Original subtitles

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YOU'RE HERE ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON.

WE'RE HERE ABOUT TRUMP AND OUR MILITARY. LEAVE!

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT CAUSE US

TO HATE ANOTHER GROUP?

DON'T TRY TO COME IN HERE AND MAKE THIS A MUSLIM COUNTRY.

IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS A SITUATION CAN PRESENT

THAT WILL ALLOW US TO SEE SOME GROUP AS AN ENEMY?

WE AS HUMANS GO AROUND JUST DIVIDING THE WORLD

UP INTO US VERSUS THEM.

WHEN WE CATEGORIZE PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF THEIR RELIGION

OR THEIR RACE

OR THEIR POLITICAL PARTY, WE'RE NOT JUST SAYING,

"OH, THIS PERSON IS LIKE ME OR THEY'RE NOT."

WE BUILD A WHOLE SYMBOLIC AND IDEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE

THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT CATEGORIZATION.

NICARAGUA LIBRE!

WE WANT TO PROMOTE OUR TRIBE.

THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD TAKING AMERICA BACK.

LAURIE SANTOS INTERVIEW, TAKE ONE, COLUMN MARK.

HI, HOW ARE YOU?

SO I THINK I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN PEOPLE

AND TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF HOW PEOPLE BEHAVE AND WHAT THEY DO.

I REMEMBER WHEN I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS

THIS FIELD OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE

WHERE YOU COULD TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE MIND WORKED,

AND IT WAS LIKE, THIS IS JUST THE BEST THING EVER

BECAUSE IT'S COOL SCIENCE BUT IT'S ALSO REALLY USEFUL.

I'M A PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT YALE,

AND I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE ORIGINS OF TRIBALISM.

HOW DID WE DEVELOP THE SORTS OF CAPACITIES

THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR TRIBAL BEHAVIOR?

I TAKE THIS APPROACH BY STUDYING NON-HUMAN ANIMALS.

CAYO SANTIAGO IS A REALLY UNIQUE ISLAND

BECAUSE IT'S HOME TO A WHOLE POPULATION

OF FREE-RANGING RHESUS MONKEYS,

AND THAT MEANS WE CAN GO DOWN TO THE ISLAND

AND STUDY THE MONKEYS' NATURAL BEHAVIORS.

THEY'RE BORN INTO A PARTICULAR GROUP,

AND THE GROUPS DON'T REALLY SEEM TO LIKE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH.

BEING IN A GROUP CONTROLS YOUR ACCESS

TO A PARTICULAR FOOD OR A WATER SOURCE,

BUT THE AMAZING THING ABOUT THE KIND OF IN-GROUP,

OUT-GROUP BIASES THAT WE SEE IN THE MONKEYS

IS THAT THEY DON'T DO THIS WITH LANGUAGE.

THEY'RE NOT LABELING EACH OTHER AS A DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN,

BLACK OR WHITE, JEWS OR GENTILES.

THEY'RE ABLE TO SET UP

THESE REALLY BASIC KINDS OF "US VERSUS THEM" CATEGORIES

IN THE ABSENCE OF ALL THIS RICH STUFF THAT WE USE IN HUMANS,

AND THAT SHOWS US THAT THE SEEDS

OF OUR GROUP-BASED THINKING ARE REALLY JUST DEEP.

I THINK UNDERSTANDING TRIBALISM IS REALLY IMPORTANT,

IN PART BECAUSE OF ITS IMPLICATIONS.

THESE ARE THE THINGS ON WHICH NATION STATES ARE BUILT.

THESE ARE THE DISTINCTIONS,

THE CATEGORIES ON WHICH WARS ARE FOUGHT.

IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE VERY SIMPLE MECHANISMS

FOR HOW WE BREAK PEOPLE UP INTO DIFFERENT GROUPS,

WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE

THESE MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT WE FACE,

YOU KNOW, TODAY AND HAVE FACED OVER HUMAN HISTORY.

BACK IN THE 1950s, SHERIF AND COLLEAGUES

DID A QUITE FAMOUS EXPERIMENT.

WHAT SHERIF DID

WAS HE BROUGHT TOGETHER A GROUP OF 12-YEAR-OLD BOYS

AND SET UP A SORT OF FAKE SUMMER CAMP

IN A SPOT KNOWN AS ROBBERS CAVE DOWN IN OKLAHOMA.

THE BOYS WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER

AND INTRODUCED TO THEIR IN-GROUP.

SHERIF WAS INTERESTED IN THE WAY IN WHICH OUR BEHAVIOR

AS INDIVIDUALS IS STRUCTURED BY GROUP MEMBERSHIP.

AND INSTANTLY,

THEY STARTED FIGHTING WITH ONE ANOTHER,

AND THEN AS THE COMPETITIONS PICKED UP,

WE WENT FROM JUST KIND OF LIKING BAD THINGS

HAPPENING TO THE OTHER GROUP

TO THE BOYS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN BAD THINGS

HAPPENING TO THE OTHER GROUP.

AFTER ONE FAMOUS TUG-OF-WAR,

ONE OF THE GROUPS SET FIRE TO THE OTHER GROUP'S FLAG.

THE BOYS STARTED RANSACKING EACH OTHER'S CAMPSITES,

REALLY BAD STUFF THAT INVOLVED DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

AND HARM TO THE OTHER BOYS.

THE STUDY TOLD THIS STORY OF THE WAY IN WHICH RELATIONS

BETWEEN PEOPLE COULD BREAK DOWN.

WHILE WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT BEHAVIOR AS JUST BEING DRIVEN

BY OUR INDIVIDUALITY,

THERE'S A WHOLE RAFT OF CONDITIONS

THAT WE SEE AROUND US ALL THE TIME,

WHETHER AT WORK OR AT HOME OR IN OUR COMMUNITIES

WHERE IT'S NOT OUR PERSONAL ATTACHMENTS AND PSYCHOLOGIES

THAT DRIVE OUR BEHAVIOR, IT'S ABOUT THE GROUPS,

THE COLLECTIVES, THE TRIBES THAT WE BELONG TO.

IT ALSO TELLS US HOW QUICKLY

THIS KIND OF INNER GROUP HATRED CAN KICK IN.

AS SOON AS THERE'S COMPETITION FOR SOMETHING IN THE WORLD.

UP THE MIDDLE, MISSED TACKLE AND ANOTHER FIVE POINTS.

