Why Are We More Divided Than Ever? - Michael Morris
07 Dec 2024 (11 days ago)
Tribalism and Its Misconceptions
- Tribalism is a human-specific form of social life that evolved to enable people to live in culture-sharing groups, allowing for collaboration and common fate, which is not present in other social species (10s).
- Tribes are large groups united by shared culture, and tribal instincts were adaptations that changed human psychology to enable people to live in these groups (56s).
- The evolution of tribalism was the ultimate killer app of evolution, as it enabled humans to tap into better cultures each generation and thrive without becoming brainier (1m16s).
- Tribalism is predicated on culture, and without culture, there can be no tribalism (2m16s).
- The concept of tribalism is often used by political pundits as a catchall explanation to understand conflicts, but this can be overly simplistic and despairing (2m31s).
- The idea of "toxic tribalism" suggests that tribal instincts have reappeared and are undermining democracy, but this is not necessarily true (3m7s).
- Tribal instincts are not instincts for hostility, but rather for solidarity, and they were sculpted by evolution to help humans be culture-sharing animals (3m53s).
- While tribal instincts can lead to conflicts with other groups, they are not the primary cause of these conflicts (4m7s).
- Human instincts, including tribal instincts, can lead people astray in some situations, but they are not inherently dysfunctional (4m17s).
- The idea that people are inherently flawed or cursed with certain instincts can be misleading, and understanding the underlying reasons for human behavior can lead to better coping mechanisms (4m29s).
The Allure of Martyrdom and Sensationalism
- The concept of martyrdom and the idea that the world is coming to an end can be alluring and seductive, as it gives people a sense of importance and allows them to feel like they are warning others of impending doom (5m27s).
- This type of messaging can be particularly effective in the short term, as it captivates people's attention and makes them feel like they are part of something significant (5m52s).
- The media and thought leaders often reward dramatic and worrisome statements with attention and clicks, which can create a cascade of "Cassandras" competing to outdo each other with dire predictions (6m36s).
- This can lead to a focus on sensationalism rather than substance, and a grounding in science can help elevate the discussion and provide a more nuanced understanding of tribalism (7m12s).
- The attention economy plays a significant role in shaping people's beliefs, as they often believe what others say, especially those who have been chosen by the media to be authorities on a particular topic (7m33s).
- Tribalism is often framed as an "us versus them" issue, but it is more accurate to say that 95% of tribal wiring is about in-group favoritism rather than out-group persecution (8m3s).
- This is because humans have historically had more contact with members of their own tribe than with outsiders, and traits that enabled collaboration and cooperation within the tribe were more likely to be passed down through evolution (8m10s).
In-Group Favoritism vs. Out-Group Persecution
- Evolutionary scholars can break down adaptations into thin slices, but it's possible to distinguish tribal instincts in three major waves that correspond to three major systems in group psychology, which can be recognized and harnessed today (8m58s).
- Tribal instincts are 95% "us" instincts, rather than "them" instincts, as the latter would not have been adaptive in the past (9m44s).
- Having an "us" instinct in the absence of a "them" instinct means that an outgroup can serve as a foil to define the ingroup and create a sense of distinctiveness, with part of ingroup identity involving feeling slightly better than another group (10m9s).
- Almost every group in the world feels that they are more humane than others, with some indigenous groups using the same name for their group and the word for "human" (11m3s).
- In modern times, with increased contact with other groups, defining the ingroup in comparison to others becomes a salient part of identity (11m53s).
- Ancestrally, stories about the weather, moon, and sun as personified forces created a sense of "them" and "us," with different species, astral planes, or dimensions (12m16s).
- The modern world's exposure to various ways of slicing and dicing society may contribute to the rise of tribalism, but it depends on how one defines the "modern world" (12m46s).
The Rise of Political Tribalism
- Political tribalism in contemporary times can be attributed to historical developments, such as the increasing salience of political parties as a basis of individual identity (13m13s).
- In the past, people generally did not know the political affiliations of their neighbors or coworkers, with a few exceptions, such as lawn signs, but this has changed over the last two generations in the United States (13m35s).
- With advancements in technology and transportation, people had more freedom to live in any part of the country they wanted, leading to residential sorting, where liberals moved to the coast and college towns, and conservatives moved to the Heartland and exurbs (13m51s).
