# Do you think America is the most tribalistic culture? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179 "2018-01-22T04:33:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/21 "2018-01-22T17:40:21Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Worse? Worse than what? > > The OP’s definition of “tribal” is that the country is divided into many different discrete cultures. That doesn’t apply to Japan, does it? Japan is the opposite, it’s close to a monoculture. Japan is more nativist, sexist and racist. They are a monoculture because of these things. A less nativist nation would have more immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![Luciano700](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Luciano700](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luciano700)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/22 "2018-01-23T06:19:17Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Japan is more nativist, sexist and racist. They are a monoculture because of these things. A less nativist nation would have more immigrants. Wait Japan is sexist? And here I was thinking Japan had incredibly effeminate men [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o8Rq92mLIbs/hqdefault.jpg "Japanese men discover their feminine side") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Rq92mLIbs) ---
**Author:** ![Luciano700](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Luciano700](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luciano700)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/23 "2018-01-23T14:35:30Z")
I hope someone watched the video. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/24 "2018-01-23T14:42:07Z")
Normally “here’s a video you should watch” doesn’t get much traction here. You want to use video as a cite/example then you need to use it in support of those arguments not as a stand in for them. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/25 "2018-01-23T15:10:15Z")
> [@Luciano700](#): > > I hope someone watched the video. Why? How does it pertain to the topic? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/26 "2018-01-23T15:40:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you think America is the most tribalistic culture? The most? No. The answer to your question is right here: > [@](#): > > I mean the US is an incredibly big melting pot, we have probably the most subcultures and groups out of any country out there. Melting pot is pretty much the opposite of tribalism. While the melting pot doesn’t mean there can be no separate tribes at all, it tends to blur the lines between the ‘tribes’, and that’s what we have here in the US. There are a host of countries where the lines are much more distinct between the various ‘tribes’. China, Russia, even several European nations spring to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/27 "2018-01-23T15:44:48Z")
> [@Luciano700](#): > > Do you think America is the most tribalistic culture? At least in terms of Western civilization The assumption I draw from this question is that you are American. Americans in general tend to have a more myopic view of the world, tending toward the belief that the US is more (or less, depending on the subject) “X” than any other country. It almost always is not, even for “Western” countries. By the way, do you mean culturally western , economically western or politically western? > [@Luciano700](#): > > I mean the US is an incredibly big melting pot, we have probably the most subcultures and groups out of any country out there. Tribalism is not solely based on race or origin. In more racially homogenous counties, for instance, “tribes” are based on other status, perceived or real. > [@Luciano700](#): > > If you say YES, give me a comment on how we can become less tribalistic and have a better sense of community. How is a “sense of community” different from tribalism? They’re both membership in a group defined by a perceived barrier, in this case geographic. > [@Luciano700](#): > > If you say NO, show me a country more blurred and divisive than us. Japan, as mentioned above, is very [“tribalistic”](http://www.economist.com/node/21541039). “Tribes” there are based on work, politics, economics, grades, etc. and can be very difficult to breech by an “outsider”. I don’t believe the US to be any more or less tribalistic than in the past. I do believe the tribal lines as they relate to political beliefs appear to be more hard line than in the recent past, but that may also be due as much to media focus as actual sociological change. Maybe I should have posted this in the “Unpopular Opinions” thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/28 "2018-01-23T15:47:16Z")
> [@Luciano700](#): > > Wait Japan is sexist? And here I was thinking Japan had incredibly effeminate men > [https://youtu.be/o8Rq92mLIbs](https://youtu.be/o8Rq92mLIbs) Not knowing Japan has problems with sexism shows you are quite uninformed. Posting a single youtube-link as the only support of your impressions of Japan shows why. Posters here who embrace the site’s purpose “Fighting ignorance”, won’t even bother clicking on it, knowing it is highly likely to be irrelevant to the thread and barely relevant to your statement. Unless it’s actually someone reading from their meta-study on the prevalence of effeminate men and low level of sexism in Japan, but, to repeat myself, that’s not likely. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/29 "2018-01-23T16:42:29Z")
> [@Luciano700](#): > > Wait Japan is sexist? And here I was thinking Japan had incredibly effeminate men > [https://youtu.be/o8Rq92mLIbs](https://youtu.be/o8Rq92mLIbs) There are cross-dressers in all countries, some more openly than others. What’s that got to do with sexism?? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/30 "2018-01-23T16:57:21Z")