SO SPORTS FANS IN GENERAL TEND TO DEVELOP

THESE REALLY DEEP TRIBAL LOYALTIES,

AND THEY TEND TO BE BASED ON A FEW DIFFERENT FACTORS.

ONE IS THAT OFTEN THESE SPORTS TEAMS

MAP ON TO A PARTICULAR REGIONAL IDENTITY,

SO THE RED SOX ARE FROM BOSTON.

THE YANKEES ARE FROM NEW YORK.

WE TEND TO USE TRIBAL AFFILIATION SYMBOLS,

BASICALLY ALL THESE KINDS OF PROCESSES

THAT TEAMS USE TO BUMP UP TRIBALISM.

SPORT REALLY TRANSLATES AS THE EVOLUTION OF WARFARE.

WE HAVE A TERRITORY.

WE HAVE VERY CLEAR WINS, WHICH ARE TROPHIES.

BY WATCHING THE GAME, YOU ARE WATCHING THIS BLOODY COMBAT,

AND YOU'RE ENGAGED WITH THE REST OF YOUR SUPPORTERS

AS IF YOU'VE JUST ENCOUNTERED A WAR TOGETHER,

LET'S GO! ****

SO YOU LEAVE THAT WAR SCENE IN THIS STATE

OF HEIGHTENED EMOTION AND TESTOSTERONE,

AND ALL OF THAT TRANSLATES AS VIOLENT ACTION.

AND ALSO A DEEP, DEEP BONDING.

SO, SOCCER FANS TEND TO BE THE MOST TRIBAL,

BUT NOT JUST ABOUT THE SOCCER PLAYERS THAT THEY CARE ABOUT,

BUT ALSO THE OTHER FANS.

THAT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE IT SUGGESTS

THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A COMPETITION.

SOCCER FANS, OR FOOTBALL FANS,

AS WE CALL THEM IN THE U.K., ARE PASSIONATE,

THEY ENGAGE IN THESE EXTREME BEHAVIORS,

AND WE SEE THEM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

IT'S THIS SENSE OF BELONGING, COMMITMENT, PROTECTION,

DEFENSE, FAMILY,

AND I THINK IT RELATES TO AN EVOLVED, UNSWAYING DESIRE

TO BE PART OF SOMETHING MORE THAN YOURSELF.

FOOTBALL ANSWERS THAT.

WITH THE SEASON APPROACHING ITS CLIMAX,

ONE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S TOP RIVALRIES TOOK CENTER STAGE

WITH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FACING ARSENAL.

TOTTENHAM, MY TEAM, MY FAMILY.

BOTH MY GRANDFATHERS WERE SEASON TICKET HOLDERS.

IT'S THE AREA I GREW UP IN.

IT WAS THE NATURAL THING FOR ME TO SUPPORT THEM.

VAN DER VAART, 3-3!

WHAT A DERBY!

IF I GET CUT, I DON'T BLEED RED. I BLEED BLUE AND WHITE.

FOR AS LONG AS MOST FANS CAN REMEMBER,

TOTTENHAM HAVE LIVED IN THE SHADOW

OF THEIR NORTH LONDON NEIGHBORS, ARSENAL.

I BECAME AN ARSENAL FAN WHEN I WAS ABOUT 8,

AND IT'S BEEN A LOVE AFFAIR EVER SINCE.

THERE IS A BOND THAT DOESN'T REALLY EXIST

IN OTHER PARTS OF LIFE.

YOU LOSE YOUR IDENTITY AS AN INDIVIDUAL, AND YOU BECOME ONE.

BEING THERE IN THAT STADIUM AND WATCHING YOUR TEAM LIFT A TROPHY

IS JUST AS GOOD AS WATCHING MY CHILDREN BEING BORN.

IT'S BEEN A LONG RIVALRY NOW.

I MEAN, IT'S BEEN, I MEAN,

OBVIOUSLY A LONG, LONG TIME BEFORE I WAS ALIVE,

BUT, YOU KNOW, THE HATE CARRIES ON.

GOOD WORK, PROFESSOR.

I GOT BEATEN UP BY SPURS FANS WHEN I WAS 17,

18 AT MARKET ROAD.

THERE WAS A BIG ONE IN FRONT, AND THEN HE'S LIKE,

"DO YOU WANT TO GET YOUR **** HEAD KICKED IN?"

AND I SAY, "THAT'S NOT A VERY INTELLIGENT QUESTION, IS IT?"

AT WHICH POINT SOMEONE OVER HERE -- PTHUP!

A CONDITION OF BEING PART OF ONE GROUP

IS THAT YOU DON'T LIKE ANOTHER GROUP,

AND THAT'S HOW IT IS WITH TOTTENHAM AND ARSENAL.

THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON.

IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, JUST BLIND HATRED.

TODAY SPURS FANS WILL SAY THAT WE ARE THE ENEMY TODAY.

- YEAH. - NOT OUR TEAM. WE ARE.

- WHAT TIME IS IT? - TEN PAST.

TEN PAST. WE'LL BE THERE IN 10 MINUTES.

THAT'S 40 MINUTES BEFORE KICKOFF.

DON'T WORRY.

THERE IS A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE.

YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IS EXCITED, NERVOUS,

AND OBVIOUSLY SOME OF IT IS ALCOHOL-FUELED.

DON'T WE HAVE TO --NO. THEY DON'T KNOW.

NONE OF THESE STORES ARE OPEN ON A SPURS DAY.

THEY DON'T WANT TO GET SMASHED UP, DO THEY?

SO YOU PUT ALL THOSE THINGS TOGETHER,

IT JUST TAKES ONE THING TO LIGHT THE TOUCH PAPER,

SO TO SPEAK, AND IT ALL BLOWS UP VERY QUICKLY.

MOVE BACK!

COME ON, TOTTENHAM!

YOU COULDN'T PAY ME TO GO TO ARSENAL'S STADIUM.

WHAT IF WE LOSE? WHAT IF WE WIN?

I'M GOING TO SAY SOMETHING TO SOMEONE,

AND I'M GOING TO GET MYSELF INTO ****.

OH, **** OFF, HE DIVED,

YOU **** CHEATING ****.

I KNOW PEOPLE WHO GO TO CHURCH ON A SUNDAY.

THAT DON'T MEAN ANYTHING TO ME. MY RELIGION IS SPURS.

I MEET MY FRIENDS BEFORE THE GAME.