- This residential sorting resulted in people living in ideologically inbred communities where they were more likely to hear opinions similar to their own, rather than being exposed to a wide range of opinions (14m25s).
- The media landscape also changed, with the fracturing of the media starting in the 1990s, as cable news stations and partisan websites emerged, replacing the three network television shows that provided balanced coverage of every issue (14m39s).
- This change in the media landscape led to people getting their news from different sources, contributing to a sense of division, as people were no longer consuming the same information and feeling a sense of commonality (14m57s).
- The rise of social media further exacerbated this division, creating an echo chamber where people were connected to those who shared their politics and had opportunities to express their opinions and get reinforced for them (15m35s).
- The costs of virtue signaling have decreased, and the rewards have increased, making it easier for people to express their opinions and get reinforced for them, rather than having to physically attend a political rally (15m59s).
- The peer instinct, or the tendency to conform and imitate what we see around us, has become a primary way that people form political beliefs, often unconsciously, and this can lead to people having narrow and uninformed opinions (16m29s).
- Despite consuming more news than ever before, people's confidence in their beliefs can lead to them being baffled by opposing viewpoints and questioning the sincerity or cognitive abilities of those who hold different opinions (17m11s).
- Accusations of IQ deficiency, civility, or dementia have been made against politicians such as Biden, Trump, and Harris, leading to negative feelings and antipathy towards the opposing party (17m42s).
- This polarization has become more salient in the last two generations due to a conformist instinct, which is an affinity for the in-group and a desire to mesh with it, operating subconsciously (18m23s).
- People tend to have a conformist view of reality, unaware of their own bias, and attribute negative things to the opposing side, which appears extreme to them (18m52s).
The DEI Industry and the True Definition of Tribalism
- Political tribalism, as well as ethnic and racial tribalism in the United States, can be explained by US instincts rather than hate, which is an important correction (19m9s).
- The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) industry's bias training workshops can have counterproductive effects, polarizing groups and making people more inhibited about interacting across ethnic lines (19m35s).
- The term "tribalism" is often used to describe polarization, but it has a more scientifically grounded definition, referring to the psychology driving the behavior (20m24s).
- The media's use of the term "tribalism" may be an attempt to highlight the psychology behind polarization, with theories suggesting it is driven by an evolved psychology (20m47s).
- Understanding the science of tribal instincts can help explain why certain things have become more salient at certain points in time, contributing to increased polarization (21m11s).
Movements, Messaging, and Tribalism
- Movements such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the Me Too movement often define themselves around an ingroup, but their communication can end up demonizing the outgroup, with a focus on pointing fingers outside the ingroup (21m42s).
- The messaging used by these movements can be adversarial or oppositional, with a focus on being against the outgroup rather than for the ingroup, as seen in the 2012 US election where people started voting against the out party rather than for the in party (22m29s).
- The use of effective messaging, such as Trump's "Camala Harris is for them, Trump is for you" ad, can be very effective in capturing the attention of voters and creating a sense of division (22m42s).
- The Me Too movement was not just about women's empowerment, but also about creating a sense of strength and numbers among those who had been sexually abused, allowing them to speak out and create the possibility for change (23m10s).
- The Black Lives Matter movement was implicitly about police brutality and the higher statistical likelihood of African-Americans having interactions with police that were harmful (23m47s).
- Movements can be adversarial or oppositional at some level, and this may be a natural outgrowth of the pushback against anyone disagreeing with the ingroup proposition (24m34s).
The Peer Instinct and Social Judgments
- People can become tribal around various characteristics, including accent, appearance, familiarity, and gene pool, but the core characteristics that compose tribal tribes can vary (25m5s).
- The peer instinct is one of the basic tribal instincts, and studies have shown that race is not one of the primary triggers for this instinct, although it can become a trigger (25m35s).
- People tend to use physical characteristics like race as a group marker in societies where it is correlated with cultural groups, but in places like Israel and Ukraine, it's harder to tell someone's background based on their face, and other cues like language and clothing are used instead (25m52s).
- Research suggests that people are more inclined to use language as a basis for sorting and socializing, and this preference starts from infancy, with babies showing a preference for their mother's dialect even in the womb (26m27s).
