn Hatton Given recent events though, it is a very real possibility...

[@dash007]

We just need to respect people

[@dash-4150]

Dashawn Hatton yes, get back to the basis of being a republic nation, with indaviduals rights upheld and not the majority

[@dash-4150]

Dashawn Hatton people not respecting others rights, across both isles, and both isles are heads of the same snake

[@dash007]

Patrick Lloyd I know. I’m concerned but we don’t need it.

[@jamesrossi8442]

The Appalachia poor (mostly white). The inner city poor (Black, Latina, White). The working poor (all races). What tribes are these?

[@LJK77777]

Too simplistic. Too "whitewashing!" And too surface descriptive without underlying dynamics or how to reduce.

[@crhu319]

If you demand solutions from those who point out problems, you won't hear of problems in time.

[@brewofqi]

When Humanity finally abandons the bad ideas of borders, money & religion, they'll be a-ok. How hard could it be? *cough*

[@jkryanspark]

One step at a time. Religion; you're done with.

[@Rikken552]

​@@jkryansparkand what will happen to religious people?

[@russellhogben6628]

Very clearly explained

[@vocalcords7397]

I know words, I have the best words. Nobody respects women more than me. I am the least racist person who you have ever met. Nobody lies better than me. Believe me. Sad!

[@carnoises86]

Russell Hogben Correction: Very hot

[@petergould406]

I don't find this talk very clear, and wonder if you meant that comment ironically or sincerely. She references many arguments I have heard before (and agree with) but jumps around a lot, and it becomes extremely unclear what she is really trying to say as soon as the so called "Coastal elites" are brought up. I might have thought she would contrast the 2 camps in the US but instead starts talking about all sorts of countries in the world controlled by small ethnic subsets of the population. It is unclear to me if that is what she is saying is happening with the US and if she is I feel that she needs to make a stronger case.

[@cavv0667]

And yet, being very clearly explained, she does not say much at all that isn't already known. In America the majority of people don't look through eyes blinded by race, culture, religion, etc., but then we patronage these large political and corporate entities that "Want us split" so they can have the power they've held on to for years and years. What must be done is the public at large ending their patronage of these groups and supporting those people and companies that don't want us divided and see that a United Nation is our strength for the future. So she talks a lot about division but not a word on the ending of said divisions. She seems like just another mouthpiece for the demagogues that wish us to be split...

[@Nabo42]

"Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing." She basically just rambled on for 8 minutes without a solid point. I want my time back.

[@alau2058]

And here we are today in November 2020, a country VERY divided between two political tribes.

[@mmiller212]

It’s almost like she had a crystal ball 😅

[@TheWorldLaughter]

100000% lol

[@PeterParkorr]

Yup! Not sure if I'm impressedpr horrified but my face can't stop leaking 🤣😭😅😬

[@belewyifru3624]

Amazing! I am an Ethiopian. This explains the situation in my country as it does other places. Thank you.

[@julian1000]

@@belewyifru3624 what is happening in Ethiopia?

[@jc.1191]

@@TheWorldLaughter I haven't laughed once about this.

[@usenglishwithnativeenglish3820]

How ironic. The American government killed most of my tribe, the Northern Cheyenne tribe, in the largest genocide in human history, but tribalism will eventually destroy it. My grandfather ALWAYS said it was just a matter of time until the colonizers who occupy our land would destroy themselves. Grandfather was very wise.

[@theseventhgeneration6910]

I, for one, am happy to watch the decimation of the conservatism. They have been standing in the way of progress for far far far far far too long.

[@maliciousmike8440]

The goal of socialism is communism. Is that progressive? Conservatives know the constitution is the only thing that’s keeping your government from consuming you. You’ve been taught a lie.

[@muz1c4lif3]

Great video very informative piece new in learning politics and this is a nicely in depth piece on the middle East and identity politics and other areas to sit and think on.

[@devinelgert4880]

Wait...isn't bring down American empire a good thing?

[@g0679]

The French colonial empire is what I truly miss.

[@kairon156]

It depends on which empire rises up to replace the power gap.

[@screenarts]

The founders of the US feared the rabble as much as they hated the king. They wanted many "factions" to fight amoung themselves never able to take power from the aristocracy they established.