WE TALK ABOUT TOTTENHAM.

IT'S LIKE PRAYING FOR US.

HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT ARSENAL?

HATRED.

YEAH!

**** ME.

THESE PEOPLE, THEY'RE VERMIN.

THEY'RE VERMIN, MAN.

IT GOES WAY FURTHER THAN FOOTBALL.

YOU COULD GO TO WAR WITH IT.

I'VE BEEN NICE UP UNTIL NOW, BUT THINGS COULD **** CHANGE.

THERE HAS BEEN WARS, AND I'VE SEEN IT.

WELL, THE MATCH IS NOW OVER,

BUT THERE WAS ALSO TROUBLE INSIDE THE STADIUM

WITH STEWARDS HAVING TO INTERVENE AS RIVAL FANS

PROVOKED EACH OTHER.

PLAY WAS STOPPED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS

AFTER FANS INVADED THE PITCH.

THE PARTICULAR TYPE OF IN-GROUP,

OUT-GROUP PSYCHOLOGY I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING

IS CALLED IDENTITY FUSION,

AND THAT'S THE REALLY EXTREME TYPE OF BONDING

WHERE YOUR PERSONAL IDENTITY IS COMPLETELY FUSED

WITH YOUR GROUP'S IDENTITY.

THEIR BEHAVIOR SERVES TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE GROUP,

AND WE FIND, FOR FOOTBALL FANS, THIS IS AS POWERFUL

AS FOR PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINE TOGETHER.

THEY'D DIE FOR EACH OTHER.

WE THINK THAT THAT RELATES TO THE KIN PSYCHOLOGY

THAT WAS SO ESSENTIAL TO KEEPING US ALIVE

WHEN WE LIVED IN TIGHT-KNIT,

SMALL COMMUNITIES IN OUR ANCESTRAL PAST.

WE NEEDED COMMUNITIES WE COULD UTTERLY RELY ON,

SO WHEN WE GET A FOOTBALL MATCH,

WHICH IS REALLY AWFUL AND FRIGHTENING,

ACTUALLY WHAT YOU FIND IS PEOPLE COME TOGETHER

BECAUSE IT TRIGGERS ALL THIS ANCIENT PSYCHOLOGY

THAT THIS IS A GROUP WHO IS MEANINGFUL,

WHO ARE GOING TO LOOK AFTER ME,

AND IF THEY FEEL THAT ANOTHER FAN IS THREATENED,

IT FEELS LIKE A PERSONAL ATTACK.

THERE HAVE BEEN DEATHS.

THEY'RE NOT VIOLENT IN THE NAME OF SPORT

BUT IN THE NAME OF THEIR LOVE FOR THEIR FELLOW FANS.

IF THERE'S ONE THING MOST AMERICANS CAN AGREE ON,

IT'S THAT OUR POLITICS -- OUR POLITICS ARE PRETTY HOSTILE.

WE ARE AS DIVIDED AS I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFETIME AND YOURS.

THE FAR LEFT IS ANGRY, AND THEY ARE COMING AFTER JOBS.

THEY ARE COMING AFTER FREEDOM.

YOU CANNOT BE CIVIL WITH A POLITICAL PARTY

THAT WANTS TO DESTROY WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT.

MANY ON THE LEFT ARE TOTALLY, COMPLETELY,

UTTERLY PSYCHOTIC AND UNHINGED.

POLITICAL PARTISANSHIP

IS GETTING MORE AND MORE TRIBAL EVERY DAY.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE "US AND THEM" IN OUR COUNTRY

IS GETTING BIGGER,

AND IT'S DEVELOPING MORE OF THE UGLIER SIDES OF TRIBALISM.

**** ****

WHY HAS JUST A SIMPLE POLITICAL DISCUSSION GOTTEN SO HEATED?

I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT POLITICS,

WE SEE A TRIBALISM THAT BUILDS ON WHAT WE SAW WITH SPORTS

BECAUSE IT INVOLVES ALL OF THE SAME PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS

WITH A FEW OTHER ADDITIONS.

NOW OUR AFFILIATIONS ARE, AT LEAST IN THEORY,

BASED ON OUR BELIEFS.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY COMPORTS WITH MY VALUE.

IN ADDITION, YOU SOMETIMES GET

MORAL AFFILIATIONS THAT COME WITH IT...

THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT OBAMA WANTS TO KILL BABIES.

...AND THAT MEANS THE TRIBES THAT WE GET IN POLITICS

CAN FEEL EVEN MORE POWERFUL THAN THE TRIBES WE SAW

WITH SPORTS TEAM AFFILIATION.

WE ARE ONE WEEK AWAY FROM THE CRITICAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS

WITH THE FUTURE OF CONGRESS AT STAKE.

THIS IS A VERY BIG RACE,

NOT ONLY HERE FOR FLORIDA BUT NATIONALLY.

- VOTE THEM... - OUT!

- VOTE THEM... - OUT!

- VOTE THEM... - OUT!

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE POLLS.

I WOULD CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT.

ARE Y'ALL GETTING READY TO VOTE?

REPUBLICANS ARE WORKING VERY HARD

TO DELIVER A MESSAGE OF IGNORANCE,

LIES, FEAR, AND HATE.

PEOPLE THAT I'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS, HAVE DONE BUSINESS WITH,

BEFORE THIS ALL STARTED,

WE HAD OPEN AND PRETTY COOL RELATIONSHIPS.

WHEN THEY SEE ME NOW, THEY WALK BY ME.

THEY PRETEND WE DON'T EXIST.

I SEE THE RIGHT WING STANDING FOR ABSOLUTE CONTROL,

ANNIHILATION OF ANYONE

THAT DOES NOT LOOK, TALK, FEEL LIKE THEM.

THIS PARTY I'M LOOKING AT NOW IS NOT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

THIS IS MUCH CLOSER TO WHAT I CONSIDER THE NAZI PARTY.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GOING TO HIT --

WE'LL GO OVER TO BRISTOL FIRST.

I SERVE AS THE STATE COMMITTEEMAN

FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.

I'M A CONSERVATIVE, LIBERTARIAN REPUBLICAN.

WE'RE TARGETING REPUBLICANS WHO ARE NOT VOTERS

DURING GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION YEARS, MIDTERMS,

SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET A LITTLE LARGER TURNOUT FROM THAT AREA.