- Studies have shown that children as young as infants are wired to assume that people who speak the same language as them will prefer the same food as them, and they can show surprise reactions when this assumption is challenged (27m39s).
- Babies are not racist and do not judge people based on their race, but they do judge people based on their accent and what they eat, showing that they are already making social judgments from a young age (28m27s).
- Humans have three instincts: the peer Instinct, hero Instinct, and ancestor Instinct, with the peer Instinct corresponding to conformist impulses and the desire to fit in with one's group (28m49s).
- The peer Instinct is thought to have evolved to enable coordination and cooperation, with evidence showing that early humans like Homo erectus hunted and gathered in collaborative groups (29m31s).
- Humans have a tendency to work together and build upon each other's ideas, which is derived from a common plant and enables collective thinking and work, even in fields like art and science (29m51s).
- This ability to collaborate and "mindmeld" with others empowers most of what humans do, but it also has its downsides, such as limiting independent thinking and promoting conformity (30m26s).
- Peer instinct is at its best when it enables seamless interaction and collaboration, such as in a basketball team, but at its worst when it leads to conformity and the suppression of dissenting opinions (30m40s).
- An example of peer instinct at its worst is when an engineer censors themselves and goes along with a group decision, despite knowing that the airbag design is unsafe, resulting in a customer's death (31m11s).
- Conformity can limit creativity, but having a point of departure, often someone else's work, can also facilitate creativity, and many creative endeavors, such as jazz music, involve collaboration and building upon each other's ideas (32m0s).
- The stereotype of the lone genius is not always accurate, and most creativity, even in the arts and sciences, is collaborative (32m46s).
The Hero Instinct: Contribution and Status
- Hero instinct, which emerged around half a million years ago, involves doing things that benefit others, such as taking care of people with congenital deformities, and taking personal risks for the greater good, such as leading a hunt to bring down larger prey (33m3s).
- Around the same time that more sophisticated tools emerged, people developed a new motivation to be normative and contribute to their group, in addition to the peer instinct to be normal (34m4s).
- To achieve this, individuals made sacrifices for the group, took personal hits to benefit others, and learned what the group valued, which wasn't always trivial (34m35s).
- A cognitive quirk associated with the hero instinct is emulating people in the group with status, looking to cultural heroes as beacons of what the group values as a contribution (34m51s).
- This emulation can lead to superficial status seeking, but it also provided an engine of innovation and adoptive cultural change, as seen in early agricultural groups where individuals would emulate successful farming practices (35m43s).
- The hero instinct allowed individuals to become rewarded by the group, gain status, and receive tributes, which is contrary to the idea that hunter-gatherer groups had no hierarchy (36m31s).
- Some anthropologists argue that hunter-gatherer groups, such as the Bushmen, had no hierarchy and were completely equal, but this idea has been disputed (36m45s).
- The Bushmen have a ritual called "insulting the meat," where the old men and women of the village insult the hunter who brought back the most impressive catch, such as an antelope (37m43s).
- In some hunter-gatherer groups, there is a practice of "insulting the meat," where individuals downplay their hunting achievements to avoid status differentiation (38m10s).
- However, anthropologists have found that despite this practice, there is still a correlation between successful hunting and reproductive success, indicating that status is still tied to hunting prowess (38m56s).
- In these groups, hunters who are successful are more likely to have children, suggesting that status is still an important factor in reproductive success (38m54s).
- The practice of insulting the meat may be a way to level the playing field and prevent any one individual from getting too far ahead, as it is essential for the group's survival that everyone works together (39m38s).
- Hunters take risks to provide for the group, and if there were no rewards for their efforts beyond the calories they consume, they may not be motivated to continue hunting (39m49s).
- The rewards for hunting are not just material, but also social, including increased status, esteem, and potential mating opportunities (40m16s).
- In some hunter-gatherer groups, food is distributed in a socialist manner, but productive hunters receive better medical care and other benefits, indicating that social rewards can take many forms (40m49s).
- Evolution has wired humans to care about esteem and social rewards, not just material rewards, which is reflected in the pride and shame system that motivates human behavior (41m20s).
