A discussion of different right-wing approaches in our reaction to the Deep State is necessary. The nation of America is beset by racial and cultural divides that can tear the nation apart...
I have talked in the past about do-gooding and rent-seeking as knives in the back of good governance. I sometimes include tribalism as a bad factor, but tribalism in itself is not negative in effect as the other two are. Tribalism can have positive results.
So let's answer some questions...
What is tribalism?...
What is the American example?...
How does tribalism relate to politics?...
What are the strengths of tribalism?...
What is the dark side of tribalism, and why is it collectivism?...
Can we look at civic nationalism as tribalism?...
You will see some repetition of themes as I discuss these questions, but I hope that I have varied my discussion in this repetition to have value for you in that part of the conversation.
Tribalism is the unrecognized factor.
Whether people want to acknowledge this or not, all ideologies (or manufactured corruption-front variations thereof) are based on tribalism. Tribalism is more than a collection of family clans. This factor is only looked at when we are told to look in contempt at the Ethno-nationalist perspective...but we ignore WHY they have chosen this position. So lets look at tribalism in detail, then understand the reasons why the Ethno-nationalists justly choose tribalism, but choose the wrong kind of tribalism
Tribes—whether kin-group or sodality—are defined by an inherent, explicit commonality that sets them apart from outsiders. It is this “mutual exclusivity” that defines the identity of the tribe, and thus establishes the border between “Us” and “Them.”
Mosby
Tribalism as human nature
To begin with, tribalism is the unrecognized factor because it is human nature to form tribal groups, and thus overlooked as obvious.
According to Kaplan, there is no such thing as the "modern" world, as human nature doesn't change; in other words, the base human drives...and organizational patterns...remain part of us.
When you look at the people around you, even in this "modern" world, you see that most of us are members of several tribes. But most of these are "manufactured" tribes with no moral depth or mutual support...sports teams, political parties, churches. You name it, there is a a group that wants your allegiance in one way or another.
Support Information War, for example ;>
We're eager for tribal connections of reciprocal loyalty, protection, and aid.
Mosby
The shallower the tribe, the less protection and support. Cowboys fans don't aid each other with money or free dental work, for the most part.
The Scots-Irish in America as a lens
I am going to be using the experience of the Scots-Irish in this country as my "example" of political tribalism leading to civic nationalism. One reason is that I think it works, or at least it used to work until we stopped defending the ideals of the tribe fully. Another reason is that I am half Scots-Irish ;> The tribal "laws" as a whole have become to be known as the "Jacksonian" tradition.
Jacksonian populism can be originally identified with a subgroup among these settlers, the so-called "Scots-Irish"...The Scots-Irish were a hardy and warlike people, with a culture and outlook formed by centuries of bitter warfare before they came to the United States
Mead
Mead further explains...
Jacksonianism is less an intellectual or political movement than an expression of the social, cultural and religious values of a large portion of the American public. And it is doubly obscure because it happens to be rooted in one of the portions of the public least represented in the media and the professoriat. Jacksonian America is a folk community with a strong sense of common values and common destiny; though periodically led by intellectually brilliant men—like Andrew Jackson himself—it is neither an ideology nor a self-conscious movement with a clear historical direction or political table of organization. Nevertheless, Jacksonian America has produced—and looks set to continue to produce—one political leader and movement after another, and it is likely to continue to enjoy major influence over both foreign and domestic policy in the United States for the foreseeable future.
I'm going into the following in more detail in a bit, but one of the reasons this tradition works so well in American history is that:
Jacksonian culture, values and self-identification have spread beyond their original ethnic limits
Mead
Tribalism as Politics in pursuit of Self-Interest
Politics has been defined mostly as the following...
Who gets what, and how they get it
Tribalism is a natural way of "getting" for the in-group...ideologies may be harder to define, but they are basically strategies for "getting"...but in a very true way, participation in ideological thinking is tribalism as well.
Suspicious of untrammeled federal power (Waco), skeptical about the prospects for domestic and foreign do-gooding (welfare at home, foreign aid abroad), opposed to federal taxes but obstinately fond of federal programs seen as primarily helping the middle class (Social Security and Medicare, mortgage interest subsidies), Jacksonians constitute a large political interest
Mead
And it is the Jacksonian tradition that I look to as I move into the discussion of Civic Nationalism as tribalism
In a little bit, I'll address the various collective "ideologies" that also should be seen as tribes, but I'll set that description aside for now.
throughout most of American history and to a large extent even today, equal rights emerge from and depend on this popular culture of equality and honor rather than flow out of abstract principles or written documents
Mead
This is Mead's view, but later I will go into rule of law a little bit as well. Mead isn't too far off the mark, though.
