hinduwoman

Yes, that is true. I am an universalist when it comes to treating people as equal and stuff like that. But I do identify strongly with hindu tradition and get very annoyed when other people criticise it without cause.

Mountainbike Racer

Howard,
Do you see tribalism as an acceptable behavior? What is the distinction between it and racism, which has been made taboo. Is our political correctness going against this "powerful mechanism".

It seems to me that "tribalism" is the same idea as racism, only with different criteria for discrimination. So I wonder, is the evil in the discrimination, or is it in the criteria for the discrimination?

If discrimination itself is the evil, then wouldn't all forms of tribalism be evil as well?

cjr1851

My definitions - Tribalism is mostly about being aware that you are a member of a tribe. Whereas racism is about believing that you are a member of a superior tribe, and treating other tribes as inferior.

Tribalism is a waste of time but racism is downright wrong.

cjr

[edited to add ...]

Wow! Just when I thought I couldn't come across as any more opinionated!!

[ March 06, 2002: Message edited by: cjr1851 ]</p>

Mountainbike Racer

While "tribalism" may not contain the notion of superiority that racism does, wouldn't it still involve discrimination? With racism, it isn't the belief in superiority that is so opressive, it is how it is realized, which is through discrimination.

cjr1851

But is discrimination a bad thing? Doesn't discrimination merely mean recognising that there is a difference. Although this can be dangerous (in that it can lead to racism) I am not sure that it is of itself 'wrong'.

My contention, throughout this thread, has been that thinking of yourself as part of a tribe/culture/heritage is a colossal waste of time. I do not think people are ‘behaving incorrectly’ by wanting to associate with such a thing, only that giving themselves ‘baggage’ that they don’t really need.

cjr

cjr1851

Double post

[ March 06, 2002: Message edited by: cjr1851 ]</p>

Howard

MR,
To me tribalism is a kind of exclusivity but it could certainly become racism depending on how it’s applied (and one’s definition of racism.) For example, I would prefer that my daughter marry a Caucasian male. And if she came home with a black man and said he’s the one, I don't think it would make me very happy. I’d accept it but it would take me a while to adjust. Does that make me a racist?

I don’t think of black-skinned people as being in any way inferior because of their skin pigmentation… just that they are too different from the tribe that I identify with. Quite frankly, I believe most people think that way, to some extent at least. The trick is to overcome our built-in tribal prejudices and try to judge everyone as an individual. I try but I can’t say I always succeed.

cjr1851

Yes it bloody well does!

Howard

I don’t think it does. It just means that I’m most comfortable with people that are most like me, particularly when it comes to adding family members. It’s racial, not racist; there IS a difference. To me racist implies I think black people are inherently inferior to white people, which I don’t.

Regardless of how enlightened we like to think we are, very few people are truly color blind.

[ March 06, 2002: Message edited by: Howard ]</p>

cjr1851

You just don't think they're good enough to marry your daughter.

It's not a matter of colour-blindness. Of course you recognise a person's colour but you don't judge them by it. Why should a man's skin colour have any bearing on his suitability to join your family???