Social Rewards and the Conscience
- Social rewards often come with delay and uncertainty, so humans have developed a system of internal esteem and pride to motivate pro-social behavior even when external rewards are not immediately available (41m47s).
- Humans are wired to contribute to a group in order to be rewarded, but also to contribute as an end in itself, driven by a sense of conscience and social obligation (42m29s).
- The conscience can be thought of as an internalized voice of respected members of the community, serving as a board of advisers that suggests what actions are wise or unwise (43m44s).
- The emotions of pride and shame act as a good PR agency, encouraging individuals to do things that are thought well of and to publicize their good deeds, while discouraging them from doing things that are not thought well of (44m0s).
- In every culture, individuals who achieve success, such as Olympic athletes, exhibit behaviors that show off their accomplishments, while those who fail tend to hide or become smaller (44m20s).
- The hero instinct is driven by a desire for social status and benefits, which requires experimentation, adventure, risk-taking, and divergence from the peer instinct (44m55s).
- When individuals achieve success, they are bestowed with benefits and social capital, which can be observed and emulated by others, allowing them to learn from their principles and behaviors (45m30s).
- The hero instinct can be framed as a desire to do something different, courageous, or honorable, and to be recognized and rewarded for it (45m52s).
Fantasies of Heroism and Real-Life Courage
- Sigmund Freud's concept of the super ego is mentioned as a related idea, but it is suggested that the internalized voice of authority is more accurately described as the internalized voice of respected members of the community (43m35s).
- Many people's mental lives, especially during adolescence, are filled with fantasies of heroic action and glory, which can be seen as partially evolved programs that take on a particular cultural form and are often gendered (46m19s).
- These fantasies can be seen as programs for action, but they may not necessarily translate to real-life actions, as people may not have the opportunity or courage to act on them (47m7s).
- The concept of "Walter Mitty," a character created by James Thurber, refers to people who fantasize about acting heroically but never do, and there are studies that explore who these people are and what motivates them (47m43s).
- In contrast, there are people who do step forward and contribute to groups at a sacrifice to their own safety or comfort, and gain actual glory rather than just fantasized glory (48m10s).
- The psychology of courage and bravery is a fascinating topic, and there are likely studies that explore what motivates people to act courageously and what holds them back (48m32s).
The Power of Social Bonds in Courage
- The Freedom Summer program in the 1960s, which aimed to register African-American voters in Mississippi, is an example of a project that required courage and bravery from its participants, who were mostly idealistic college students (49m1s).
- The program involved training students to build trust with communities and help people fill out paperwork to register to vote, and it was a successful example of people stepping forward to contribute to a cause at a sacrifice to their own comfort (49m40s).
- A sociologist studied the applications of volunteers for a program in Mississippi during the civil rights movement, where a third of the volunteers stayed after some were brutally murdered by the KKK, while two-thirds decided to quit (50m9s).
- The sociologist analyzed the applications to distinguish between those who stayed and those who quit, but found that the stayers' political values and experience in activism did not differ from those of the quitters (51m6s).
- The only difference between the stayers and quitters was that the stayers had close personal friends who were also in the program and were part of organizations involved with the program (51m44s).
- This led to the conclusion that being embedded in relationships with people committed to a cause can anchor individuals to that cause, even when the situation becomes difficult (52m7s).
- Social pressure and social incentives, such as a sense of support and a sense of community, can be key factors in bravery and courage (52m43s).
- Studies of militaries have found that soldiers are often motivated by loyalty to their comrades rather than abstract ideals like country or democracy (52m57s).
- Research on insurgent groups and terrorist organizations has also found that members are often well-connected and popular individuals, rather than isolated loners (53m22s).
- The sense of community and social bonds within these groups can be a powerful motivator for individuals to take action, even if it involves risk or violence (53m41s).
Social Bonding and Shared Experiences
- A researcher, Edward Slingerland, has studied the role of social bonding and initiation rituals in various contexts, including the use of alcohol as a bonding agent (54m2s).
- Armies have used the tactic of having troops drink together to build camaraderie, as the shared experience of suffering through a hangover can create a sense of shared bonding and make soldiers more likely to work together on the battlefield (54m17s).
- This shared suffering can be an important formative experience that helps build resilience and antifragility, and can be lacking in modern generations who are often over-protected and coddled (55m11s).
