America is turning tribal

The public response to protests and an armed takeover of a federal facility at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge swirling around federal action against a Harney County rancher has revealed something about America: We've become tribal.

Much of the public is perfectly willing to apply a completely unexamined double standard to such divisive events, depending on whose ox is getting gored, whether or not the perpetrators or victims are "our kind."

Some folks who look askance at "Black Lives Matter" or "Occupy Wall Street" protesters - who reflexively support law enforcement when a police shooting incident roils the country - suddenly look at things differently when law enforcement and "the government" is coming down on someone wearing a cowboy hat and waving a flag.

On the other hand, social media users of a different ideological stripe complain, "What do you think would happen if the armed militants were black/Muslim, etc. instead of white?" Apparently they have forgotten - or know nothing about - incidents where law enforcement went in with guns blazing against white supremacists or religious zealots, killing women and children (Ruby Ridge; Waco).

What gives here?

American society is increasingly divided into hostile camps, split along political, religious and racial lines. Each of us finds in a given incident the narrative we want to see. Social media tends to reinforce this phenomenon. People share shallow Facebook memes with each other, confirming their own pre-existing biases. With a jillion gigabytes of information at our fingertips, we gravitate only to information that confirms what we already think we "know."

And there are plenty of people who gain prestige, power - and money - by exploiting the divisions perpetuated by our deep-seated tendency to react "tribally."

We're all susceptible to this kind of behavior - it's a natural and very human response. Critical thinking - challenging our own assumptions, looking seriously at a different point of view - is hard and uncomfortable. It's really tough to put ourselves in the shoes of someone from another tribe; someone who has a very different world-view, especially when that view seems to run cross-ways with our deeply held beliefs and values.

But it's the only way to achieve real understanding. Understanding does not mean acceptance. Knowing what makes an Islamic jihadist tick doesn't mean you have to say, "Well, gee, he has a point." Sometimes understanding just means you truly know your enemy.

But, really, the things that divide Americans are not that extreme. Getting past buzzwords and talking points and the agendas of those in the business of division might get folks onto some common ground. It's been known to happen.

Trouble is, it's just so much easier to hit "Like" and "Share" - and move on to the next thing those idiots did that really has you steamed....

Jim Cornelius

News Editor