Friday, February 04, 2022

Football, Politics and Mindless Tribalism

Politics and football have something in common:  they both attract true believers who devolve into mindless tribalism.  For example, I’m a 49ers fan and really wanted them to beat the Rams and progress to Super Bowl 56 —but they lost.  Now I have nothing to gain or lose by this; I don’t get any money or rings or any tangible reward.  It’s just a matter of pride, go team!  

Politics also has its mindless tribalists.  Instead of supporting those who make our lives better, we mentally associate with one party or the other because that party is “our tribe.”  Trump helped create the best economy in 50 years, achieved energy independence and border security, helped create 7 million new jobs, end the Korean War and got several Muslim countries to make peace with Israel.  But to many Democrats, that doesn’t matter:  he’s not their tribe and his achievements make their tribe look bad.  So they hate him instead.  How foolish.

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