

Unconsidered: The things we never think about. - sneak
https://eeqj.com/20120707/unconsidered/

======
sophacles
What the author is describing here is just standard human group-identity
stuff. It goes by many names - tribalism, ethnocentrism, nationalism,
othering, and so on. I like tribalism[1], because in my (not as informed as I
wish, but still somewhat studied) opinion this phenomenon is something that
has been with humanity forever. "civilization" and modern life has perhaps
allowed people to be able to identify with several tribes at once, but the
general structure of tribal membership is still the same - strong
loyalty/fealty to the group you are in, and lesser consideration for other
groups in the same sphere. Lesser regard is true of both "friends" and "foes",
with the former being someone to help but after "my tribe" is taken care of,
and the foe just being "wrong" or some sort of inhuman.

Sometimes these are nested and complex, but the pattern is still the same. For
example: my startup is the most important. Other startups in the same space
are bad for me. But at a higher level, SV startups are the good ones, we need
to get all the good programmers from big companies and startups in those
"lesser" places like Michigan or New York, those poor folks are just deceiving
themseselves.

Or take for example the classic plot device in military movies: Our unit is
the most important to us. The rest of the guys in our army are people we help,
but when it comes down to it, we worry about our own first, you can't fully
trust the Army. Then, if it's convenient, worry about the allied units, and
the enemies just aren't human, so don't bother.

Similar tribal behaviors can be seen in Politics, religion, intra-corporate
divisions/units, sports, sciences, hobbies, operating systems, and on and on.

It is useful to be aware of this, because it seems to me a lot of the more
effective people seem to understand this, at least intuitively, and know how
to break down or take advantage of such "tribes" to get things done. It also
helps to understand this when dealing with seemingly illogical behavior, when
looked at in light of "What tribal lines/mores/etc are being violated here?"
these behaviours start making sense, and can be dealt with. Similarly, I find
that when I am opposed to something, or pro- something, but can't necessarily
place why, it comes down to tribal issues frequently (and I try to avoid these
things! Other times it is just preference or some actually good reason I just
haven't quite figured out yet... the good old hunch, but I'm wary of those
too). It seems to be something built into humanity - be it just a common
social structure, or a stable emergent behavior, or something built into the
human understanding via brain structure or whatever.

[1] Unfortunately the wikipedia article still seems to reflect an older
definition of tribalism, that hasn't quite caught up with usages of the term
in the last 30-50 years, hence my discussion of other names for this pattern.

~~~
lookACamel
I believe tribalism is inadequate as it implies a strong awareness or belief
of the separate existence of "my group" vs "that group". The author is focused
more on those clusters which logically exist but are unknown to those inside.
What he brings up is related to the subject of privilege which feminists often
talk about.

~~~
sneak
That is, in fact, exactly what I was talking about.

------
javajosh
It is nice to see someone poke there head above their prejudices and habits,
if only briefly, and appreciate the size and shape of the world as-it-is.
That's a good thing and people should make an effort to do more of that more
often.

I'd argue that it's even more useful and important to do it along the axis of
"personality", "intelligence", and "situation". That is, can I make an attempt
to see the world as a pitiful fool? As a greedy scumbag? As a religious
fundamentalist? As a drug-addled single mom? As self-righteous millionaire? As
a self-righteous cancer sufferer? As a brave 5th grader doing the best they
can with neglectful parents, not even realizing they are being neglected? As a
middle-son of some local priest-class? As a teenager desperate for a Foxconn
job? As a thirty-something bone-weary and contemplating suicide from the
Foxconn job? As an angry, French speaking Quebecian? As a Mexican
schoolteacher constantly affronted by wealthy, oblivious American tourists? As
a cruise-ship tourist, angry with the poor service at dinner?

The human experience is vast and deep, and often deeply unpleasant, but it is
joyful to contemplate it in its full richness. And if only because this post
reminded me of this, it deserves an upvote (and probably a cat meme, if I was
clever enough).

------
J3L2404
Nightclub hipster awakes from K-hole mad at Rumsfeld and whining about
Americans.

~~~
sneak
Hole in one. From downtown. Have an upboat.

