The Rise of Tribalism in the United States

and it's impact in discussing the plight of minority groups in the time of COVID-19.

Uma Natarajan

December 3, 2020

Tribalism: what is it?

"Tribes demand loyalty, and in return they confer the security of belonging. They’re badges of identity, not of thought. In a way, they make thinking unnecessary, because they do it for you, and may punish you if you try to do it for yourself. To get along without a tribe makes you a fool. To give an inch to the other tribe makes you a sucker."

The Hidden Tribes of America

Progressive Activists: younger, highly engaged, secular, cosmopolitan, angry.

Traditional Liberals: older, retired, open to compromise, rational, cautious.

Passive Liberals: unhappy, insecure, distrustful, disillusioned.

Politically Disengaged: young, low income, distrustful, detached, patriotic, conspiratorial.

Moderates: engaged, civic-minded, middle-of-the-road, pessimistic, Protestant. Traditional

Conservatives: religious, middle class, patriotic, moralistic.

Devoted Conservatives: white, retired, highly engaged, uncompromising, patriotic.

From Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape

Background: Have tribes always existed?

Blue Feed, Red Feed from The Wall Street Journal

Political Tribes: Group Instincts and the Fate of Nations

by Amy Chua

“Humans are tribal. We need to belong to groups. We crave bonds and attachments, which is why we love clubs, teams, fraternities, family. Almost no one is a hermit. Even monks and friars belong to orders. But the tribal instinct is not just an instinct to belong. It is also an instinct to exclude.”

Amy Chua: Why US Political Tribalism is Growing

Traditional IR Theory and the rise of tribalism in the US

Realist Theory

Liberal Theory

Feminist Theory

Scientific Racism

The Effects of Tribalism on Minority Groups in the United States

Protestors for Justice for George Floyd (June 2020)

Tribalism and COVID-19

Can this polarization be improved?

Polarization has made it increasingly difficult for Americans to engage with each other on the most contested issues of the day. In this context, disagreements sometimes focus less on the substance of an issue, and more on the language used to discuss it. This creates a chilling effect, driving more and more Americans away from public debate and leaving the conversation to the loudest, most extreme voices.