Armchair Anthropology: Us vs. Them
(Please note: I am an American, and most of my political experience is with, as one would assume, American politics. This may be somewhat different in your home country, but the general points are pretty universal.)
If you're like most people in the first world, you have at least a passing interest in politics. From Republicans and Democrats to Tories, Liberals and Labor, to the bazillion different other parties within various nations, there is always an element of conflict in politics. It's like a high-brow version of sports: we root for our 'team' to win.
This doesn't just extend to politics; religion, philosophy, and even the most irrelevant and minor of hobbies all have this feature. Why?
Well, it dates back to our tribal days, where we instinctively organized ourselves into tightly-knit communities based on mutual culture and heritage. A sense of unity was incredibly important to our chances of survival, and one of the best ways to strengthen the concept of "Us" is to focus on what is NOT "Us".
This philosophy is still seen today; while we intellectually know that we live in an insanely big world, we still tend to think in terms of the area we're familiar with. We know there are kids starving in Africa, but distance and culture drain our empathy. It doesn't make us heartless arses, it just makes us human. (That being said, please try and donate more. This is an explanation, not an excuse.) Most debates end either in aggressive yelling or passive-aggressive ad-hominem attacks.
We've slowly begun to repress those tribal instincts, but the social divide is likely to persist for several centuries, and will almost certainly never disappear.
So fear not, denizens of La Internette! A healthy dose of reason and logic and an open, willing disposition will greatly alleviate the endless sectarianism, even if it's only by degrees.
Best of Luck,
Supreme Tribal Leader Tom
If you found what I've said here interesting, please check out this article. It planted a couple of the seeds that make up what I'm saying here, now. Be warned, though; the content of the article, and the site as a whole, uses language that you may find inappropriate.
If you're like most people in the first world, you have at least a passing interest in politics. From Republicans and Democrats to Tories, Liberals and Labor, to the bazillion different other parties within various nations, there is always an element of conflict in politics. It's like a high-brow version of sports: we root for our 'team' to win.
This doesn't just extend to politics; religion, philosophy, and even the most irrelevant and minor of hobbies all have this feature. Why?
Well, it dates back to our tribal days, where we instinctively organized ourselves into tightly-knit communities based on mutual culture and heritage. A sense of unity was incredibly important to our chances of survival, and one of the best ways to strengthen the concept of "Us" is to focus on what is NOT "Us".
This philosophy is still seen today; while we intellectually know that we live in an insanely big world, we still tend to think in terms of the area we're familiar with. We know there are kids starving in Africa, but distance and culture drain our empathy. It doesn't make us heartless arses, it just makes us human. (That being said, please try and donate more. This is an explanation, not an excuse.) Most debates end either in aggressive yelling or passive-aggressive ad-hominem attacks.
We've slowly begun to repress those tribal instincts, but the social divide is likely to persist for several centuries, and will almost certainly never disappear.
So fear not, denizens of La Internette! A healthy dose of reason and logic and an open, willing disposition will greatly alleviate the endless sectarianism, even if it's only by degrees.
Best of Luck,
Supreme Tribal Leader Tom
If you found what I've said here interesting, please check out this article. It planted a couple of the seeds that make up what I'm saying here, now. Be warned, though; the content of the article, and the site as a whole, uses language that you may find inappropriate.