Mom and Apple Pie and Political Tribalism

I’ve long wondered about the increasing polarization of politics. How is it that virtually everything is decided by votes falling so predictably along party lines? How is it that so many reasonably intelligent people can look at the same set of facts regarding a problem in need of solving with half deciding this needs to be done and half deciding that needs to be done, and, lo and behold, those two halves just happen to be this party and that party, respectively?

An apple pie like Mom used to make!

Certainly, the increase in political tribalism can help explain this. When tribal affiliation is stronger than respect for the principles that once held this country together, maintaining group membership means more than so many things that used to matter in the political world and in society at large. Intellectual honesty and consistency of thought becomes secondary. Being seen as a hypocrite or having done something shameful means little. It’s what your tribe thinks that matters. Tribal affiliation is the key to weathering virtually any criticism that might be leveled against you or scandal that might threaten to envelop you.

In large part we can blame the advent of social media for this phenomenon. Because of it we’ve retreated into our respective echo chambers that magnify our feelings of self-righteousness. We can also examine the various silos from which we get “news” tailored to our respective points of view. And we can’t overlook the impact of gerrymandered voting districts resulting in primary contests that foster extremism. Yes, and we might look at the proliferation of team sport programs as well. Wait! What? What sort of anti-American nonsense is that? Am I against mom and apple pie as well?

Hear me out, please. Our society places extremely high value on team sports. So much so that kids may begin league play at as early as four years of age. And, while youth sports do have some very positive benefits—teaching teamwork and cooperation, cultivating sportsmanship, and fostering discipline and a good work ethic, for instance—they’re also one of the earliest opportunities to indoctrinate youth into what has become the bane and potential destroyer of our civilized society—tribal thinking.

No, I’m not a hater of sports. I played league baseball as a youth and continued with competitive cycling into adulthood. I was once a pretty big fan of professional baseball, football, hockey, and so forth. I collected sports cards and got to know the players well. I knew there were spitball throwers in baseball. They were the bad guys, by the way, unless they were on your team. I knew there were goons in hockey—players who would play excessively rough and start fights in order to throw the other team off their game. I knew there were football players who cultivated techniques to hold their opponents and rough them up without getting flagged. Yes, organized sports teach us that cheating is bad (wink wink), AND cheating is part of the game.

With team sport play begins bonding rituals like team chants or prayers before the start of each game. With team sport play begins the attitude that the most important thing is for YOUR team to win. With team sport play begins the presumption that your team is comprised of good guys, and the other team is made up of bad guys. With team sport play begins the realization that cheating is bad unless YOUR team is the one doing it.

It doesn’t happen right from the start. It all starts innocently enough, save for the drunk parent yelling from the stands while their youngster plays. By high school, though, hushed discussions begin taking place regarding things players can do to cheat. I recall learning at water polo practice, for instance, how “some players” sharpen their toenails in order to scratch their competitors underwater. By the time players turn professional, however, cheating and dirty play are almost celebrated. Does anyone remember Conrad Dobler earning a Sports Illustrated cover and story for being “pro football’s dirtiest player”? By the time money and power are on the line, the philosophy is more one of "anything goes" as long as you can get away with it.

 

Pro football's erstwhile dirtiest player
--Conrad Dobler

That is pretty much the philosophy of politics these days: anything goes, as long as you can get away with it. And if your hold on power is strong enough, you can get away with just about anything—even if everyone knows you’re cheating. Nobody is too much of a goon if he’s on your side. Nobody’s cheating or dirty play is called out by their own team. It doesn’t matter if the country descends into chaotic, ugly, or even violent squabbling as long as YOUR team is winning as it does.

The political tribalism presently traumatizing our nation is not an isolated phenomenon. It’s been building and gathering momentum for quite some time. It’s deeply rooted in even those aspects of our culture that we think are most wholesome. Perhaps we need to start looking more closely.

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This post is in the Power, Practice, and Peace series.

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Images

 

Apple Pie by Dan Parsons via:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_pie.jpg

 

 

Copyright 2025 by Mark Robert Frank