The longer that social and political issues
are driven by ethnic or tribal concerns rather than by cross-tribal economic
inequalities, the harder it will remain to move democratic institutions, including
our own, to a higher plain. This
statement is certainly true for nations in the Mid East, South Asia and Africa,
where kinship culture has lead to explosive violence and ethnic cleansing. Interestingly, this observation is now front
and center in connection with the debate over race relations stirred up by the
Zimmerman acquittal. Should we be
debating racism, African-American urban culture, or both? I submit we should take a look at the culture
as well as the specific crime.
Let us imagine
that St. Peter is not quite sure what to do with Trayvon Martin following his
untimely death. He decides to give
Trayvon a choice: “Son, do you want to
be remembered as the victim of racial profiling and stand your ground laws and
be assigned to the house with Mr. King, Rosa Parks and a few white freedom
riders? Or would you rather go to the
house that Malcom X built. It is a
little on the loud side with all those rappers and angry intercity organizers. You will be remembered as that proud young
black man who got physical with an older, bigger and better armed dude who did
not like you walking in his neighborhood.”
Which would be more attractive to Trayvon? A symbol of racial injustice or a life cut
short because he followed the rules of the tribe and did not back down? A
victim or an urban legend?
Political debate in this country has never
been so fragmented, with the impossibility of reaching common ground. One reason for this dilemma is that we are
witnessing a “nova burst” of tribalism in America. Wealthy white conservatives have encouraged
and supported tribalism because once this era comes to a close, their political
power base is gone forever. They need
the tribes to agree on anything but economic inequality. They need the tribes to work at cross
purposes. They need the tribes to be
afraid of each other and of their government.
The wealthy conservatives must know, now that
they have lost the Latino tribe, it is only a matter of time before the Evangelical
tribe decides that pocket book issues are as important as the family value
ones. They need the conversation to be
about race, immigration and sexual/birth preferences, not wealth distribution. Now wealthy conservatives are the ones who need to be afraid of losing
their “trickle down” economy controlled by puppet masters at the top.
The
1960s saw the consolidation of the African-American tribe that remains with us
today. Following the initial push for
civil rights, we saw the emergence of black identity in our universities, in
the jungles of Vietnam and in the inner cities.
This was followed by decades of a tough as nails urban culture
encouraged by the entertainment industry, professional athletics, and the
media. Being black and supporting the
tribe became more important than supporting all of the other folks facing economic
inequalities, be they Asian, Appalachian or Latino. To be fair, each of the other underprivileged
groups has gathered around their own tribal leaders. The Scots-Irish Appalachian tribe goes back
hundreds of years.
I
believe that the evolution of the African American tribe was a necessary step
in the history of black integration into the American cultural fabric. I further believe some of the clichés, myths
and negative characteristics of being part of the tribe are now hurting that
integration. The glorification of urban culture and street justice were
responsible, at least in part, for perceptions on both sides leading up to the
Zimmerman episode and many others of a similar nature. These isolating, self centered tribal
tendencies are preventing the black community from taking its place at the
vanguard of the push for social democracy for all Americans.
Thankfully,
several developments will hasten the decline of the negative characteristics of
black tribalism. First, the election and
eight year leadership of Barack Obama, who has politically represented all
Americans in need of social democracy, presents a none urban model of black
identity; second, an influx of younger Americans who see past color barriers in
their relationships and do not believe violent abd sexist urban culture is a
positive force for change; and third the obvious need to replace racisim with
economic inequality as the major impediment to social progress. Lastly, if
“Country-Rap”, also known as “Hick-Hop” is really gaining in popularity, maybe
the tribal walls are coming down faster than we imagine. The music is always the first to know.
