Category: Human Behavior

In the last year or so, Tribalism has become a thing. Usually in reference to the Left/Right political divide.
But, the reality is, we have all, always, been tribal. And to further complicate matters, we all belong, simultaneously to many tribes, some more important than others.
This Tribalism is a slippery little sucker.

There are, obviously, skin colour tribes, gender tribes and sexual orientation tribes. There are where we were educated tribes, which church we belong to tribes, and so on.
The tribes we belong to matter, to us and to others. They define what we choose to believe, what we wear and the stories we tell ourselves and others about who we are and what we stand for.
Which brings me to the Great Franked Dividend debate.
Here we have a group of people, mostly well to do, and mostly seniors, or at least folks knocking on the door of seniorhood. There are a couple of tribes right there.
But if we’d have spoken to these folk a month or two ago, and asked them which tribe was most important, I reckon, given their demographic, they’d have said that first and foremost, they were patriotic Australians.
If asked, they’d have likely talked with pride about Anzac Day, and our easy going ways and what a great and decent people we Aussies are.
Indeed, many of them would recognize,
“There was movement at the station,   
for the word had got around,
that the colt from old Regret had got away…”
Many would even say they’d sacrifice themselves for their country and speak with reverence about those who had.
And then along came the Franked Dividends issue.
These same folk were asked to give up a little of there-well-to-doness for the good of the country; so that more money would be available to do good for the nation, and for their fellow Australians.
And lo, a new tribe was born.
Suddenly their Aussieness was no longer their preeminent tribe.
This new tribe, one that didn’t even exist back at Christmas time, was suddenly so important to them that, as we saw, some were prepared to be violent towards their old Aussie tribe members;the tribe that used to matter so much.
We’re all like that, to varying degrees. Politicians know this.
They spend fortunes and countless days trying to convince to join this or that tribe.
As I said at the outcome, Tribes are slippery. They come and they go and they change their shape.
But here’s what doesn’t change: If you want to understand why we human critters do what we do, first figure out what tribes we have decided to join.