[@ZennExile]

We teach our children in public school Tribal Social mechanics. That needs to stop. Public Education needs to include extreme methods of eliminating confirmation bias, and tribal belief structure, or tribalism will in fact, destroy this country. Cheering for the home team does not create progress. And never will. We have the internet. It is time for the true Renaissance to take place. One where information and human knowledge becomes a "HUMAN RIGHT" for every child born in this rock. Because the only cure to all of our problems in modern society, is UNIVERSAL EDUCATION!!!

[@erikshure360]

Zenn Exile tribalism is in our blood. Humans have evolved in tribes for a very very very long time. Good luck teaching an unconscious bias out of people lol.

[@ZennExile]

No yer just a fukpotato. Tribalism is taught.

[@ZennExile]

Erik yer a fukpotato, stop trying to form opinions until you unfuk your brain. Pixel, A globally competitive, and comprehensive education, not working class bootcamp, but real education must be the RIGHT of every child. Or we're all fukt. That's all there is to it.

[@erikshure360]

Zenn petty insults will not validate your claim -- they only make you appear to be weak minded. Challenge ideas, not character.

[@ZennExile]

In Science we let Observations and Evidence narrate reality. And all I see is a pure bred fukpotato. You have no opinion on any matter worth noting, or considering. And you likely never will. It's not the fukpotato way to learn new things.

[@Oseiwe]

It continues to amaze me how much knowledge is concentrated in so few people and the extent of that knowledge. I'm amazed about how she knows so much about people who don't know about themselves. I can assure you as one living in such a dysfunctional post-colonial country that you couldn't be more correct. This lady could have done better as National Security Advisor for W. All these people who feel entitled to be close to power have always amazed me how either no different from many other regular people, or indeed having far worse judgement than so many others they would claim are unqualified to stand in their place, that they really are

[@ingridlandberg8662]

Thanks for helping me understand something very personal. My father immigrated to USA in 1925 from Sweden. He always said, "We are Americans now." and refused to tell me anything about Sweden. I believed it was because I wasn't good enough but now I can blame Woodrow Wilson. My father was afraid for his children not fitting in. I inherited my name - a Scandinavian custom so I could never hide my ancestry like the kids with Americanized names. BTW, I have come to embrace my heritage. I can be both a part of the great homogeneous melting pot stew and a spicy morsel that is uniquely me.

[@martinostlund1879]

I'm Swedish, in 1925 Sweden wasn't a very good place for most people, maby he didn't want to talk about it.

[@MysticHeather]

I love the idea we’re all spicy morsels uniquely adding to the pot 🥰

[@Childlesscatlaby]

There's a lot of noise that distorts reality. We can help each other improve sensemaking across precieved "hard lines" only through conversation. Conversation is also how adults learn.

[@AvianSavara]

Further thought and reflection : Social subgroups espousing highly specific lifestyles are so saliently marketed to by various companies as to not only reinforce their lifestyle choices, but also amplify their sense of alienation from other social groups. This market segregation is no longer just a symptom of a tribalized society, but an accelerator.

[@hersirivarr1236]

Good observation.

[@raventhorn9287]

Hello, American here. The colors are reversed in this video's image. Blue is left, red is right. :)

[@hayestoph]

Interesting to watch this 2 1/2 years later.

[@goldenfighter1986]

Trump supporters just attacked the Capitol. This video helped explain what’s happening now.

[@maliciousmike8440]

Biden Harris supporters attacked several US cities and it was ENDORSED by our new Vice President. Does that mean the entire Democrat party should be labeled a terrorist regime? By your logic, it should.

[@maliciousmike8440]

@Andrew Burch the system isn’t flawed, is just been hijacked by a radicalized leftest party, with almost completely biased media support and big tech, suppressing anyone who disagrees. Pretty sure the founding fathers didn’t anticipate this.

[@maliciousmike8440]

@Andrew Burch Trump was impulsive and divisive, but the liberal leadership in my country has been divisive for decades. He didn’t cause the capital riots any more that they caused the rioting in Seattle, Portland etc. but they, with the help of the media (including social media) are just pounding this narrative to the world. The truth can be difficult to find sometimes, but, if your mind is open to it, you can tell who’s lying and just ignore them. The election? Yes, there was massive fraud with state complicity, but until that’s investigated, we’ll never no if the election was stolen.

