Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TRIBALISM

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connect today's word to others: When people forego kindness or common sense because they're so deeply loyal to their own little tribe, that's tribalism. It can be a bit creepy, a bit unsettling. So can factionalism and groupthink, other social phenomena. Could you explain these? make your point with... "TRIBALISM" Let's start with a tribe: a social group of people. Something related to a tribe is tribal, such as tribal land, tribal customs, tribal politics, or a tribal identity. And tribalism is loyalty to your own social group. Often, it's strong, even harmfully strong, loyalty to your own social group.     Pronunciation: TRY buh liz um Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the tribalism," "this tribalism," "their tribalism," "such tribalism," "no tribalism," and so on, but don’t say "a tribalism," "one tribalism," or "tribalisms.") Other forms worth knowing: tribe(s), tribal, tribally, tribalist, tribalistic How to use it: This word has a negative tone, because when we engage in tribalism, adhere to tribalism, fall prey to tribalism and so on, we might stumble into an us-versus-them mentality that leads to hate, bigotry, violence, etc. Here's Amy Chua: "The Left believes that right-wing tribalism—bigotry, racism—is tearing the country apart. The Right believes that left-wing tribalism is tearing the country apart. They are both right." So, talk about the threat of tribalism, the extremes of tribalism, the presence of tribalism at school or in the office, the tribalism in our politics, and so on. Or, talk about overcoming, combating, counteracting, or vanquishing tribalism. And you can say that tribalism is surging, thriving, fading, etc. examples: It's a tribalistic ritual: we rehash the week's headlines, commiserating and cursing. We've blamed our increasing tribalism partly on Facebook algorithms: those creators of echo chambers, of shrinking infospheres, of streams of ideas we already embrace. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "tribalism" means when you can explain it without saying "blind loyalty" or "unthinking patriotism." try it out: Fill in the blank: "When someone says (something my social group disagrees with), I feel the pull of tribalism, the automatic urge to argue." Example: "When someone says we need to bring prayer into the public schools, I feel the pull of tribalism, the automatic urge to argue." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "The Meanings of Maladies." I'll share a tidbit about the word for a particular symptom, disease, or condition, and you try to name it. We'll start with common maladies and work our way toward the rare and strange. From our previous issue: The word for this condition comes from a misreading of the Greek word for "point, edge, or peak," and is related to our word acme. What is it? Answer: Acne. Try this today: The word for this disease comes from an Italian word for "a visiting" or "an influence of the stars on our lives," with the idea being, loosely, that the stars destined us to suffer from it. What is it? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of TRIBALISM is A. CONCORD. B. GENIALITY. C. MODERNITY. 2. The editorial _____ her for _____ tribalism. A. commends .. boosting B. blames .. fomenting C. chides .. reducing Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B