THE REASON THIS RACE IS SO IMPORTANT

AND WHAT I'M EXPLAINING TO PEOPLE

IS, DO YOU WANT THE PRESIDENT IMPEACHED?

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT DEMOCRATS WANT.

- HI, HOW ARE YOU, SIR? - GOOD.

JOHN, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE BALLOT.

NO, I HAVEN'T.

THE DEMOCRATS HAVE, FOR A LONG TIME,

TRIED TO MAKE POLITICS AN ART OF POLITICAL ASSASSINATION.

THEY CALL US RACISTS. THEY CALL US --

THEY CALL US EVERYTHING UNDER THE BOOK.

THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE SUCH AFFINITY

FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BECAUSE HE STANDS UP FOR US.

WHEN A BULLY PUNCHES YOU, YOU'VE GOT TO PUNCH BACK.

THE DEMOCRATS GET THEIR NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA --

NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN.

MSNBC IS PRETTY MUCH THE SOCIALIST CHANNEL.

AND WE KNOW THIS, THAT 93% OF THE STORIES

ARE NEGATIVE AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.

THAT'S EXTREME BIAS.

THEY HAVE BEEN THE CHAMPIONS OF DIVISION IN THIS COUNTRY.

WE HAPPEN TO BE TWO WHITE MEN, AND SO WE'VE GOT TARGETS

ON OUR BACK, IF YOU LISTEN TO THEIR NETWORKS.

THE BIGGEST TERROR THREAT IN THIS COUNTRY

IS WHITE MEN, MOST OF THEM RADICALIZED TO THE RIGHT.

LET'S NOT RELY ON THESE PEOPLE TO DO OUR THINKING FOR US.

IT CAUSES DIVISION AND DISTRUST, AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

REPUBLICANS, THEY JUST MIMIC TRUMP'S WORDS,

THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EVIL.

THEY HATE US, IS HOW I FEEL.

THEY DON'T CARE TO LISTEN TO US ABOUT WHAT THE ISSUES ARE.

THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE GOING TO GET TOGETHER

AND HAVE A REAL DISCUSSION USING FACTS

THAT'S GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

ENVIRONMENTAL IS MORE LIKE...

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT A LITTLE BIT.

TONIGHT I'D LIKE FOR THEM TO KNOW

THAT IT'S IMPORTANT, VITAL.

YOU CAN'T TRUST THE REPUBLICANS ANYMORE.

THEY'RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE TO ERODE

OUR CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS

AND DECENCY OF DEMOCRATIC EXCHANGE,

BECOMING MORE AND MORE TRUMP-LIKE.

HOW CAN WE REACH ACROSS THE AISLE RIGHT NOW.

WE'RE AT BATTLE FOR OUR COUNTRY.

GO ALONG AND PUT THEM IN THE POT.

WELCOME TO OUR SHRIMP BOIL MEET AND GREET.

I COULD NOT IMAGINE A JOB

I'D WANT LESS THAN TO BE A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTED OFFICE

IN TODAY'S POLITICAL CLIMATE.

IN 24 DAYS, I WILL CAST MY VOTE AGAINST THE MOB.

I HOPE YOU WILL ALSO.

THE DEMOCRATS ARE OUT TO DESTROY.

THE DEMOCRATS ARE DRIVEN BY HATE.

WHEN CONSERVATIVES ARGUE WITH A LIBERAL,

WE THINK THEY'RE WRONG OR THEY'RE FOOLISH.

THEY THINK WE'RE EVIL, AND THAT'S THE GREAT DIVIDE,

I THINK.

BUILD THAT WALL!

BUILD THAT WALL!

BUILD THAT WALL! BUILD THAT WALL!

BUILD THAT WALL!

THE SOCIAL CAPITAL OF OUR NATION

HAS BEEN ERODED FROM POLARIZATION.

RESEARCH RECENTLY FOUND THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO EVEN SPEND

AS MUCH TIME AT THANKSGIVING WITH THEIR FAMILIES

IF THERE'S GOING TO BE POLITICAL CONFLICT.

PEOPLE ARE NOW LESS WILLING TO DATE SOMEBODY

FROM ANOTHER POLITICAL PARTY

THAN THEY ARE TO DATE SOMEBODY FROM A DIFFERENT RACE,

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY

AND HOW MUCH AVERSION THERE WAS TO INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE,

YOU'VE SEEN A SEA CHANGE IN HOW PEOPLE ARE CARVING UP THE WORLD

AND WHAT DEFINES US AND THEM,

AND THAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO CREATE

EVEN MORE DIVISION OVER TIME.

WE'VE SEEN HOW OUR TRIBAL PSYCHOLOGY PLAYS OUT

IN THESE PARTISAN POLITICS,

BUT WHAT MAKES US END UP IN ONE POLITICAL TRIBE OR ANOTHER?

WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM?

SO THERE'S RESEARCH SHOWING THAT ABOUT 50%

OF YOUR POLITICAL BELIEFS ARE DETERMINED BY GENETICS,

AND SO IF YOU SHARE CERTAIN POLITICAL BELIEFS

IN COMMON WITH YOUR PARENTS,

IT'S NOT BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS RAISED YOU A CERTAIN WAY.

IT'S BECAUSE YOU SHARE THEIR BIOLOGY.

WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT NUDGES YOU TOWARD HAVING

A CERTAIN TYPE OF PERSONALITY.

BY VERY DEFINITION,

CONSERVATIVES WANT TO PRESERVE THE PAST

WHEREAS LIBERALS WANT TO SHAKE THAT UP AND CHANGE IT,

SO THERE ARE LEGITIMATE DIFFERENCES

IN HOW THEY WANT TO SEE SOCIETY,

BUT THEN YOU START TO ADD IN ENVIRONMENT, CULTURAL VALUES,

MORALITY, INFORMATION YOU'RE GETTING IN THE MEDIA

AND FROM POLITICAL LEADERS.

IF YOU GET IN THE RIGHT FRIEND GROUP,

YOU CAN GET NUDGED AWAY FROM THIS.

IT'S NOT DESTINY, PER SE, BUT IT TURNS OUT TO ACCOUNT

FOR A HUGE AMOUNT OF YOUR POLITICAL PREFERENCES

AS YOU GET OLDER AND GROW INTO ADULTHOOD,

BUT THERE'S A DARK SIDE TO IT,

AND THE DARK SIDE IS THAT OUR IDENTITIES

CAN MAKE US POLARIZED AND TRIBAL AND GUIDE US INTO CONFLICT.

