write an argumentative essay on the topic tribalism is a better evil than cultism

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41: The Politics of Fear: How It Manipulates Us to Tribalism (Javanbakht)

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By Arash Javanbakht

The cruel murder of 50 people in New Zealand was another tragic reminder of how humans are capable of heartlessly killing their own kind just based on what they believe, how they worship, and what race or nationality they belong to. There is a longstanding history of the fear of “the others” turning humans into illogical ruthless weapons, in service to an ideology.

Fear is arguably as old as life. It is deeply ingrained in the living organisms that have survived extinction through billions of years of evolution. Its roots are deep in our core psychological and biological being, and it is one of our most intimate feelings. Danger and war are as old as human history, and so are politics and religion.

Demagogues have always used fear for intimidation of the subordinates or enemies, and shepherding the tribe by the leaders. Fear is a very strong tool that can blur humans’ logic and change their behavior.

I am a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in fear and trauma, and I have some evidence-based thoughts on how fear is abused in politics.

We learn fear from tribe mates

Like other animals, we humans can learn fear from experience , such as being attacked by a predator. We also learn from observation, such as witnessing a predator attacking another human. And, we learn by instructions, such as being told there is a predator nearby.

Learning from our conspecifics – members of the same species – is an evolutionary advantage that has prevented us from repeating dangerous experiences of other humans. We have a tendency to trust our tribe mates and authorities, especially when it comes to danger. It is adaptive: Parents and wise old men told us not to eat a special plant, or not to go to an area in the woods, or we would be hurt. By trusting them, we would not die like a great-grandfather who died eating that plant. This way we accumulated knowledge.

Tribalism has been an inherent part of the human history. There has always been competition between groups of humans in different ways and with different faces, from brutal wartime nationalism to a strong loyalty to a football team. Evidence from cultural neuroscience shows that our brains even respond differently at an unconscious level simply to the view of faces from other races or cultures.

At a tribal level, people are more emotional and consequently less logical: Fans of both teams pray for their team to win, hoping God will take sides in a game. On the other hand, we regress to tribalism when afraid . This is an evolutionary advantage that would lead to the group cohesion and help us fight the other tribes to survive.

Tribalism is the biological loophole that many politicians have banked on for a long time: tapping into our fears and tribal instincts. Some examples are Nazism, the Ku Klux Klan, religious wars and the Dark Ages. The typical pattern is to give the other humans a different label than us, and say they are going to harm us or our resources, and to turn the other group into a concept. It does not have to necessarily be race or nationality, which are used very often. It can be any real or imaginary difference: liberals, conservatives, Middle Easterners, white men, the right, the left, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs. The list goes on and on.

When building tribal boundaries between “us” and “them,” some politicians have managed very well to create virtual groups of people that do not communicate and hate without even knowing each other: This is the human animal in action!

Fear is uninformed

A soldier once told me: “It is much easier to kill someone you have never met, from distance. When you look through the scope, you just see a red dot, not a human.” The less you know about them, the easier to fear them, and to hate them.

This human tendency and ability of destruction of what is unknown and unfamiliar is meat to the politicians who want to exploit fear: If you grew up only around people who look like you, only listened to one media outlet and heard from the old uncle that those who look or think differently hate you and are dangerous, the inherent fear and hatred toward those unseen people is an understandable (but flawed) result.

To win us, politicians, sometimes with the media’s help, do their best to keep us separated, to keep the real or imaginary “others” just a “concept.” Because if we spend time with others, talk to them and eat with them, we will learn that they are like us: humans with all the strengths and weaknesses that we possess. Some are strong, some are weak, some are funny, some are dumb, some are nice and some not too nice.

Fear is illogical and often dumb

Very often my patients with phobias start with: “I know it is stupid, but I am afraid of spiders.” Or it may be dogs or cats, or something else. And I always reply: “It is not stupid, it is illogical.” We humans have different functions in the brain, and fear oftentimes bypasses logic. There are several reasons. One is that logic is slow; fear is fast. In situations of danger, we ought to be fast: First run or kill, then think.

Politicians and the media very often use fear to circumvent our logic. I always say the U.S. media are disaster pornographers – they work too much on triggering their audiences’ emotions. They are kind of political reality shows, surprising to many from outside the U.S.

When one person kills a few others in a city of millions, which is of course a tragedy, major networks’ coverage could lead one to perceive the whole city is under siege and unsafe. If one undocumented illegal immigrant murders a U.S. citizen, some politicians use fear with the hope that few will ask: “This is terrible, but how many people were murdered in this country by U.S. citizens just today?” Or: “I know several murders happen every week in this town, but why am I so scared now that this one is being showcased by the media?”

We do not ask these questions, because fear bypasses logic.

Fear can turn violent

There is a reason that the response to fear is called the “fight or flight” response. That response has helped us survive the predators and other tribes that have wanted to kill us. But again, it is another loophole in our biology to be abused to turn on our aggression toward “the others,” whether in the form of vandalizing their temples or harassing them on the social media.

When ideologies manage to get hold of our fear circuitry, we often regress to illogical, tribal and aggressive human animals, becoming weapons ourselves – weapons that politicians use for their own agenda.

____________________

Arash Javanbakht is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University. This essay originally appeared in The Conversation.

The Politics of Fear: How It Manipulates Us to Tribalism by Arash Javanbakht is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License .