Jacksonian patriotism is not a doctrine but an emotion, like love of one’s family. The nation is an extension of the family. Members of the American folk are bound together by history, culture and a common morality.
Mead
This quote strikes pretty close to the heart of the issue, as we will see.
The strengths of tribalism
- Personal Strength
- Protection of the in-group
- Clear definitions of morality and culture
- A balance between the individual and his society based on realism, not ideology
Strength is needed in order to protect the in-group and the laws which the tribe lives by.
The hero accepts the inheritance of the mythic history of his people. He eschews the mewling, weak comfort of the mediocrity of egalitarianism, choosing instead to don the arms and armor of responsibility once borne by Arminius, Arthur, Beowulf, Sigurd, St. George, and even Moses. He knows that only the coward—who knows he lacks merit—fears the meritocracy of struggle that leadership requires. The hero is a king to his people—in the original sense of the word. He is cyning, “best of his kin,” and his motto is that of his ancestors: “Who does more is worth more.”
Mosby
"... patriotism is not a doctrine but an emotion, like love of one’s family..."...Sounds familiar, right?
Gronbech pointed out, “the barbarians know no virtues, because they have no minimum of morality. However high a man may rise above the common level, he never gets beyond his duty; for his duty grows with him.”
Mosby
This requires personal strength. Strength to do the job, strength to resist corruption, and strength to make the harsh moral choice when necessary.
Jacksonian America’s love affair with weapons is, of course, the despair of the rest of the country. Jacksonian culture values firearms, and the freedom to own and use them. The right to bear arms is a mark of civic and social equality, and knowing how to care for firearms is an important part of life. Jacksonians are armed for defense: of the home and person against robbers; against usurpations of the federal government; and of the United States against its enemies.
Mead
Protection of the in-group
Tribalism is us versus them
When Xenophobia Is A Virtue
This is the sociological beginning of the evolutionary survival instinct for xenophobia. “I don't trust them, because I don't understand them,” when viewed from the perspective that identifies “trust” as a synonym for frið. It's not a matter of fear, or being afraid. It's simply a matter of “if I don't understand their behavior and customs, I can't trust that we see things and define things in the same manner. That can lead to violence.
Mosby
In minarchist systems, it us is those that obey the law that have such open contempt for those that simply can not keep their hands off other people and their property. We other them...and quite rightly.
Jacksonian society draws an important distinction between those who belong to the folk community and those who do not.
Mead
Clear definitions of morality and culture
One of the problems that we have run into has been the malleable nature of the Constitution...where men have failed to defend it, it has been subverted to "justify" collectivist laws here in America.
Within our tribes, it is critical that we develop a culture that values critical-thinking, logic, and reason, within the constraints of our customs and values.
Mosby
A balance between the individual and his society based on realism, not ideology
Glubb relates the fall of empires to the lack of maintaining protective cultures. Kaplan, echoing Glubb Pasha's themes of cultural failure, notes that it is affluence that leads to the altruism and idealism that clouds our ability to react to the difficult truths that life presents. Also see my post Hard Times Create Strong Men for a different take on this idea.
Jacksonianism provides the basis in American life for what many scholars and practitioners would consider the most sophisticated of all approaches to foreign affairs: realism
Mead
Our barbarian ancestors understood that. They knew it took more than an individual, no matter how brave, to survive. It takes a community—a tribe.
Mosby
While self-sacrifice seems counterintuitive to the concept of survival, if we look at it in the broader scope of “I'm going to die, but I want the values of my society to survive, so my posterity can enjoy them,” then the importance of self-sacrifice becomes clear.
Mosby
Collectivism Versus Individualism
- Deliberate division of society
- Anti-individual
- History in America
- Collectivist Ideology-Tribes
Other articles have discussed Cultural Marxism and it's use of identity politics to divide Americans.
Phantom makes good points about the reaction of the Alt-Right in this context in this article
We are now forced to get tribal and play identity politics.
This is not what Americans want to traditionally do. Even though immigration patterns have brought tribalism into our politics, over time we have usually assimilated the people into our country over time...even when they held collectivist tribal beliefs.
The great cities of the United States were increasingly filled with Catholics, members of the Orthodox churches and Jews—all professing in one way or another communitarian social values very much at odds with the individualism of traditional Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Celtic culture.
Mead
And what happened...due to the inclusive nature of the Jacksonian tradition, what has traditionally been violent clashes resulted in the melting pot...a term leftists now use to justify the refusal to mix in.