DON'T TOUCH HIM! I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME, ****!

YOU BETTER BE CAREFUL, MAN!

EVERY TIME WE FIND OURSELF AS A MEMBER OF A TRIBE,

WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH A TRIBAL LENS.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE ROSE-COLORED GLASSES,

BUT IT'S KIND OF TRIBE-COLORED GLASSES, YOU KNOW?

ONLY THE GOOD STUFF FROM MY TRIBE GETS THROUGH.

IT MEANS THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVE FACTS.

EVEN WHEN WE HAVE A FACT ON THE GROUND,

WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE IT THE SAME WAY,

AND ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS RECENT EXAMPLES OF THIS

CAME AFTER THE TRUMP ELECTION WHEN THERE WAS A BIG DEBATE

ABOUT A PICTURE OF HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS

WERE AT THE TRUMP INAUGURATION OR THE OBAMA INAUGURATION.

THIS WAS THE LARGEST AUDIENCE

TO EVER WITNESS AN INAUGURATION, PERIOD.

THE PRESIDENT'S TEAM,

ON SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD,

WANTS TO EMBRACE A FANTASY RATHER THAN A REALITY.

IF WE HIGHLY IDENTIFY WITH A GROUP,

WE COGNITIVELY DEFEND THEM BY IGNORING INCONVENIENT FACTS

THAT MAKE THE GROUP LOOK BAD.

WE DIRECT OUR ATTENTION TO SOURCES OF INFORMATION

THAT TELL US OUR GROUPS ARE POSITIVE.

NOW, THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE OUR PREJUDICES AND HATE

FOR ONE ANOTHER AND FOR DIFFERENT GROUPS

ACTUALLY MAKES US SUSCEPTIBLE TO FAKE NEWS,

TO PROPAGANDA, AND TO CONFLICT.

ONE CHANGE THAT IS ALMOST PERFECTLY

COINCIDENTAL WITH THIS TREND

ABOUT INCREASING POLARIZATION IS, OF COURSE, TECHNOLOGY.

SO THE INTERNET, THE BLOGOSPHERE,

24/7 NEWS CHANNELS HAS NOW MADE IT EASY

FOR PARTISANS TO TUNE IN TO PEOPLE THAT THEY AGREE WITH.

THE ALT RADICAL LEFT PROPAGANDA MEDIA HAS CREATED

WHAT I CALL AN INFORMATIONAL CRISIS IN THIS COUNTRY,

AND THEY CAN NO LONGER BE TRUSTED.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHERE WHAT HAPPENED TODAY IN POLITICS

MEANS SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT

TO THE PORTION OF AMERICANS WHO WATCH FOX NEWS

THAN IT DOES TO EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE COUNTRY.

THEY'RE OFFERING MORE VITRIOLIC COMMENTARY,

AND THEY'RE OFFERING, YOU KNOW, REALLY HARSH COVERAGE.

PEOPLE ARE MISINFORMED ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE,

AND AT SOME POINT IT HAS TO ADD TO THE ANIMOSITY

AND THE HOSTILITY BEING EXPRESSED BY ORDINARY CITIZENS.

NEWS MEDIA IS USING ASPECTS OF OUR PSYCHOLOGY,

YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT WE ARE SO TRIBAL, TO MAKE MONEY.

WE NATURALLY GRAVITATE TO INFORMATION

THAT CONFIRMS WHAT OUR GROUP ALREADY BELIEVES,

SO THE MEDIA CAN PROFIT BY FEEDING US WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.

THERE IS AN INCENTIVE STRUCTURE OUT THERE

TO KEEP US SO POLARIZED.

PARTISANSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES

HAS INTENSIFIED OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS.

PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO KNOW

WHETHER OR NOT THEIR PRESIDENT IS A CROOK.

WELL, I AM NOT A CROOK.

LET'S DO A HISTORICAL COMPARISON.

IN 1974, RICHARD NIXON HAD TO RESIGN BECAUSE OF WATERGATE.

"THE WASHINGTON POST" BROKE THAT STORY,

AND DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS

ACCEPTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN SOME WRONGDOING.

AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY GOT NIXON TO RESIGN,

BECAUSE HE'D REALIZED THERE WAS A CONSENSUS OVER THE FACTS.

I SHALL RESIGN THE PRESIDENCY EFFECTIVE AT NOON TOMORROW.

VICE-PRESIDENT FORD WILL BE SWORN IN

AS PRESIDENT AT THAT HOUR IN THIS OFFICE.

TODAY, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DENY FACTS

THAT THREATEN THEIR OWN POLITICAL SIDE, THEIR OWN TEAM.

YOU'RE SAYING IT'S A FALSEHOOD,

AND THEY'RE GIVING SEAN SPICER, OUR PRESS SECRETARY,

GAVE ALTERNATIVE FACTS TO THAT.

LOOK, ALTERNATIVE FACTS ARE NOT FACTS.

ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS THAT ANY FASCIST SHOULD DO

IS CUT YOU OFF FROM REALITY,

IS TO GET YOU TO DISTRUST SOURCES OF INFORMATION

THAT ARE TRUE, AND THEN THEY CAN CONTROL YOU.

FAKE NEWS. FAKE NEWS.

HOW FAKE -- HOW FAKE ARE THEY?

AND ONCE A LEADER HAS REDEFINED REALITY

SO THAT FACTS NO LONGER MATTER, THEY CAN ENCOURAGE THEIR TRIBE

TO SEE CHALLENGES TO THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM AS A THREAT.

WHAT WE FACE THEN IS NOT SIMPLY POLARIZATION

BUT A SITUATION WHERE ONE GROUP IS MORE LIKELY TO ENDANGER

OUR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS OR WORSE.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN AMERICA TODAY.

WHEN WE ONLY AFFILIATE WITH THE IN-GROUP

AND HAVE NO CONTACT WITH THE OUT-GROUP,

WHEN THE OUT-GROUP BECOMES THIS SORT OF FICTITIOUS ENEMY

THAT ONLY DOES HORRIBLE THINGS,

I THINK ONE WORRY ABOUT THE CURRENT MEDIA THAT WE HAVE,

PARTICULARLY SOCIAL MEDIA AND SO ON,

IS THAT WE CAN WIND UP IN THESE ECHO CHAMBERS

WHERE WE'RE ONLY TALKING TO OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR IN-GROUP.

