More on Tribalism: Orson Scott Card

A few months back, Orson Scott Card appeared on the Glenn and Helen Show podcast, in which he talked about his new book Empire, which paints a worst-case scenario where current tribalism in politics leads to a new American civil war.

Listen to this interview via mp3 (or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes)

I haven't read Empire, so I have no idea how well the book stands up, but the interview is thought provoking, and inspired Glenn Reynolds to give further thoughts on Scott's words in a TCS Daily column.

I think that we're a long way from a civil war. But I also think that Card's right to warn people against too much division, and too little emphasis on our common interests as Americans. While I don't think that we're in danger of a civil war, I do think that our current political system is unhealthy, with polarization serving mostly as a tool for the folks in power to keep their bases in line, while they pursue agendas that are mostly self-serving.

(Orson Scott Card is also the writer of Ulitmate Iron Man. Everything ties back to comics eventually.)

Tribalism: The enemy within.

I don't know how well my attempts to talk about politics within the comic book blogosphere and podcast communities will fly.

But I am doing so, in part, because I believe that too many people are treating politics as a taboo subject. That good people are scared off by being hostilely judged by people who don't agree with them.

Anger and confrontation seem to be the standard form of political discourse these days. The fringes have a disproportionately loud voice, and intimidate those of us who don't quite fit into their ideas of right and wrong. The extreme left and right are both driving us towards tribalism.

The political blogosphere has been discussing tribalism lately.
Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters has put it very well.

…this anger and tribalism creates a national sense of rhetorical civil war where we cannot ever agree enough to maintain standards of behavior or get anything accomplished.

…

The point of politics is not to engage in primal screams, but to find ways to implement the best policies for the nation, states, and communities. Anger has its place, but we cannot allow anger to define our politics and our ethics. If we are to make a better nation and a better world, we have to insist on a focus on policy and performance regardless of which party is in power. Otherwise, we're just playing Capture the Flag.

Please read the whole article.