The social and economic solidarity rooted in European peasant communities has been overmastered by the individualism of the frontier. The descendants of European working-class Marxists now quote Adam Smith; Joe Six-pack thinks of the welfare state as an expensive burden, not part of the natural moral order
Mead
So what caused the change in acceptance patterns?
Noam Chomsky, himself a prattling social activist intellectual of the worst sort, pointed out in a rare moment of honesty, “...the intellectuals are specialists in defamation, they are basically political commissars, they are the ideological administrators, the most threatened by dissidence...”
Mosby
Derbyshire points out that
The agitators who are doing this are driven by a poisonous and fanatical ideology
And although American tribal differences have been violent, they have previously been resolved through assimilation, instead of sanctioned and encouraged by the Political Class.
And Mosby's and Phantom's points about tribal reactions becoming violent can be seen in this warning by Bracken.
if political, cultural and demographic trends are sweeping us toward that unhappy destiny, it would be wise to at least cast a weather eye over the possible terrain.
Bracken then identifies 3 axes of tribal conflict, based on different sets of tribal definition. Not the following three...see Bracken's post to focus in on this part of the discussion
Collectivist Tribes: Globalism, leftism, and Islam.
Whether you call them neoliberals, neoconservatives, or leftists, there tends to be a common pattern in their ideology; that we have to sacrifice for THEIR tribe
This belief in globalism is a fake "tribe", complete with corrupt leaders and obedient cultists, and it is collectivist in nature versus individual.
Leftism is a tribal unit with core beliefs in false ideas that focuses on collective obedience.
Islam is a religion based on political unity; if you doubt this, do research on these terms:
- sharia
- dar al-harm
- dar al-islam
These tribes all have disdain for the concept of the individual, who is simply grist for the collectivist mill.
Ethnic nationalism as Weak Sister Tribalism
Racism is just a dumber version of collectivism; the retarded child of collectivism and group punishment.
Reliance on collectivism instead of moral strength to resolve transgressions is moral weakness.
If "kikes and niggers" violate the tribal code, then those individuals are responsible. Holding an entire people responsible for the actions of others is cowardly.
Yes, this takes more effort than the othering of the entire ethnic group. Digging out facts and punishing individuals is harder than group punishment.
I noted earlier that empires fell because men failed to do their duty...weakness.
Civic Nationalism as Tribalism
- Honor
- Inclusivity
- Individualism
- Rule of law
Honor
Now we take the strength and tribal culture that we discussed before, and we apply it to our American, Jacksonian theme.
The most important thing to consider in tribalism, especially in civic nationalism, is the concept of honor
Across cultures and time, honor and manliness have been inextricably tied together. In many cases, they were synonymous. Honor lost was manhood lost. Because honor was such a central aspect of a man’s masculine identity, men would go to great lengths to win honor and prevent its loss.
McKay
Why? Because honor is a recognition of duty to protect kith and kin.
The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral law and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right and its restraints are from the things that are wrong. The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training—sacrifice.
MacArthur
But sacrifice for what?
For kith and kin. Not for collectivist overlords. Not for do-gooding cultists.
Although few Americans today use this anachronistic word, honor remains a core value for tens of millions of middle-class Americans, women as well as men.
Mead
See The Jacksonian Code section in Mead's article for more details
Inclusivity
The second most important thing to think about in terms of Civic Nationalism tribalism is that it is inclusive. Mead and Webb ( see Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America) both support this position. Individuals belong to the tribe by sharing the cultural values that support the tribe as a whole
In what is still a largely unheralded triumph of the melting pot, Northern immigrants gradually assimilated the values of Jacksonian individualism. Each generation of new Americans was less "social" and more individualistic than the preceding one
Mead
Mead shows how new Americans became part of the tribe.
A second type of assimilation—an inward assimilation to and adaptation of the core cultural and psychological structure of the native population—took longer, but as third, fourth and fifth-generation immigrant families were exposed to the economic and social realities of American life, they were increasingly "americanized" on the inside as well as without.
Mead
People can buy into the tribe on an individualist basis, and throw off the chains of collectivism.
“Kith” on the other hand, has different contemporary colloquial definitions, when it is known at all, because of the twisting of definitions by certain groups and individuals with specific political agendas, who choose to abuse the meaning of the word. Derived from the OE word “cyththe,” or “cyth,” meaning “native land,” from the word “cuth,” which simply means “known,” the modern word is defined as “familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives, collectively.”
Mosby
Tribal values equal cultural values, such as respect for individuality and rule of law.
The Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, himself an assimilated child of immigrants, says that migration without the intent of assimilation is invasion; an act of war.
van Creveld
Part of the intentional divide between Americans is the support of foreign tribal groups, who the globalists/leftists do not want to see assimilated into American culture and tribal assimilation.
Individualism
No one has a right to tell the self-reliant Jacksonian what to say, do or think. Any infringement on equality will be met with defiance and resistance. Male or female, the Jacksonian is, and insists on remaining, independent of church, state, social hierarchy, political parties and labor unions
Mead
I really can't add to this thought!
Rule of law
Laws don't mean anything without a cultural belief in obeying them...and enforcing them!
The point is not even the Constitution. It's a piece of parchment with some words written on it. Those words can be—and have been—bent and twisted to mean whatever someone wants them to mean. All they have to do is convince the guys with guns and the will to use those guns, that their interpretation is the correct one.
Mosby
The cultural beliefs that those guys with guns and will are established from their tribal membership. The Jacksonian tradition assigns a higher value on individuality and rule of law than the collectivist ideologies do.
What is important is the cultural values enshrined in the Constitution. The ideas of representative governance, and limited impact of the government on individual and local liberties are what are important. You don't need to be part of “The United States of America” to believe in those ideas. You don't need to be part of “The United States of America” to uphold those ideas as valuable. You do need a couple of things however. You do need to believe in those ideas. You need other people in your local community who believe in those ideas.
Mosby
And although Mead stated earlier that the Jacksonian tradition kind of by-passed the written rule of law, it is the rule of law that allows Americans to attain these Jacksonian ideals, so we can see that protection of rule of law is part and parcel of the inclusive, Scots-Irish, American, tribal belief system.
As Americans, we believe that we value individual liberty and the Rights of Man outlined in the Bill of Rights. We have a shared tradition of standing up for what we believe is right, and of valor in the face of threats to our people. We believe in standing up for the weak and less fortunate, even as we value self-reliance. We have a shared national history of these values.
Mosby
Conclusion
Individuality is best protected by rule of law in a minarchist system (this doesn't mean individuals are fully protected, but what we have seen, it is the best method for doing so). Faith in rule of law is a tribal belief that disappears when it is unrealized in reality.
A tribal system can instill the virtues of belief in rule and law and the honor in protecting it.
You may note I have left this as a binary discussion; ethno-nationalism versus civic nationalism. I left out collectivist "solutions" past a brief discussion of their negative traits. Even so, you should see that these ideologies are tribal in nature, as well.
In addition, tribalism works to protect the tribe in times of limited resources, so working towards a method of unlimited resources is a different approach to conflict-free (or more conflict-free than now) human organization...however, as to this...I will change my approach once the reality has changed
References and Reference Notes
Bracken: The CW2 Cube — Mapping The Meta-Terrain Of Civil War Two. (2010, July 30). Retrieved April 29, 2018, from https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/bracken-the-cw2-cube-mapping-the-meta-terrain-of-civil-war-two/
Chittum, T. W. (1996). Civil War II: the coming breakup of America. Show Low, Ariz: American Eagle Publications.
I dd not use Chittum's book in this blog. Bracken made the points I wanted to share. On the other hand, Chittum's book should be required reading for anyone wanting a detailed look at the various tribal fault lines that exist in this country today. And while it was written 20 years ago, the indicators of conflict he warned of can be seen todayDerbyshire: The New Sectionalism–Elites Don’t Just Hate The South, They Hate America | VDARE - premier news outlet for patriotic immigration reform. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2017, from http://www.vdare.com/articles/john-derbyshire-the-new-sectionalism-elites-dont-just-hate-the-south-they-hate-america?page=no-campaign
Glubb, J. B. (1978). The fate of empires and Search for survival. Edinburgh: Blackwood.
Glubb's article is fascinating. Taken with Mosby and Kaplan, it could be the subject all to itself. It is a description of the Hard Times, Hard Men cycleKaplan, R. D. (2002). Warrior politics: why leadership demands a pagan ethos (1st ed). New York: Random House.
Kaplan writes more in terms of rational understanding of politics than tribalism. But it is the ability to critically think that realistic or pragmatic "kings" use to protect their tribes. See Mosby.MacArthur, D. (1962) Duty, Honor, Country. Sylvanus Thayer Award Acceptance Address. delivered 12 May 1962, West Point, NY
McKay, B. H. (2016). What Is Honor?: And How to Revive It (1 edition). Semper Virilis Publishing.