Tribalism is a Global Problem

How it works

Tribalism is a global problem (Chua 25). The vice has dominated most spheres of society including politics, economics, and religion. In this, people are discriminated by their tribes. As a result, there is an increasing number of conflicts that are caused by the fact that specific groups are discouraged from doing particular things. “Tribal world” by Amy Chua offers a historical perspective on the key US political events and internal affairs through the angle of tribalism. Amy emphasizes that identity is more important than ideology and economics (Chua 25).

He also claims that the administration of the United States has failed to address the issue of tribalism over the years causing detrimental repercussion on its economy. He continues to provide some evidence on how the US can better integrate the recognition that tribalism exists into future policies. Besides, Amy offers a parting shot on how the United States can reduce tribalism through increased mobility and economic stability. According to him, people should first acknowledge that tribalism exists before coming up with policies to eradicate it.

I belong to the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama. I was not born in this tribe. Instead, I developed into it after my father got a job in Alabama. At first, I found it difficult to cope with the practices of the tribe but later adapted. The members of this tribe primarily consist of descendants from descendants of Cherokees who escaped the Trail of Tears by hiding in the mountains. In the past, the culture and language of the tribe have been maintained secret due to the fear that the Indian Territory would take it. As such, they did not speak their language publicly and could not teach the kids the language due to the fear that they might speak it in the presence of other people. Unlike other tribes that communicated in Muskogean language, Echota Cherokee Tribe, speaks in Iroquoian language. Traditionally, men in the tribe wore breechcloths that were made using bark fabric or deerskin (Yarbrough 39). They also shaved their hair leaving the scalplock to grow long. They tattooed and painted their bodies with a picture of the culture of the tribe. On the other hand, women wore wraparound, knee-length skirts which were made from the bark fabric. The kind of clothes worn by the tribe is mainly influenced by the availability of trade cloth and the trends in the American culture. The characteristics indicate that the tribe is willing to preserve its culture no matter the circumstances.

Over the years, the tribe has developed the spirit of perseverance and survival with the objective of reclaiming our heritage. The cohesion has given us the opportunity of making well known who we are. The culture also provides us with the privilege of resolving to preserve the heritage by creating more job, education, health services and training to our people. These efforts have helped us to balance between our wants and the expectations of Mother Nature. Echota Cherokee Tribe is recognized as one of the civilized tribes in America. We have progressed in our way by watching and learning from our non-Indian neighbors. Echota Cherokee Tribe is also well known for developing alphabets and learning how to write in one generation. These qualities have equipped the current generation with ambition and endurance on how to preserve our culture. Besides, the tribe strives to maintain the dignity of the American Indians by treating others respectably and courteously.

Being a member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe helped me overcome different hurdles of life. The tribe has influenced me to embrace and celebrate diversity. In this, I have learned the importance of respecting the culture and attitudes of other tribes. Also, the spirit of perseverance makes me feel that I can accomplish anything in life if I persist. The tribe is at odds with Lakota tribe over the allocation of resources such as land. The disagreements about the distribution of lands later lead to conflicts among the two tribes. Also, political disputes between the two tribes lead to tribalism. According to Amy Chua, people need to come up with measures that discourage tribalism. As such, all tribes should endeavor to collaborate with the goal of enhancing equality and cohesion. This, in turn, leads to social and economic development in a country. I can avoid tribalism by respecting and understanding the culture of other tribes. In this, I should not make judgments on why a specific group does things in a certain way. Mutual respect between Echota Cherokee Tribe and other tribes will eradicate the possibility of tribalism. I can reach other tribes by participating in national events such as sports where I get the opportunity of interacting with people from diverse tribes. Also, it can use social media to reach other people from other tribes. In this, I can post positive messages about the other tribe while condemning factors that lead to tribalism.

In conclusion, Echota Cherokee Tribe should strive to eliminate all factor that can encourage tribalism. According to Amy Chua, tribalism is a growing problem that has adverse effects on the economy of a country. Tribes should stop viewing other tribes as immoral and evil. Instead, they should regard them as their partners in social, political and economic development.

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Tribalism is a Global Problem. (2021, Mar 19). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/

"Tribalism is a Global Problem." PapersOwl.com , 19 Mar 2021, https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Tribalism is a Global Problem . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/ [Accessed: 28 May. 2024]

"Tribalism is a Global Problem." PapersOwl.com, Mar 19, 2021. Accessed May 28, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/

"Tribalism is a Global Problem," PapersOwl.com , 19-Mar-2021. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/. [Accessed: 28-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2021). Tribalism is a Global Problem . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/tribalism-is-a-global-problem/ [Accessed: 28-May-2024]

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Write an argument essay on the topic “Tribalism is a better evil than cultism”

Title: Tribalism vs. Cultism: Understanding the Differences

In our society, we hear about two things: tribalism and cultism. But which one is worse? Let’s talk about it.

Firstly, let’s understand what they mean. Tribalism is when people stick together because they are from the same tribe or group. It’s like being in a big family. Cultism, on the other hand, is when people join a secret group that does bad things.

Now, let’s look at tribalism. It’s not always bad. Sometimes, being proud of where you come from can be good. We celebrate our traditions, language, and history. But sometimes, tribalism can make people fight with others who are not from their tribe. This is not good. We should all be friends, no matter where we come from.

Cultism, however, is a different story. Cults do bad things. They can hurt people and cause trouble in our communities. They make people do things they don’t want to do. Cults are like a dark cloud hanging over our society.

In conclusion, while tribalism has some good parts, it can also lead to division and fights. Cultism, on the other hand, is always bad. It brings only pain and trouble. So, if we have to choose between tribalism and cultism, tribalism is the better evil. But really, we should strive to be kind to everyone, no matter where they come from or what group they belong to.

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