Amid the aftermath of the catastrophic Hurricane Helene, Americans have been reminded that the federal government’s prioritization of some citizens over others extends even to disaster relief, given recent revelations of FEMA’s emergency management blueprint to “instill equity as a foundation of emergency management.”
Not that we should be surprised: The Biden administration constantly claims white supremacist domestic terrorists are the greatest danger to our republic, while the FBI warns that the top domestic violent extremist threat is “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocated for the superiority of the white race.” Left-wing corporate media have insisted that the 2024 presidential election is, at its heart, a battle over whether America will return to an alleged white supremacist, misogynist past.
Such assertions, at least implicitly, are grounded in a belief that tribalism — the prioritization of and extreme loyalty to one’s group, be it ethnic, racial, or sexual — is ultimately a destructive force in politics because it engenders fear, resentment, and, in its most extreme form, violence.
Yet it doesn’t require much reflection to appreciate that tribalism, far from being a competitor to liberal ambitions, is actually the most potent weapon Democrats wield to generate energy among their base, stoking the very identity-driven animosity that Vice President and 2024 candidate Kamala Harris appeals to when she declares: “We are not going back.” Yet even a cursory review of how mankind slowly labored to overcome its naturally inclined tribalism in favor of respect for all peoples indicates
