The truth shall set you free

The tagline on this forum used to quote Jesus and say "The truth shall set you free".

Whether right leaning or left leaning...

Is there any point where our allegiance truth overrides our allegiance to tribe?

Do we question the sources of information that agree with our viewpoint?

Does truth no longer matter when there is politics involved?

How do we hold our sources of information accountable even if they misrepresent the truth so that it agrees with our view?

9 essential lessons from psychology to understand the Trump era

 

#NeverTrump folks never die, they just vote Democrat in the next election.

 

Nowadays I can tell by the folks who like a post.

This post is absolute pabulum.

And really. We stopped caring what the Brits think of us around 240 years ago when we kicked you outta here. With our guns you hate so much.

And for the last hundred years we simply laugh at you and wait for you to call us to beat your latest fascist invaders that you will eventually accuse us of supporting.

It is to laugh.

 

These are some great examples of tribalism at work. Our first instinct is to look for tribal affiliation to determine our response to something. It is a great shortcut to actually processing and dealing with truth that may be uncomfortable.

From the original article.

 

Sorry, Charlie, Starkist wants tuna that tastes good not tuna with good taste. I know that you think that Hillary was the most qualified person to ever run for US president (Didn't she say that herself?) but it is not tribalism to belong to a political party. The Democrats are the party of slavery, Jim Crow, KKK, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Why it turns out that JFK probably knew that LBJ belonged to the KKK. As FDR's Grandpa Delano said, not all Democrats are horse thieves, but all horse thieves are Democrats.

 

How do you know that to be true? Have you read a single post here from me about Hillary? I have a hard time recalling one. The one I do recall said something to the effect of "I understand why folks might feel she is an unacceptable option for president".

But because I am critical of Trump I must have liked Hillary?

Again why are we using tribal affiliation as a proxy for truth?

 

I apologize for suggesting that you are in Hillary's camp.

You see, Hillary was labelled a liar by the Democrats themselves during Watergate, where she had a minor official role. So how is it tribal for me to dislike her? Since you claim that I am tribal for my voting habits, I inferred logically that you were for the greatest lying woman alive since that is the only alternative. If you don't like her, does that mean that you have deserted your tribe? The Democrats have given us slavery, Jim Crow, KKK, abortion, and same-sex marriage, and are trying to confiscate all guns. It sounds to me as if they are enemies of the people. Most of the time, no one wants to be around Democrats because their speech is so vile and accusatory.

 

It isn't. Liking or disliking Hillary has nothing to do with tribalism. But if you dislike her just because she is on the other tribe from you and your tribe tells you to dislike her, that is tribalism. If you dislike her for what she says and does (not by your tribe thinks she says and does) that is not tribalism.

Voting habits don't make someone tribal. Being human does. Tribalism is a natural human characteristic that interferes with our ability to see the truth.

Democrats are no more my tribe than Hutu rebels. I am not affiliated with any US political group.

 

If that’s a way of saying “birds of a feather stick together” I agree. There are folks who’s opinions I have no respect for or agreement with and if I see they liked something it usually means I won’t.

Tribalism. Pfft. Simply a word to make Trump haters feel superior.

 

No need to apologize. It highlights the point I am trying to make. You think I am from a different tribe from you and in your mind that tribe is democrat and has all these other associations. Instead of actually finding out the truth, we use shortcuts and assumptions that are usually false.

I thank you for helping me illustrate my point.

 

Tribalism applies to republicans, democrats, Indians, swedes, women, transgender, union workers, lawyers, North Sydneysiders, Innerwest Sydneysiders, independent fundamentalist baptists, charismatic evangelical catholics, Sunni muslims all human groups. It applies to all groups I affiliate with as well. Recognizing it is a big step in minimizing its impact on our ability to understand others and the world.

 

Actually, I don't believe in tribes or identity politics. I live in an upscale area where the big crime is bad manners. Kindness is spoken here.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong with being part of a tribe. It is part our human and spiritual need for community and belonging. It is also important in democracy to understand how our different tribes think and interact with each other because we associate with a greater tribe of our nation and it is better for everyone to be at peace than civil war.

What is problematic is when we no longer communicate with the "other" and are incapable of understanding them except through the lens of our tribe. And when leaders instead of understanding differences in tribe to encourage unity, fuel those differences to foster dissent. It is a recipe for war and maybe that is going to be what it takes for this all too familiar human pattern to change.

 

I am of the bitter irredeemable deplorable gun and bible clinger living in a basket eating crumbs from the masters table tribe.

 

Tribalism - Forming "tribes" - the first step in a divide and conquer strategy.

 

Not to mention that when Democrats are in power, "bipartisanship" means that Republicans cave and do whatever Democrats want. But, when Republicans are in power, "bipartisanship" means that...Republicans cave and do whatever Democrats want.

For What It's Worth, with the single exception of Trump for President I've voted a blank ballot in the last two election cycles and I no longer consider myself a Republican (I served as a Republican precinct chairman until it was made abundantly clear that all the party leadership was going to do about the problems we face was use them for fundraising fodder). We're not voting ourselves out of this mess, folks, no matter which side of the aisle you consider yourself to be on. It's going to take divine intervention.

 

Seems likely - we will have to wait and see.

 

I agree. That is what Putin's approach to the western world is. Divide, fuel dissent, encourage allies to hate each other. It is working fabulously.

I am trying to encourage us to look beyond our tribes to the truth. It helps that we have a common tribe of Christian and allegiance to Christ that should override our other allegiances but rarely does in reality.

 

Now your catching on

 

Depends who you are conversing with.