- Sharing in difficult experiences with others can be an important way to build strong bonds and a sense of community, and can be beneficial for individuals who may not have had these experiences in their personal lives (55m31s).
- Teamwork and collaboration can be an effective way to build strong relationships and a sense of camaraderie, as seen in team-taught courses where professors work together to deliver the same material (56m30s).
- In traditional cultures, rights of passage that involve painful and frightening experiences can be an important way to bond adolescents with their peers and create a sense of lifelong connection (57m14s).
The Ancestor Instinct and Cultural Memory
- The ancestor instinct, which is the urge to replicate the ways of past generations, is a recently evolved adaptation that contributes to our ability to live in tribes and can be an important factor in shaping our behavior and relationships (57m43s).
- Humans have an innate curiosity about the past, which is evident in the way people maintain traditions, such as following family recipes, collecting antiques, and learning about the founders of nations, religions, and organizations (58m6s).
- This curiosity is driven by a fundamental fear of mortality, and by feeling connected to past generations, people can experience a sense of indirect immortality (59m10s).
- The "ancestor instinct" allowed early human groups to preserve discoveries and inventions from past generations, even if they were not immediately needed, which is seen in the replication of tools, cave art, and other cultural artifacts (59m42s).
- This instinct also led to the development of myths and rituals, which allowed people to learn and pass on knowledge that went beyond their understanding, such as the creation of fishing nets (1h0m44s).
- Myths and rituals can serve as a way to protect people from natural disasters, such as tsunamis, by passing on knowledge and warnings through generations (1h1m35s).
- The "sea gypsies" of Thailand, who live on the water, were able to avoid many casualties during the 2006 tsunami due to their cultural lore and myths about the ocean's behavior during a tsunami (1h1m52s).
- The myth of a primordial flood, such as the story of Noah, is found in many cultures around the world, and it is believed to be an adaptive cultural lesson that has been passed down through generations (1h3m4s).
- Around 8,000 years ago, there was a major rise in ocean levels due to the end of a mini ice age, which corresponds to the timing of many flood myths (1h3m38s).
- The Aboriginal peoples of Australia have myths about a primordial flood that have been found to correspond to simulations of what happened in different parts of Australia 7,000 years ago (1h4m20s).
- These traumatic events are well-preserved in myths because they are treated as sacred and passed down through generations with little change (1h4m42s).
- The story of Noah's Ark is likely a remnant of this actual event that has been passed down through oral tradition for thousands of years before being written down (1h5m12s).
- The use of narrative and storytelling is being replaced by data and statistics in the modern world, which can be a difficult transition for people (1h5m55s).
- This shift in mindset can make it harder for people to understand and relate to information, such as the impact of mosquito nets on saving lives (1h6m20s).
- The problem with relying on narrative and storytelling is that it can be unfalsifiable and allow for the spread of misinformation (1h6m28s).
- The concept of things being "figuratively true but literally false" or "functionally true but literally false" is discussed, with the example of a myth or story that may not be literally true but serves a functional purpose, such as providing a warning (1h6m36s).
From Individualism to Tribalism
- Growing up, the individual was very individualistic and rationalistic, studying the humanities and believing that what distinguished humans from animals was rationality, morality, and aesthetics (1h7m17s).
- However, through research, it was discovered that some of the things that make humans human and enable the building of comfortable civilizations are conformity, status seeking, and nostalgia about the past (1h7m43s).
- These traits were previously critiqued, but a different understanding of the world has been developed through thinking about how the mighty have fallen (1h8m10s).
- The levers that pull on tribalism and cause culture to intensify or change are explored, with the idea that cultures are not permanent fixtures, but rather in flux (1h8m28s).
- Cultures expressed by individuals and small groups are also in flux, with people internalizing multiple cultures and situations triggering different cultures (1h9m10s).
- Short-term fluctuations in culture are based on situations, while long-term evolution of cultures occurs over time, with levers for both short-term and long-term changes (1h9m49s).
Triggers of Tribal Instincts
- Three instincts of tribal motivation are triggered by different things, with the peer instinct being triggered by the audiences around us, such as the ways they speak and dress (1h10m1s).
