Elections and politics

It's interesting that tribalism has come up over and over again on this thread, and of course a distrust of it.

Could this distrust of tribes be an autistic thing?

Is it because we're usually the ones nobody wants in their tribe?

Is it because we see the games tribes play?

Are we a tribe and if we are what are the characteristics?

It's interesting that tribalism has come up over and over again on this thread, and of course a distrust of it.

Could this distrust of tribes be an autistic thing?

Is it because we're usually the ones nobody wants in their tribe?

Is it because we see the games tribes play?

Are we a tribe and if we are what are the characteristics?

I think I'm going to start a new thread about tribes so as we can stick to politics on this one and hopefully include those who might be put off by the thread title.

I agree that parties change under different leaders, it's one of the reasons why I think there should be an general election when PM's change. What people voted for with Boris Johnson is totally different to what we had with Liz Truss and now with Rishi Sunak.

A few interesting points in your post TheCatWoman.

I have never understood why and how people identify with a single political party across their whole life. Parties change. Policies change. Membership changes. Leaders change. The Labour party under Callaghan, Blair and Corbyn for example - utterly different beasts. I have always looked at what each party is saying and voted accordingly. I've voted for many different parties.

Since the referendum in Scotland we've essentially split into two tribes - nationalists and everyone else. The SNP have objectively demonstrated that they are profoundly incompetent and corrupt and have multiple legal cases running against them, but people keep voting for them because essentially, that's their identity now. Democracy cannot function when people ignore the policies parties are actually proposing.

The second point is about autistics distrusting tribes. I think so. I have always been deeply sceptical about everything. Before I make a decision about anything - politics, religion, a TV programme, what brand of coffee to buy - I research it. Concepts like emotion and identity don't enter into it. I want hard facts. Being accepted into a "gang" will not make a patent untruth become acceptable.

I think neurodivergent, in particular, autistic people have different social values and a keen sense of authenticity. One has to give something of that up to belong to a group. Having said that, I do sense - and its only a sense because I don't actually engage with social media - but it seems some autistic people do have a tribe mentality of NT vs AS but it possibly stems from a different place.

That's a very interesting question. Speaking personally, I feel like we can see through things a lot more easily than NT people and we can observe their need to part of a tribe and see the flaws in the logic of each tribe. For instance, how it seems like you have to sacrifice your intelligence and independence of thought to be part of one. I try to observe NT human behaviour in the same way anthrapologists observe different groups of species in the animal kingdom. I find it quite interesting. A bit like the naturalist who lived with the gorillias.

I do think there is an element of no one wanting us in their tribe too. Growing up I always wanted to be part of a scene or a group but I never fitted in anywhere. Now I understand my autism I know why