p.s. Japan has a long tradition, lasting well into the 20th century, of only allowing men to perform on stage. Which meant female roles in _Noh_ and _Kabuki_ plays were played by male actors. That is a sign of sexism, not lack thereof. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/31 "2018-01-24T00:25:21Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > The assumption I draw from this question is that you are American. That’s not what he claims in another thread. > [@What is exactly is it with the left's obsession with intersectionality?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-is-it-with-the-lefts-obsession-with-intersectionality/807109/5): > > I have autism[supposedly], struggle with weight issues and I am a Mexican dude of Argentine descent ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/32 "2018-01-24T00:57:24Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That’s not what he claims in another thread. Oh, holy shit! 😛 Gods, that’s irony that is practically off the scale! No, strike that…it’s irony that IS off the scale. It’s like a 4th wall break of irony inside a 4th wall break of irony! I actually fell off my chair when I read your post after seeing Doctor Jackson’s assumption that an ignorant statement must be from an American. Thank you for that…best laugh I’ve had all week. ---
**Author:** ![Luciano700](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Luciano700](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luciano700)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/33 "2018-01-24T02:20:05Z")
Well tribalistic is as vague of a word as it can get, I am using in the context most people do as far I am concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/34 "2018-01-24T02:49:17Z")
Humans are tibalistic by nature. Nationality plays into that tribalism to some extent. Within nationality there are further tribal schizms. Are you talking about which country is the most tribally fragmented? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/35 "2018-01-24T03:04:47Z")
The U.S. Has many ethnic groups and subcultures, but MOST of us eventually adopt the common language of English and begin to identify as “American.” If we were " tribalistic, " that kind of assimilation couldn’t happen. There are many countries with multiple cultures and ethnic groups that don’t share even a language, much less any sense of nationhood. Those are the countries that need to worry about tribalism. ---
**Author:** ![Luciano700](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Luciano700](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luciano700)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/36 "2018-01-24T04:40:28Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Humans are tibalistic by nature. Nationality plays into that tribalism to some extent. Within nationality there are further tribal schizms. Are you talking about which country is the most tribally fragmented? Yep ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/37 "2018-01-24T14:24:55Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Oh, holy shit! 😛 Gods, that’s irony that is practically off the scale! No, strike that…it’s irony that IS off the scale. It’s like a 4th wall break of irony inside a 4th wall break of irony! I actually fell off my chair when I read your post after seeing Doctor Jackson’s assumption that an ignorant statement must be from an American. Thank you for that…best laugh I’ve had all week. Hey, I’m American! That doesn’t stop me from acknowledging that Americans tend to be less aware of the world outside their own country than others. One [cite](https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/03/23/essay-problems-american-ignorance-world) of many: > [@](#): > > Americans of all ages have long scored lower than citizens of other countries on geography and current-events awareness quizzes and shown a stunning inability even to locate major countries on the map, let alone develop an appreciation for their cultures or their roles in global affairs. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/38 "2018-01-24T14:41:59Z")
> [@Luciano700](#): > > If you say NO, show me a country more blurred and divisive than us. There are 850 different languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. India has 22 official languages and over 100 more with large numbers of speakers, around a thousand if you count ones spoken by small communities. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2018, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/39 "2018-01-25T04:37:09Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > There are 850 different languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. India has 22 official languages and over 100 more with large numbers of speakers, around a thousand if you count ones spoken by small communities. The only way you could get to a thousand is if your name is “Ethnologue.” The Sultans of Split. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179/40 "2018-01-27T17:29:30Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Oh, holy shit! 😛 Gods, that’s irony that is practically off the scale! No, strike that…it’s irony that IS off the scale. It’s like a 4th wall break of irony inside a 4th wall break of irony! I actually fell off my chair when I read your post after seeing Doctor Jackson’s assumption that an ignorant statement must be from an American. Thank you for that…best laugh I’ve had all week. I said that’s what he _claims_. In the words of the _New Yorker_ cartoon, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” But in fact no one believes that any dogs are on the Internet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-america-is-the-most-tribalistic-culture/807179.md?page=1)