- Code switching, such as when Barack Obama spoke in a different register in front of different groups, is an example of the peer instinct in action (1h10m29s).
- Growing up in a mixed family with different communities can lead to adapting to various speech habits and worldviews depending on the audience, as one may click into a specific set of speech habits or biases when surrounded by people from a particular culture or community (1h10m49s).
- Different cultures have distinct biases in making sense of the world, and being around an audience from one culture can trigger thinking with that worldview, such as switching between data-driven thinking and more casual, bonding-oriented thinking (1h11m28s).
- Audiences and the "tribes" one is around can trigger peer instincts, influencing behavior and thinking patterns, and cultural symbols can be potent triggers of hero instincts, such as national flags, mascots, or anthems (1h12m13s).
- Cultural symbols, including images, words, or phrases, can evoke strong reactions and trigger hero instincts, such as the phrase "all men are created equal" in the United States, which can trigger a certain political creed (1h13m4s).
- Surrounding people with the symbols of their tribe can encourage pro-social behavior, risk-taking, and sacrifices, as seen in the use of cultural icons and symbols in various contexts (1h13m38s).
- Ceremonies, which involve public events with symbols and often synchronous movement, can trigger the ancestor instinct, causing people to think in terms of tradition and letting tradition guide them (1h13m58s).
- Synchronous behavior in ceremonies can lead to a different mental state, reducing individual self-concept, increasing openness to unity, and reducing critical thinking, making people more open to accepting tradition (1h14m22s).
- Participating in ceremonies, such as those in yoga classes or religious services, can create a sense of being part of a tradition and can influence one's worldview and behavior (1h14m50s).
Cults and Network Isolation
- Cults take advantage of people's desire for unity and connection to a larger group, often using daily ceremonies and activities to create a sense of belonging and dampen individual self-consciousness (1h15m3s).
- People may experience a similar sense of unity in other groups, such as sports teams or political campaigns, but cults differ in their recruitment techniques, including network isolation (1h16m7s).
- Network isolation involves targeting individuals who are not tightly embedded in a community, such as transfer students or those who have recently left the army, and inviting them to social activities where they are "love bombed" with attention and praise (1h16m12s).
- If the individual responds well, they may be invited to a retreat in a secluded location, where they are subjected to a routine of early rising, low-protein diet, meditation, chanting, and charismatic lectures (1h16m52s).
- This routine is designed to break down the individual's existing social connections and create a sense of dependence on the cult, and is similar to techniques used by seminaries and other groups to recruit members (1h17m13s).
- After the retreat, some individuals may be persuaded to move into a cult residence, where they are encouraged to cut off contact with old friends and family, leading to a complete isolation from the outside world (1h17m41s).
- The cult leaders then have a monopoly on status and information, creating a situation that is abnormal and potentially dangerous (1h18m31s).
- In a cult-like situation, people are restricted from engaging with outside influences, such as music or sports, which can lead to a dangerous level of devotion to the cult leader (1h19m1s).
Threats and Tribalism
- Factors in the environment can cause people to focus more on either collaboration or competition, with examples including warfare, peace time, and threats (1h19m25s).
- Threats, particularly existential threats like the fear of death or collective threats, can lead people to cling to traditions and become more tribal (1h19m56s).
- In times of threat, people may become more defensive of their own traditions and less open to learning from others, which can be maladaptive (1h20m40s).
- Threats can also make it harder for people to take the perspective of others, making negotiation and cooperation more difficult (1h21m10s).
- The modern world's polarization and tribalism may be influenced by the perception of threats, such as scary news headlines, but the impact of specific events like COVID-19 on partisan polarization is unclear (1h21m30s).
Escalation of Tribalism in Conflicts
- The Israel-Gaza conflict is an example of a situation where tribalism and polarization have escalated, with protests and strong management of campus access (1h22m8s).
- In such conflicts, people may start to dehumanize and demonize their fellow community members, even if they are not directly involved in the conflict (1h23m0s).
- Protests and vigils can start with good intentions but escalate into tribalistic behavior, with people calling their fellow community members names like "Nazis" (1h23m21s).
- Vigils were held to express solidarity for vulnerable civilians in Israel and Gaza, but later protests turned into accusations of being Nazis and genocidal, showing how people take on an exaggerated sense of vulnerability (1h23m30s).
