Tribal Markers

Red/Blue

In a recent post, I wrote about:

the division, cultural and economic, between the bicoastal elite and flyover country.

In “I Can Tolerate Anything Except The Outgroup” Scott Alexander described it as Blue Tribe vs Red Tribe. The division is cultural not political; there are blue Republicans and red Democrats, although fewer of both than before Trump revised the Republican party.

One commenter on my post observed that both I and the majority of my readers are culturally closer to the bicoastal elite than to flyover country, to Blue than to Red by Scott’s terminology. That started me thinking about how one could tell. What are the markers for tribal membership? On how many of them am I Blue, how many Red?

Here is my list. “Blue Tribe does X” does not mean everyone in Blue Tribe or even a majority do X, it means most people who do X are Blue Tribe — a marker not a definition. Similarly for Red Tribe. Someone who has many markers for Red Tribe and few for Blue Tribe is probably Red and similarly for Blue.

What You Own

Red Tribe drives a pickup truck, SUV or sports car, Blue Tribe drives an EV or at least a hybrid, probably a Prius. A cybertruck, both EV and pickup truck, codes Red.

Red Tribe owns guns. Blue Tribe doesn’t own guns, thinks that people who do are being stupid.

Blue Tribe owns sailboats, Red Tribe power boats.

Philosophy and Religion

Blue Tribe believe that they are moral relativists, take seriously the “you shouldn’t stop the Eskimo from putting his grandfather on an ice floe to die because in his moral system that is not wicked” argument. Like almost all humans they are actually moral realists, take it for granted that their moral beliefs are true, including the belief that you shouldn’t … . Red Tribe are also moral realists but it never occurs to them that they shouldn’t be.

Blue Tribe are atheists, mainstream Protestants, Catholics who use birth control. Red Tribe are Evangelicals, possibly Fundamentalists, possibly Catholic. Preachers of both tribes preach things their tribe already believe in, but different things.

Blue Tribe believe in evolution, take it for granted that all reasonable people, including all their friends and acquaintances, do. Some but not all of them understand it except when understanding it leads to conclusions they don’t like.¹ Red Tribe don’t believe in evolution, take it for granted that all reasonable people, including all their friends and acquaintances, share that belief, mostly don’t understand it.

Marriage and Children

Blue Tribe thinks having from zero to two children is fine, three a little odd, more than three weird. Red Tribe thinks there is something wrong with a couple that has fewer than two kids and that more is better.

Blue Tribe marries late, Red Tribe early. Blue Tribe sees a couple meeting in college, marrying after they graduate, as one possible pattern, marrying later than that another and perhaps more prudent. Red Tribe likes the idea of a couple meeting in high school.

What They Do

Red Tribe hunts. Blue Tribe doesn’t hunt and disapproves of people who do.

Red Tribe goes to football and baseball games, watches professional wrestling. Blue Tribe plays pickleball, drives their children to soccer games.

Red Tribe watches television, including soap operas, unashamedly. Blue Tribe watches soap operas ashamedly, leftish talk shows unashamedly.

Red Tribe listens to country music. Blue Tribe youth listens to rap, as do Red Tribe blacks. Blue Tribe approves of classical music but rarely listens to it.

Red Tribe males like to show off how strong they are. Blue Tribe, male or female, likes to show off how smart and well educated they are.

Blue Tribe drinks coffee in coffee shops. Red Tribe doesn’t.

Beliefs

Blue Tribe admires European countries and European culture, Red Tribe admires America and American culture.

Red Tribe doesn’t believe in Anthropogenic climate change. Blue tribe believes in it but has an exaggerated view of the consequences.

Food

Red Tribe eats BBQ. Blue Tribe eats sushi.

Red Tribe eats at Chick fil-A, Blue Tribe shops at Whole Foods.²

Attitudes

Red Tribe takes gender roles for granted; on a date, both the man and the woman expect the man to pay. Blue Tribe, they might split the bill.

Red Tribe approves of patriotism, admires the military. Blue Tribe has mixed views on both.

If Blue Tribe invites people over for dinner the hosts check in advance whether any of the guests is vegetarian, vegan or has any allergies and tries to make sure there will be a meal’s worth of dishes for everyone even if that requires a second main course for the vegetarian. Red Tribe hosts might plan around allergies they are told about in advance, take the attitude that if you don’t want to eat what is on the table you don’t have to.

This is an example of a broader difference; Blue Tribe assumes it is up to them to take care of people, Red Tribe that people should take care of themselves. Blue Tribe sees the Red attitude as inconsiderate, Red Tribe sees the Blue attitude as treating people as children, infantilizing them. This is part of a still broader pattern; Red Tribe has attitudes common to men, Blue Tribe to women.³

My count: Four Red, five Blue, thirteen both or neither.

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A reader has created an html quiz to measure tribal affiliation.

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1. Such as that intelligence must be heritable or that the distribution of intellectual abilities is unlikely to be the same for men as for women since both are optimized for reproductive success and play different roles in reproduction.

2

Chick-Fil-A is to blue tribe what Disney is to red tribe. They know they’re supposed to hate it, but they just don’t have the self-discipline to actually give it up. (GoneAnon on DSL)

3. Of the 129 women in the House, 96 are Democrats, 33 Republicans.