WE'RE STARTING TO SEE REALLY GOOD RESEARCH

SHOWING THAT FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL MEDIA

MAKES YOU SEEK COMFORT AND SECURITY

IN YOUR PARTISAN IDENTITY,

WHICH MEANS THAT YOU'RE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE IDEA

THAT THE OTHER PARTY'S FOLLOWERS ARE NOT JUST BAD PEOPLE

BUT A THREAT TO YOU PERSONALLY

AND THAT THAT WILL JUSTIFY EXTREME ACTION

TO KEEP THEM OUT OF POWER.

ON FACEBOOK, THERE'S NO REGULATORS

MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS ACCURATE INFORMATION.

WE THINK OF FACEBOOK AS JUST,

"OH, IT'S WHATEVER OUR FRIENDS ARE SHARING,"

WHICH YOU NATURALLY TRUST, BUT IT IS NOT.

THE MORE THAT YOU ARE SPENDING TIME ON THEIR SITE,

THE MORE THEY CAN PUT ADS IN FRONT OF YOU.

THE ALGORITHM DELIVERS WHATEVER CONTENT TO YOU

THEY BELIEVE WILL DRAW THE MOST ENGAGEMENT.

ANY CONTENT THAT TOUCHES ON NEGATIVE PRIMAL EMOTIONS

LIKE ANGER OR FEAR

OR ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES ON A SENSE OF TRIBALISM.

WE KNOW THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE ISOLATED

INTO A LIKE-MINDED GROUP

THAT THEIR OPINIONS TEND TO GET MORE EXTREME,

AND THEY TEND TO BE MORE FEARFUL OF AND HOSTILE TOWARDS PEOPLE

WHO ARE NOT IN THAT GROUP,

THE FACEBOOK ALGORITHM IS NOT EVIL IN AND OF ITSELF.

IT'S A PRETTY SIMPLE IDEA, RIGHT?

SERVE PEOPLE THE CONTENT THAT THEY WANT TO SEE.

BUT THE THING IS THAT WE HAVE THESE BASE TENDENCIES AND URGES

THAT MODERN SOCIETY IS DESIGNED

TO HELP US CONTAIN AND MANAGE AND WORK AROUND.

AND THIS FACEBOOK ALGORITHM

IS PERFECTLY DESIGNED TO JUST BYPASS ALL OF THOSE INSTITUTIONS

THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO MANAGE THAT

AND JUST BRING ALL OF THOSE URGES OUT.

AND WHAT WE ARE NOW BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND

IS THAT IT DOESN'T JUST LEAD TO PEOPLE

SAYING NASTY THINGS ON FACEBOOK, BUT IT ACTUALLY MAKES PEOPLE

SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PRONE TO REAL-WORLD VIOLENCE.

THERE IS A STUDY THAT TRACKED

EVERY SINGLE ANTI-REFUGEE ATTACK IN GERMANY...

AND WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT TOWNS WHERE PEOPLE USED FACEBOOK

SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN AVERAGE

HAD 50% MORE ATTACKS ON REFUGEES.

IN CENTRAL MYANMAR, MUSLIMS ARE BEING SET UPON

BY RAGING MOBS OF NORMALLY PEACE-LOVING BUDDHISTS.

AND IN MYANMAR, WHERE EVERYBODY USES FACEBOOK AS THEIR PRIMARY

MEANS FOR GATHERING NEWS,

FACEBOOK PLAYED A ROLE IN A MODERN ACT OF GENOCIDE.

IN EARLY 2016, A FAR-RIGHT BUDDHIST EXTREMIST IN MYANMAR

NAMED WIRA THU POSTED A FAKE VIDEO

ABOUT A STAGED RAPE OF A BUDDHIST WOMAN

BY A BUNCH OF MUSLIM MEN

TO CONVEY TO THE BUDDHIST MAJORITY

THAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE UNDER THIS TERRIFYING THREAT

FROM MUSLIMS.

I MEAN, I THINK IT HAD MAYBE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWS

BY THE TIME IT WAS TAKEN DOWN,

AND PEOPLE HAVE STARTED TO REALLY BELIEVE IT.

BUDDHISTS WENT OUT AND RIOTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY,

AND THAT REALLY HELPS TO PAVE THE WAY

FOR THE GENOCIDE OF ROHINGYA, WHO ARE A MUSLIM MINORITY

IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY, IN 2017 AND 2018.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LIBERATING PLATFORM,

AND IT UNLEASHED WHAT IS LITERALLY

THE VERY WORST HUMAN TENDENCY.

GROUP IDENTITY IS REALLY POWERFUL IN ALL MEDIUMS,

AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL ACTIVATE

THAT LIKE HAVING OUTSIDERS TO BE FEARFUL OF AND ANGRY TOWARDS.

IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FEELINGS

THAT WE CAN HAVE.

YOU'VE GOT UPPER.

ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GOING TO GO ON...

OKAY.

YOU CAN LOOK BACK TO ALL OF THE WARS,

ALL OF THE CONFLICTS WE'VE SEEN OVER HUMAN HISTORY,

LIKE, OVER THE LONG HUMAN HISTORY,

AND IN EACH CASE, WHAT WE FIND IS GROUP IDENTITY IS AT WORK,

AND IT'S ALLOWING NORMALLY EMPATHIC HUMANS

TO DO SOME HORRIBLE STUFF

TO OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR OWN SPECIES.

THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN, SAY,

BUDDHISTS AND ROHINGYA IN MYANMAR,

BETWEEN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS IN IRELAND,

ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS,

EACH HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE AND COMPLICATED HISTORY,

BUT IN EACH CASE, THERE'S A CLEAR ASYMMETRY OF POWER

BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.

THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES

THAT ARE VERY COMMON ACROSS CONFLICTS.

WE TEND TO THINK THAT OUR ACTIONS AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE

ARE MOTIVATED BY LOVE FOR OUR PEOPLE,

WHEREAS THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST US ARE MOTIVATED

BY HATE TOWARDS US. RIGHT?

AND SO IF YOU'RE VIEWING THE WORLD IN THIS WAY,

THEN YOU CAN EASILY SEE HOW YOU WOULD ESSENTIALIZE THEM

AS, LIKE, INHERENTLY VIOLENT AND VILE

AND ESSENTIALIZE YOUR OWN GROUP AS INHERENTLY VIRTUOUS,

AND THIS CAN LEAD TO ALL SORTS OF OTHER BIASES.