- Some individuals, including Israeli colleagues, claimed their children would be safer in Israel or the Gaza Strip than at Columbia campus, despite there being no significant threat to physical safety, only a threat to peace of mind due to harassment (1h24m8s).
- There is a conflation between emotional or intellectual insults and physical ones, with the ratcheting up of emotional insults being seen as something one should never encounter (1h24m50s).
The Root of Partisan Conflict
- Research suggests that people don't hate outsiders, and the issue is an "us" thing, not a "them" thing, with the internet and recent election contributing to the perception of hostility (1h25m17s).
- Hostility in conflicts does exist, but it doesn't start from hostility or a drive to degrade and fear outsiders, and solidarity within one's group does not imply antagonism towards other groups (1h25m48s).
- The discourse of a deeply buried drive to hate outsiders has led to grandiose rhetoric, but it doesn't suggest ameliorative policies, whereas believing the root of partisan conflict is the conformity instinct could lead to solutions like breaking out of one's bubble (1h26m19s).
- Residential sorting, news media sorting, and being conformist in inbred environments have created different political worlds, and recognizing this diagnosis could lead to actions like breaking out of one's bubble (1h27m3s).
- Living in a bubble, such as the upper west side of Manhattan, can reinforce blue tribe symbols and icons, and being aware of this can help individuals break out of their bubble (1h27m31s).
- Moving to a new location can provide an opportunity to break away from ideologically inbred environments and be exposed to different perspectives, which can help reduce division and promote more moderate views (1h27m56s).
Breaking Out of the Bubble
- Efforts to create dialogue across the red and blue factions of society have been made, such as university programs that bring together students and people from the local community with differing views (1h28m22s).
- Initial programs with names like "Red Meets Blue" or "Town Gown Encounter" were not effective in promoting moderate views, as they raised defenses and created a confrontational atmosphere (1h28m56s).
- Research suggests that more effective programs are those that bring people together based on shared interests and passions, such as coffee or food, and then gradually move to discussions on more divisive topics (1h29m27s).
- Examples of effective programs include Coffee Party USA, Make America Dinner Again, and Open Lands Discussions, which focus on building bonds and promoting conversations that can last (1h29m29s).
- The goal of these programs is to create a conversation that is bonding and more likely to last, rather than asking people to discuss highly divisive topics like global warming or abortion (1h30m3s).
Finding a Way Out of Division
- Understanding the diagnosis of the current division is crucial in finding a way out of it, and it is not a permanent state, but rather a result of the interaction of tribal psychology, technological changes, and demographic changes over the last couple of generations (1h30m26s).
- Historical context shows that the current division is not unprecedented, and the country has been through more severe political rifts, such as the Civil War, and has been able to heal and move forward (1h31m2s).
- Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration address highlighted the importance of the country's common heritage in healing the rift, which he referred to as the "Mystic chords of memory" (1h31m33s).
- Abraham Lincoln instituted the holiday of Thanksgiving to unify the country, drawing on the precedent of the pilgrims and George Washington's Thanksgiving events to make the holiday feel like a long-standing American tradition (1h32m28s).
- The idea that Thanksgiving has been practiced since the pilgrims landed in America is a myth created in part by Abraham Lincoln and the thought leaders of the day to make the new holiday feel more familiar (1h32m31s).
- Lincoln's efforts to create a sense of shared history and tradition helped bring the country back together, and talking about history can be useful for inclusive populism and creating a broader group identity (1h33m22s).
- Reflecting on common ancestors and history can help put current divisions into perspective and make them feel less significant (1h32m8s).
A Realistic Diagnosis and Inspiring Solutions
- A realistic diagnosis of the problems facing democracy, rather than a grandiose or overly pessimistic one, can be more inspiring and accurate (1h34m8s).
- Tribal psychology, which underlies human accomplishments, can sometimes go awry, but understanding this instinct can help manage it (1h35m4s).
- Dr. Michael Morris suggests that drawing back from tribalism and accessing teamwork, history, and archetypes from the past can lead to positive outcomes (1h34m37s).
- Dr. Morris has a book website, tribalbook.org, and a personal website, michaelwmorris.com, where people can learn more about his work and research (1h35m25s).