[@nicktaylor5264]

There will now follow a comment section filled with American Tribalist in-fighting.

[@RalphDratman]

Excellent multi-faceted talk. This is real teaching, not just opinion-telling.

[@tomasbickel58]

Ever though, that a faction might have an interest on enforcing tribalism in US politics?

[@Catlily5]

If you don't want the USA to exist then encouraging factions makes sense.

[@tomasbickel58]

​@@Catlily5 .. not really: the landmass doesn't go anywhere and the Union probably either. The situation will just stay as it is - you know .. like Slow Cooking: keep cooking on low temperature for a looong time to get the best result.

[@Catlily5]

@@tomasbickel58 I hope you are right.

[@elfboi523]

I am not an American, and I sincerely hope that the end of the US Empire comes sooner rather than later. It has been crumbling for decades now, it should have vanished along with the Soviet Union back then.

[@billpetersen298]

If China takes over. We will all be wishing for the USA, to still be back. The Chinese communist party doesn’t respect its own people. Good luck, if you’re not Han.

[@rustworker]

She’s right about tribalism being bad but it’s interesting that she says “intense patriotism” is a good thing. She’s looking to make a bigger tribe based on nationality.

[@mwright80]

A tribe is an organic grouping of people who have something in common. No problem there. The ability to identify with more than one tribe both inspires patriotism and prevents tribalism.

[@aneldabotes8814]

Woodrow Wilson said that ironically. He led the free world through WWI. He was a symbol of democracy and freedom.

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Hmmmm....he was your most autocratic prez, and was not being ironic, that is just a cover for his reputation, one that has been explored and is deservedly poor.

[@payank505]

I would prefer our government representatives have NO party affiliations. Rather, they represent their constituency and belong to various flexible coalitions that form around ISSUES the public wants them to deal with. Focus on ISSUES!

[@vector9511]

What if we had parties that focus on a single issue, for instance the gun control party, the pro life party, the free healthcare party etc... so that way candidates could still receive campaign funding from parties while existing to serve in the interest of the people rather than their party?

[@kennyhall196]

A house divided eventually falls. Here freedom and equality are beautiful slogans to utter in conversation. Realistically speaking it is a grossly exaggerated rhetorical idea that is never played out in America. It's more like you can have freedom as long as you do what we say.

[@bonecanoe86]

Her: "Tribes are bad." LITERALLY 28 SECOND LATER: "This tribe has a grievance, this tribe has a grievance, this tribe has a grievance..." Is everyone completely blind to the irony here?

[@joewwilliams]

If you're referring to the beginning, she was quoting someone else, and then said "it's crazy you could say there are no separate groups when there were obviously separate groups".

[@AMBELLINA77]

bonecanoe86 I heard that. Sounded like: Wealthy minorities that oppress populations should be left alone. Oppressed people however, cannot be trusted with freedom or democracy because they might try to escape their slavery.

[@85Funkadelic]

Sounds like you heard what you decided to hear when you clicked play.

[@AMBELLINA77]

85Funkadelic But you didn't?

[@JustCozItsMe]

Theres some oversimplification going on here. Kinda seems like, well, youre not able to make it fit into a place too small so its easier to shave it down into a shape that fits.

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

What happens when one tribe is resolutely anti-reality and the other "tribe" is simply for taking reality at face value? How do you fix that?

[@ph11p3540]

You don't. Nothing you can do about it. It's like dealing with junkies or alcaholics.

[@rabbit251]

The US was on such a brink back in the 60s and 70s mostly about civil rights and changing norms for women. Things have actually progressed very much since then. Minorities are readily accepted, racism is generally frowned upon. (Although you are correct, it is making a come back). The question is are we looking at a revolution seeking to restore the ideas of the past, or this their last hurrah realizing that their power is dwindling? Time will tell. I won't be around to see it.

[@ericpreston8877]

Ideas don't govern. Objective social relationships do.

[@Rikken552]

Sounds like someone has a bias

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

@@Rikken552 What if your bias is to think critically and trust reliable sources?

[@mcleanblades9234]

Thanks Amy. This is a recap of your book "World on Fire" which I enjoyed reading. But aside from the recent development of Coastal Elites - there's nothing in this video that suggests how the American Empire could fall. So the title is click bait.