WE DON'T SEE THE INJUSTICE TO THE OTHER SIDE.

WE SEE THE INJUSTICE TO OUR SIDE,

SO ONE GROUP CAN CLEARLY HAVE MORE POWER,

BUT THEY CAN STILL FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING VICTIMIZED.

IN MAY OF 1948, A NEW JEWISH STATE, ISRAEL,

WAS BORN IN A BATH OF BLOOD.

WHEN ISRAEL WAS CREATED JUST TWO YEARS AFTER THE HOLOCAUST,

MANY ARAB PALESTINIANS FLED OR WERE EXPELLED FROM THE LAND

WHERE THEIR FAMILIES HAD LIVED FOR GENERATIONS,

SETTING IN MOTION A CONFLICT OVER LAND AND NATIONAL RIGHTS

THAT REMAINS UNRESOLVED TO THIS DAY.

THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT IS DEEPLY TRAGIC AND DIFFICULT.

THERE'S A CLEAR ASYMMETRY.

ISRAEL HAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARIES

IN THE WORLD.

PALESTINIANS HAVE NOTHING.

THEIR LIVES ARE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED.

YOU KNOW, IT'S A CAULDRON OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES

THAT DRIVE CONFLICT ALL IN THIS ONE TINY LITTLE SPOT OF LAND,

AND SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE A JUDGMENT

ABOUT WHAT NARRATIVE IS RIGHT.

WE'RE JUST GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT THE NARRATIVES ARE

AND WHAT PSYCHOLOGIES THEY DRIVE.

PALESTINIANS SAY ALL THESE WESTERN POWERS

DECIDED, WITHOUT OUR CONSENT AT ALL,

THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ALLOW THIS GROUP

TO BASICALLY COLONIZE OUR LAND AND TAKE IT,

AND WHEN WE RESISTED, THEY KILLED US

AND TOOK EVEN MORE OF OUR LAND.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, ISRAELI PSYCHOLOGY IS DRIVEN

BY THE PREVIOUS ASSAULTS ON JUDAISM GOING BACK IN HISTORY.

FROM AN ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE,

THEY'RE A TINY, LITTLE COUNTRY SURROUNDED BY COUNTRIES

THAT HAVE ATTACKED THEM IN THE PAST...

HAMAS, A GROUP SWORN TO DESTROY ISRAEL

AND LISTED BY THE UNITED STATES

AS A TERRORIST GROUP, WON A LANDSLIDE VICTORY.

...AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE THE RHETORIC

COMING FROM PALESTINIANS

THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DRIVEN INTO THE SEA.

THE ISLAMIST MILITANT GROUP REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE

ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST.

ISRAEL HAS TO CONFRONT THE THREAT OF ISLAMIC TERROR

ON A DAILY BASIS.

AND WHAT YOU HAVE THEN IS WHAT WE CALL IN THE FIELD

COMPETITIVE VICTIMHOOD --

THAT BOTH SIDES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE THE VICTIM.

BOTH SIDES FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THE UNDERDOG.

AND IT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE IN GAZA,

WHERE A HEAVILY FORTIFIED BORDER FENCE

SEPARATES A POPULATION OF TWO MILLION PALESTINIANS

FROM THEIR ISRAELI NEIGHBORS ON THE OTHER SIDE.

WE'RE IN NETIV HAASARA, AN AGRICULTURAL VILLAGE,

THE CLOSEST VILLAGE, IN FACT, TO THE GAZA STRIP.

WE FIRST SETTLED HERE IN 1982.

FOR THE PAST OVER 12 YEARS,

I'VE BEEN LIVING UNDER THIS CONSTANT THREAT.

ON THE FAR LEFT, THE HOUSES YOU SEE ON THE HORIZON,

THAT'S GAZA CITY,

AND THIS IS ONE OF THE WALLS THAT SEPARATES US FROM GAZA.

MISSILES AND ROCKETS AND MORTAR SHELLS,

RETALIATION AFTER RETALIATION OF WAR AFTER WAR,

EACH ONE WORSE THAN THE OTHER.

RIGHT BEHIND THAT, THOSE ARE MILITARY HAMAS HEADQUARTERS,

AND WE HEAR THE HAMAS TRAINING THERE DAY AND NIGHT.

WE OFTEN GET A MESSAGE,

A TEXT MESSAGE ON OUR PHONES SAYING,

"DON'T WORRY. THEY'RE ONLY TRAINING."

THAT'S WHEN I BEGIN TO WORRY.

MY DAUGHTER'S BEST FRIEND WAS KILLED BY A MISSILE,

RUNNING TO THE SHELTER AND NOT MANAGING TO GET THERE IN TIME.

THE PAIN OF THAT ONE GIRL WHO WAS KILLED IS WITH US TODAY,

IS WITH MY DAUGHTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.

THIS IS A SAFE ROOM THAT WE HAVE 15 SECONDS TO RUN INTO

WHEN THERE'S AN ALERT.

CHILDREN HERE IN ISRAEL GROW UP

NOT SEEING CHILDREN ON THE OTHER SIDE.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE, HOW THEY FEEL.

WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

WE DON'T SEE ONE ANOTHER AS PEOPLE.

IN JUST A FEW HOURS,

THE U.S. WILL OPEN ITS EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM.

WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WILL DO WHAT'S RIGHT, AND SO WE HAVE.

JERUSALEM IS AT THE HEART OF THE ISRAELI/PALESTINIAN CONFLICT.

IT'S A HOLY CITY AND THE DECLARED CAPITAL

FOR BOTH ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS.

RECOGNIZING JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL'S CAPITAL

HAS INFURIATED THE PALESTINIANS.

THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS IT IS BRACING

FOR UP TO 100,000 PROTESTERS RIGHT ALONG THE GAZA BORDER.

ON THE DAY OF THE U.S. EMBASSY MOVE,

THE CASUALTIES SUFFERED ON EACH SIDE

WERE HUGELY DISPROPORTIONATE.

HOW DID THE ISRAELI MILITARY FEEL JUSTIFIED

IN RESPONDING WITH SO MUCH FORCE?

I THINK THIS SITUATION CAN GIVE US A LENS

INTO TRIBALISM OVER TIME

AND HOW THE END RESULT CAN LOOK SO IRRATIONAL.

