Stephen Bounds
Jul 20, 2017 · 1 min read

Actually, I think “tribe” works very well where there is a large degree of overlap in position. Consider the difference between “tribe” and “movement” as descriptors.

One differs by who belongs; the other differs in where people want to end up.

In tribal situations there is a conflict over limited resources. The goal of each tribe is to maximize their personal take of available “winnings”.

A “movement” mostly seeks to be inclusive of anyone who shares or will acquiesce to their goals.

So in a political context, I see “tribal” as perjorative. It means that a political class has ceased to care about the direction of the society they purport to represent (as a movement would) and instead are primarily focused on personal power and enrichment.

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Stephen Bounds

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Always interested, always learning. Executive, Information Management at Cordelta.