[@xXAscendingPhoenixXx]

Who exactly are the costal elites? 🤔

[@iansullivan9738]

I'm a Sectarian, we don't get along with Tribalists.

[@erikshure360]

Tribalism is hard coded in humans

[@BadWebDiver]

She is warning of overzealous tribalism or fanatical devotion to a single tribe to the exclusuion of all others. She said people belong to tribes, but she said it's better to belong to several tribes with different groups of people.

[@Jessman9000]

tis why they fail, sooner or later

[@NathansHVAC]

Gender is hard coded in humans too. But, that doesn't stop the post moderist biology deniers.

[@haanszilla8396]

This video was not what I was expecting, it was good!

[@taliaferro2302]

I didn't know intellectuals were allowed to be honest and have integrity anymore. Thank you for making this video. It needs to be heard. Fuck the backlash.

[@SuperTonyony]

She's just a mushy moderate. She has absolutely nothing interesting to say.

[@bluntmcbeefcake]

In the speech he recognizes that there are different groups but the quote that she used is toward the end when he says aspirationally that there are no separate groups that you think you are then you're not really an American challenging the audience to try to Break Down The Walls between them Woodrow Wilson certainly recognize that they were separations at that time

[@garywood97]

Accurately described the problem. Didn't say much about a solution though. It would be helpful if someone could point to any example of a highly multi-cultural and multi-racial society working ANYWHERE over a prolonged period of time.

[@THATGuyEd]

Aaaaaand welcome to 2021.

[@dr.christopherdiaz4473]

Latinos are amazing at this: Somos un nación; no me importa si tu eres blanco o negro, porque somos gente.

[@scj3188]

bullshit.

[@Eric-ye5yz]

Americans, when debating, will resort to offensive language very quickly.

[@englishoak69]

Nationalism is what sustains a culture, globalism and dilution destroys it... this channel is think small not big.

[@seanmichaels8060]

But *Nationalism* and *Religion* are responsible for most of the world's wars. Learn your history or repeat it. Also, you speak of culture as if it's fixed. Culture changes with the times. We used to live in a slave owning culture where only wealthy land owning whites could vote. Now everybody can vote regardless of race or whether they grew up in a trailer park or in a gated richy rich community.

[@NathansHVAC]

Sean Michaels. You can't have a nation without nationalism. What you said is that nations are responsible for all wars. I hope you just didn't figure that out? I bet you don't know that there has never been a war between 2 free states. They don't teach that in Marxist college. Socialist states are police states. Democratic states are free states. People are not put in Gulags in America for how they vote. I'm sure the lefties would like to bring back the soviet gulags, but this is still a free state.

[@seanmichaels8060]

NatahansHVAC Also, was there ever a time before religion? What time was that? I'm not familiar with the pre-religion age.

[@michaels4255]

When our ancestors were theologically tolerant animists without nationalism or states or even chiefs, we still had wars. Even chimps wage wars. If you look at wars carefully, you will see they are almost always struggles over resources, such as territory or, in the case of many civil wars, who controls the government, which is an immensely powerful resource that can redistribute goods from one group to another.

[@PoliticalEconomy101]

The process of the neoliberal marketization of society: political pluralism, special interest groups, class interests, business lobbying, diversity, multiculturalism, competition, infinite options, and complexity. The illusion of liberty (as an ideological apparatus) leaves the underlying social structure, (hierarchy, power, causes of inequality, and reproduction of inequality) unchallenged.

[@angelic8632002]

Always refreshing to see an intelligent and well reasoned argument.

[@MisterKorihor]

But I thought diversity is a strength.

[@davidbarnesstuff53]

So how do we stop oppression of the poor in the United States without getting payback. If I could force the wealthiest people in the U.S. into poverty, I would do so. I would do this without regret. Even if it meant remaining impoverished myself. At least it would be egalitarian.

[@IAMSTRINDOM]

the more feasible answer is to vote in politicians who actually represent their people over their donors, then start ACTUALLY taxing corporations for the funds to rebuild and expand our depleted social programs, introduce some real social mobility, and start truly taking care of the american people.

[@arraymac227]

Is using the term 'whites' accidentally or intentionally insensitive? Scandinavians are _not_ Italians, for example.

[@graemeroberts2935]

Articulate and brilliant!