4
My Take
By QUINCY TROUPE
In the “ fact-free ” environment in which we live , work and create in the United States today , it ’ s no wonder charlatans , quacks and ignorant people are many times over more celebrated than serious minded individuals whether they are politicians , artists , writers , or thinkers .
Silliness and mediocrity rule the day and con artists and criminals get away with almost anything . In fact , so many people in this country are so desperately ignorant of so many important things it boggles the imagination ! Instead of rewarding truly serious people , we embrace the throwaway culture of celebrity , along with quick-fix sound bytes and faux solutions for difficult , often times intractable problems that arise out of the changing demographics , sociopolitical , technological , religious , and cultural dynamics sweeping not only the United States , but also the world at large .
This vexing , destructive behavior I attribute to the fact that we , Americans , suffer from an overdose of toxic media , religious intolerance , and reality television and from what I will describe here as modern tribalism . The word “ tribe ” is defined in The Oxford American Dictionary of Current English ( 1999 ) as “ a group of ( esp . primitive ) families or communities , linked by social , economic , religious , or blood ties , and usu [ ally ] having a common culture and dialect , and a recognized leader .”
In today ’ s political discourse , we don ’ t hear the term tribalism in relation to political parties , but that is exactly the behavior exhibited by Republicans . The Democrats are not as rigid in their ideological bent , except maybe for some of Bernie Sanders ’ followers , but by and large , not so much , while Republicans , especially the followers of Donald Trump , most definitely exhibit a rising tide of toxic tribalism .
Take for example , the recent epa hearings where rather than questioning Gov . Rick Snyder , the Republicans to a person , viciously attacked the epa chair while Democrats took the more balanced approach , questioning both the epa chair and the governor . Another example is the treatment President Obama has received from the Republicans and their minions on conservative talk radio , Fox News , other Republican supporting cable news shows , in conservative print media and online blogs , during the past seven years . Also , in my opinion , the toxic tribalism demonstrated by the mobs who beat up black and white protesters and news reporters , while displaying Nazi and kkk insignias at Trump rallies ; by the raucous attendees screaming their support at Republican Party presidential debates in 2016 , as the candidates talked about the size of their opponents ’ penises and hurled other unmentionable insults . All this sordid , shocking behavior has not gone unnoticed by people all around the globe who are watching this sorry spectacle . This mad hysteria , this American horror show of contagious poisonous behavior , we now see every day replicated in terrible scenarios throughout the Middle East , Asia , Africa , Haiti , Latin and Central America , Europe , literally on every continent , it seems .