You can read the book in several chapters at the author's website, The Art of Manliness, starting here -Manly Honor: Part I — What Is Honor?Mead, W. R. (2000). The Jacksonian Tradition [Text]. Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://nationalinterest.org/article/the-jacksonian-tradition-939
Despite my lengthy quotations of Mead, there is still so much more to chew on in his article. Anyone wanting to understand American politics past the textbook should read itMosby. (n.d.). FORGING THE HERO Who Does More Is Worth More - A Tribal Strategy for Building Resilient Communities and Surviving the Decline of Empire.
This post almost started out as a detailed use of this book to describe tribalism, in particular the "American tribe". The mechanics of tribal organization are well explained, and Mosby's understanding of history is detailed. However, these ideas mesh so well with Mead's explanation of the Jacksonian tradition that I used Mead more in this post. Mosby describes the terms of tribalism in Northern European style, but the words are instantly recognizable. This book is indeed worth a post devoted solely to it alone, as it describes the possibility of using self-sufficient tribes to survive the collapse of AmericaPhantom. (2017). Tribalism and the Alt-Right. Men of the West. Retrieved from https://www.menofthewest.net/tribalism-alt-right/
Pournelle, Jerry; Niven, Larry; Bova, Ben; Benford, Gregory; VanDyke, David; van Creveld, Martin; Pournelle, Phillip E.; Doug Beason. There Will Be War Volume X. Editor’s Introduction to: WAR AND MIGRATION (Kindle Locations 1808-1809). Castalia House. Kindle Edition.
There Will Be War is a military sci-fi collection from the mid-80s. Pournelle as editor included so much valuable non-fiction that the series belongs on the shelves of any military historian or political scientist
Curated for #informationwar (by @openparadigm)
Relevance: An In-depth Examination of Nation Building Done Right.
Our Purpose
I am deeply appreciative of this erudite and salient synthesis of the political landscape. I had not before considered much of these authors and I keenly feel the lack of my education presently. Neither did I realize how Jackson represented so well my values.
Thanks!
I had read Mead several years ago and was impressed with his own typology of American political views, especially as you said, my own identification with Jacksonian thought
Then I read Webb's Born Fighting, and it is a great read, even if a little biased. I was struck by how his book meshed with Mead
Last month, I read Forging the Hero, and while I'm not sure I believe everything in the book, it also blended in with the first two sources AND with the thoughts I was having about how ugly things can be in the future.
In understanding tribalism I look at it in terms of the old "state of nature" scenario. In a state of nature the individual cannot survive as a solitary social unit. Therefore, out of necessity small social units develop based on mutual interest (survival). For the individual to survive it is imperative that the unit survive and because of inequality of ability a meritocracy naturally develops (much to the chagrin of collectivists).
As social units increase in size the inequality of ability coupled with surplus of resources produces a bifurcated social system that develops elites (a managerial class who produce nothing) as opposed to populists (the actual producers). Now here is where the Asshole Quotient factors in. In a genuine meritocracy, the elites are unnecessary- this would be the Jacksonian society. So on one side of the social equation you would have a natural tribal meritocracy with leadership positions filled from those most able... and on the opposite side collectivism "managed" by psychopathic parasites backed by a parasitic underclass all leaching off of the producers.
great additional perspective
I can see the use of a managerial class as long as they add value, the problem is that sooner or later they start rent-seeking instead of adding value...unless the society as a whole maintains cultural integrity and kicks these people in the ass
The fundamental problem with a managerial class is the same as with any other bureaucracy- BLOAT. I took a class in the history of business in college and had to do a paper on a company from the mega-merger craze back in the 70's-80's. I picked Beatrice Foods, who after all was said and done owned not only food products but Hart Skis, Airstream Trailers and a plethora more... what killed them was the managerial class- people with MBA's with knowledge of business in general but no specific knowledge about any of the products.
In a Jacksonian meritocracy individuals rise through the ranks because of some specific attribute, be it hard work, bravery, or some other thing that sets them apart. I once said that if I ran GM, I would fire all of middle management. If I wanted to know something to improve things I'd ask the guys on the line that actually knew how to build cars. The problem with a managerial class is that they DON'T add value (unless they're engineers or some other useful occupation), they're like a perpetual internal welfare class that parasites off of the producers. Moreover, they view themselves as better than the people who produce.
ahh, I see the point
I'll memory-hole my statement a bit then
I dont see a problem with a managerial class that arises from its own merits on an individual basis, so long as it doesnt try to sustain itself...
which, of course, we all know they WILL do
so let the tribe select the leaders as a whole, instead of trying to create a self-sustaining class of "leaders" that call themselves managers
the Forging the Hero book is great, and i suspect you'd love it...let me know if you want my copy
I'd love to read it! Also remember, people NEVER relinquish power willingly!