Tribes. They’re all around us; we’re all in them, to some degree. They’re strange in that we can belong to various tribes at the same time, yet this intricate, tribal mishmash comes into conflict quite routinely. You live next door to me, but we play on different AYSO soccer teams, go to different schools, prefer different religious affiliations.
Tribes may help define us and provide a sense of belonging and purpose, very important for our species. But tribes may also define us in ways that are not so good, like what we see playing out across our frazzled country month after month. We used to civilly disagree with people and then go about our ways. Now, some can’t even stomach a family reunion or have given up on lifelong friends due to seemingly irreparable, social belief systems.
Locally, the existence of tribes helps to bond people… absolutely, but may also reinforce tired, reductive, simplistic stereotypes. Private vs. public school, leeward vs. windward vs. town, male vs. female, Oahu vs. Neighbor Island, ethnic origins, religious affiliations, pickleball vs. tennis, soft taco vs. crispy. The options are everywhere, as are many ridiculous distortions and/or exaggerations people make based on perceived tribal norms and prejudices.
As the underrated, West Virginia band, Crack The Sky, wrote in its 2021 album, “Tribes”: “we take sides believing in our tribes”. I just don’t find it amusing when someone “jokingly” says to someone, “eh, pretty good for one public school kid!?”, or makes some aside based on ethnicity, tattoo, or body shape. Joke or judgment?
What if we acknowledge that we’re first all a part of a bigger tribe- the human one- and let the sects fall where they may, making judgments (if we must) about people based on real, personal attributes? Not what street they grew up on, what instrument or sport they play, what halau they join, or what deity they believe in or don’t believe in.
In the end, if you possess a soul, shouldn’t people be recognized, befriended, or known for who they are, how they treat others, and what they do, and not from where they came, or who gave birth to them (over which we had no choice)?
“I got the answers/you got the answers/we’ll never change our minds/and so you know it” sing Crack The Sky. We often miss so much when we rely on repetitive and ignorant tribal assertions.
Think about it…