Ideological Tribalism

It's no secret that we live in divisive times. Never in my lifetime do I remember so many politically and emotionally charged conversations. Engaging in public discourse is like heading into a field full of ideological land mines. They can explode at any time. Even talking about whether to wear a mask to protect people can become a tension filled mess.

No wonder so many of us revert back into tribalism. We identify the team we are on and move into echo chambers where the voices affirm our own convictions. We feel validated, safe and gain a sense of control. Like an upset baby frantically looking for a pacifier we run back to our tribes to be soothed and proven right. This dynamic is partially responsible for our polarized cultural landscape. The middle ground has collapsed out from under us increasing our dualistic and either/or thinking.

Music has taught me a thing or two about tribalism.

I was a 90s kid. I remember when I got my first Walkman and felt like a BOSS. Once allowance started trickling in I often found myself at best buy scanning the CD racks for the next great album. I was a rock/alternative guy. That was my musical tribe. Anyone who had a sense of good music liked the same stuff I did. Everyone else was kind of a loser. The headphones during my junior high and high school days played Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, Third Eye Blind, Incubus, Audioslave and Jimmy Eat World. This was my music. These were my people.

Important side note: I still think Incubus' Morning View album is one the best best of all time. Don't judge.

I had to be faithful to my bands to project the proper masculine image. If I found myself foot tapping to a Taylor Swift song I had to keep it secret. That kind of music was labeled as lame and boring by my tribe. In a sense I was indoctrinated into developing certain categories. Audioslave was awesome. Soft pop songs performed by female vocalists...not so awesome.

Thank goodness I've matured beyond these superficial tribes. I'll admit, Taylor Swift's new album Folklore has some really solid songs on it. Even though I've matured past most of the ridiculous image management of high school, it's still oddly hard for me to admit. I was formed over decades by these categories.

Now my musical appreciation has widened to include a lot of folk and indie. The lines of good and bad music aren't as obvious. I'm more curious and open. Of course I have my preferred artists. Bands like Lord Huron, Death Cab for Cutie, Drew Holcomb, Wilco and Mt Joy are some favorites lately. But I realize there is much to appreciate and enjoy beyond these boundaries.

Music has taught me that I'm more likely to talk myself into liking a mediocre song that comes from inside my musical tribe than to accept a great song that comes from the outside the boundaries.

The same thing happens in more important realms like spirituality. Many of us have been told for decades that our family, our church and our tribe has the truth. We ought to feel skeptical or judgmental towards Christians that come from other church spaces. Of course our tribe isn't perfect, but aside from a few tweaks here and there we are the faithful and thoughtful ones.

With this mindset we accept ideas, theology and practices from our tribe even if they are incomplete or downright wrong. Alternatively, when we encounter an important idea or practice from outside of our community, no matter how truthful or helpful, we have a hard time accepting it. Like my natural reaction in college when encountering a Taylor Swift song, we feel like appreciating what someone from another team has to offer betrays our people or mares our image. This happens within politics all the time as well.

We must care more about truth than our tribe and what's good over our image. When we do, we will realize that good, true and beautiful ideas can come from surprising places. We can move away from the tribal poles and re-establish the thoughtful middle ground.