• Crul@lemm.eeOP
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    1 year ago

    I read it as a critique of human tribalism. As if aliens came and helped those they encountered, their enemies would see it as an offence to them.

        • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Sounds like you view the people with the tribalism gene as “them” and those who don’t carry that gene as “us”. Perhaps you are more tribalist than you think…

          I’m being a bit cheeky but I honestly do think humanity would be better off if we acknowledged that certain character flaws are fundamental to human nature, rather than pretending that there are “good” people and “bad” people.

          • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            It’s the paradox of tolerance sadly. If they insist on being tribal then they’re insisting of being removed from the whole. And I care about the whole.

        • Azzu@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Are you sure about that? I think those that “do not have it” have just reframed all of humanity to be their “tribe”, i.e. they still have it, just not “using” it

          • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            That would imply that they’d be willing to be against aliens or other non human sentient species. I disagree with that assumption.

            Though maybe we’ve just defined our tribe as literally every living thing? But that doesn’t seem right to me.

            • Azzu@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              What I mean is, how do you know that the tribalism gene is gone? I’m pretty sure that if the people that “have no tribalism gene” grew up in an environment where tribalism was normal, they would have developed the traits just like everyone else.

              It’s very arrogant to assume someone who is not acting in a tribalistic way has in some way a different biological make-up, as if they were some kind of more advanced lifeform. It’s very likely pretty much the same genetic code, just expressed differently through environmental factors.

              • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Where tribalism is normal? That’s literally everywhere. Do you have a favorite sports team? I don’t. Do you have a religion that you think is right? Not me.

                I’m a member of groups, of course, but I feel no urge that these groups are somehow better or more than others.

                Now, is it genetic or learned? Who knows. I was just replying to the guy who said it was a gene. I guarantee no research shows that’s a thing.

                • Azzu@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  Yeah didn’t really check who was replying :)

                  I do not mean that tribalism is not present in every environment, it was meant like for example selfishness. There’s selfishness everywhere, but some people are more or less selfish, and that mostly depends on the total environment someone grew up in, how much selfishness was discouraged or encouraged, how much it lead to advantages or disadvantages. I assume that it’s the same with tribalism.