Has the U.S. become a nation of tribes?

In the colossal, social chaos that promotes governmental collapse, people instinctively band together for protection. They align along village or blood divides. There is coalescence into groups of shared familiarity.

They become tribes.

Conflict accelerates the demise of civilizations while it promotes splitting into defensive social enclaves. Tribes provide security amidst disorder. Conversely, powerful clans inhibit the construction of a cohesive central authority. It is evident in Pakistan’s tribal area, it is a key problem for unity in Afghanistan, and Somalia is the poster child for it.

Such social units sustain cohesiveness as a reaction to fear and by rewarding its members. Loyalty along bloodlines, birthplaces or family names becomes the means of personal identity. If everyone is the same, everyone is safe. This collective power provides security. Those are the bonus points for sticking together. The family has the back covered.

In Libya, king of kings Muammar Gaddafi favored his kinsman to the detriment of others. His cousins and their cousins were enriched, while neighbors picked up the scraps off the floor. After his death, the scrap pickers finally caught up with him.

Lest we become too arrogant and point mockingly toward North Africa or the pirates of the Horn or the Afghans with AK-47s, we should look around.

Is the U.S. descending into divisive tribes?

The accusatorial, paralyzing political rants and rages recruit us to become more and more Democrat-ites or Republican-ites. We have angry Tea-ites and Occupy-ites. There are 1-percent have-ites, and the 99-percent rest-of-us-ites. Don’t forget the special interest-ites and the corporation-ites. All these affiliations contribute to our divisions. It is not class warfare; it is conflict of tribes.

In the extreme near-sidedness of political clans, there is limited vision outside the encircled tents. It is blurry at best. Inside they see only their wants and feel only their worries. Beyond the family fortresses everyone else is an enemy. It is safer to hunker down with those who agree with you.

When a member of one tribe crosses over to assist the other side, people call them traitors even if the act was for the mutual good of everyone.

The mentality has evolved into "What is good for them is bad for us." For example, in his Republican party, Jon Huntsman, Jr. is narrow-mindedly dissed for representing his country as ambassador to China just because a Democratic president appointed him.