In my tribe...

While journeying in Tanzania this summer, Jessy (intrepid guide) asked K and I about tribalism in the United States. In Africa, tribalism is a hot topic in many countries and is seen as an impediment to development. Thinking tribally, the argument goes, damages the concept of nationhood and leads to favoritism and questionable decision-making in an effort to benefit a small, familiar group over a more anonymous, yet equally deserving crowd. In Tanzania, Jessy said, it doesn't matter what tribe you belong to. Almost anyone can point to an example of one group throwing its weight around to privilege their own. Understandably, this breeds resentment and apathy. Why bother, after all, if forces beyond your control have such power to shape your destiny?

So are there tribes in the USA? Jessy asked. And what he meant was: are there groups of people who are united by something fundamental or deeply rooted? And do these groups use their affiliation to promote their own interests to the exclusion, either natural or intentional, of others?

K and I hemmed and hawed a bit, searching for stateside equivalents to African tribes. We mentioned the American Indian tribes, of course, but the influence of these groups is not felt throughout society in the way Jessy meant. We considered class, religion and race next. But these categorizations seemed too unwieldy to fall under the heading of tribalim. Am I denying that people privilege their own class, ethnic group, religion or race? Of course not. But it's a reach (and potentially offensive) to refer to such behavior as tribalism rather than the specific "ism," like racism. We then pulled back to more light-hearted divisions by region. K spent 12 years living in Brooklyn. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Californian. Were these our tribes, each with its own linguistic pattern, cuisine and customs? Maybe. We spent some time making sweeping generalizations about East Coast and West Coast behaviors, trying to juxtapose a Wall Street banker with a surfer dude.

Then Jessy asked if it was unusual to marry a person from a different region in the USA? Did people avoid moving to a city not of their "tribe?" Could people change tribes if they changed locations? We realized that regionalism wasn't going to answer this question because it was so fluid. Tribal boundaries aren't fluid. People may choose to marry or live with another tribe in Tanzania, but such cases are rare and likely involve an acknowledged personal and cultural sacrifice. Moving from San Francisco to Baton Rouge, as startling as that might be, doesn't carry the same implications. People from the same tribe, Jessy explained, share a common understanding that is not easily put aside.

I was ready to give up, or attempt to explain poorly translatable distinctions like wine vs. beer drinkers or Yankees vs. Red Sox fans when K hit the nail on the head.

Political parties.

It wasn't always so, but we are all aware these days of how politics is no longer centered on opinions and policies. It's about how you view the world, how you live your life and how you think other people should live theirs. We call it the Culture Wars, but it is nothing less than the tribalization of the system.

Let's see how it measures up to the African version. Jessy is a member of the Chugga tribe of Tanzania. It is the tribe of his family and the foundation of his personal values. He is unlikely to marry outside of this tribe, not because he believes himself superior but because his own cultural perspective might be alienating to his spouse or vice versa. He would certainly not change his tribe willingly as he moved through life. To do so would mean denying lifelong beliefs. He is not in a position to make decisions that affect the lives of others. If he were, would he favor his own tribe? Probably. It is true that he would feel most comfortable with those who shared his outlook on the world and people he is closest too, people he spoke to us about during the journey, are those from his own tribe.

Does American political reality compare? Let's take me, RR, a member of the liberal Democrat tribe. This tribe didn't form my values, but my values are reflected (for the most part) in this tribe. It's true most of my friends are also liberal Democrats (though not all) and I can't imagine a relationship with a hard-core conservative. But what really clinched the issue , from the perspective of the road trip discussion in Tanzania, was this: to change my political party at this point in history really would represent a fundamental shift in my values. I wouldn't just have to change my views on taxation or the environment to become a Republican. I would have to change almost everything about how I see the world. I wouldn't do this lightly. In fact, I can't imagine doing it at all--and the same, I think, is true for most other Democrats, as well as Republicans. This, to me, indicates a more deeply rooted, tribalesque relationship to a political party, one that goes far beyond practicality and policy. In fact, as research has shown, people these days will often vote against policies in their own best interest because they are viewed as coming from the opposing tribe. We have been treated to several grueling months of healthcare debate obscured by the most truth-defying acts of blatant tribalism. Underinsured working people willingly believe that free healthcare is evil socialism rather than a enormous weight off their minds and pocketbooks. All because it's championed by the opposing tribe.

In Africa, countries with only two tribes are much more likely to fall apart dramatically (and often tragically) than countries with a melting pot/salad bowl mix. Rwanda, for example, is a country with two tribes. Cameroon, which is hardly ever in the news, is a country with many. I don't want to imply that the USA is heading for genocide and mass uprising. But I do think that there's more than one way to stop a country in its tracks, and we are nearing the point where inspired ideas, desperately needed leadership and, yes, even people's lives are being sacrificed in order to maintain the dominance (or regain the dominance) of one political tribe or the other.

Many countries in Africa are trying to confront tribalism, understanding that progress cannot be made while such divisions exist. We might want to take a lesson from their struggles before our own tribalism kills the country all of us--Democrats and Republicans--claim to love.