THE VICTIMHOOD IS DRIVEN BY WHEN THE NARRATIVE STARTS.

IF YOU START THE STORY WITH THIS DISPROPORTIONATE

KILLING OF GAZANS WHO ARE PROTESTING,

YOU'VE ESTABLISHED THAT'S WHERE WE START THE CLOCK,

AND THAT'S WHERE WE MAKE THE JUDGMENT,

WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, ISRAELIS WOULD SAY,

"WELL, WHY DON'T YOU START THE CLOCK AT THE HOLOCAUST,

AND LET'S GO FORWARD FROM THERE AND SEE WHAT YOU SAY THEN?"

THERE'S A CLEAR MENTALITY THAT "WE ARE AT ONE OF THE ONLY TIMES

WHERE WE HAVE THE POWER TO PROTECT OURSELVES.

WE HAVE NOT DONE IT IN THE PAST,

AND SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN."

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF VICTIMHOOD AND FEAR AND THREAT IS SO STRONG

THAT YOU CAN IGNORE

SOMETHING YOUR GROUP DID THAT IS SO OBVIOUSLY AWFUL,

AND THAT'S TRUE OF EVERY CONFLICT.

PSYCHOLOGY IS ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION.

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REALITY,

AND SO YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LOT OF POWER

WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF THE VICTIM.

YOU JUST APPLY A LITTLE CONFIRMATION BIAS,

WHICH MEANS THAT YOU JUST PAY ATTENTION

TO THE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR SIDE,

AND YOU IGNORE THE EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS THE OTHER.

YOU ADD THE MEDIA IN AND ADD IN POLITICIANS

WHO USE ALL OF THE KIND OF TRADITIONAL LEVERS OF CONFLICT

LIKE FEAR OF THE OTHER AND DRIVE UP TRIBALISM,

AND YOU'VE GOT A LOT WORKING THERE.

WE FIGHT THINGS OUT OVER HISTORY.

AFTER MANY YEARS AND, YOU KNOW, MANY DECADES,

MAYBE EVEN MANY MILLENNIA OF THIS KIND OF STRIFE,

AND WHEN YOU GET THERE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT TWO GROUPS

IN THE CONTEXT OF STRUCTURAL INEQUITIES.

I THINK WE SEE THAT ON THE GAZA STRIP.

I THINK WE SEE THAT IN THE CONTEXT

OF RACIAL POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES.

YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T JUST TWO TRIBES

WHO ARE FIGHTING ON EVEN TURF.

I THINK THAT MAKES A PROBLEM

THAT WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME SOLVING EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.

ONCE WE'VE DIVIDED THE WORLD INTO US AND THEM,

ARE WE STUCK WITH THOSE CATEGORIES?

CAN WE EVER REDEFINE OUR TRIBAL DIVISIONS?

IF WE LOOK BACK TO THE ROBBERS CAVE EXPERIMENT,

SHERIF AND COLLEAGUES HAD GOTTEN THE BOYS

TO ADOPT GROUP IDENTITIES AND ENGAGE IN TRIBAL CONFLICT.

IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT INTERGROUP RIVALRY,

WHAT YOU SAW WAS ESCALATING INTERGROUP TENSION

AND ESCALATING INTERGROUP HATRED.

BOYS WHO, AT THE START OF THE STUDY,

HAD BEEN DECENT, CIVILIZED YOUNGSTERS,

HAD NOW TURNED INTO VICIOUS MONSTERS.

SHERIF WAS KIND OF INTERESTED IN, COULD WE SEE

IF WE COULD TURN THESE WARRING GROUPS

INTO UNIFIED GROUPS THAT WOULD, IF YOU LIKE,

BE AT PEACE WITH EACH OTHER.

AND THE WAY HE SET ABOUT DOING THAT

WAS TO CREATE WHAT HE CALLED SUPERORDINATE GOALS

WHERE NO GROUP COULD ACHIEVE ITS GOALS

WITHOUT COLLABORATING WITH THE OTHER ONE.

THEY WOULD PUT ROCKS INSIDE ONE OF THE WATER MAINS

WHERE THE BOYS GOT WATER FOR THEIR CANTEENS,

AND THE BOYS HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TAKE THE ROCKS OUT.

THEY HAD TO WORK TOGETHER,

AND IN THE END, THEY ENDED UP WORKING TOGETHER SO WELL

THAT THE BOYS KIND OF FORMED A BIG LINE

TO KIND OF CARRY THE ROCKS OUT TOGETHER.

THE EMERGENCE OF THOSE INTERDEPENDENT GOALS,

THEN, ACTUALLY, THE FORMER HOSTILITY

AND RIVALRY WAS OVERCOME,

AND THE BOYS, AS IT WERE, BECAME FRIENDS AGAIN.

THIS EXPERIMENT SHOWED US BOTH HOW QUICKLY TRIBAL AFFILIATIONS

CAN COME ON LINE,

BUT ALSO HOW THE RIGHT CONTEXT CAN ALLOW US TO OVERCOME THEM.

IT'S A FUNNY WAR, ALL RIGHT,

WHEN MEN WHO WERE YOUR ENEMIES A FEW MONTHS BEFORE

END UP MARCHING AT YOUR SIDE.

ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF A THING

THAT CAN BRING VERY DISTANT GROUPS TOGETHER

IS A COMMON THREAT.

I MEAN, WE SEE THIS JUST EVEN IN THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY.

LOOK TO OUR WORLD WARS, WHERE THERE WERE THESE NATION STATES

WHO PREVIOUSLY WEREN'T GETTING ALONG.

YOU HAVE A COMMON THREAT, ALL OF A SUDDEN,

EVERYONE IS WORKING TOGETHER.

EVEN THOUGH OUR CATEGORIZATION OF PEOPLE AS US OR THEM

SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING

THAT'S JUST A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF THE HUMAN MIND,

WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL

OVER WHAT THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES ARE,

AND, IN FACT, THESE CATEGORIES

TEND TO BE REALLY, REALLY FLEXIBLE.

A CURRENT EXAMPLE

IS THE DEMOCRATIC FOOTBALL LADS ALLIANCE.

BRITISH SOCCER FANS ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR DEEP RIVALRIES

THAT HAVE OFTEN TURNED VIOLENT,

YET IN 2017, AFTER A SERIES OF TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE U.K.,

FANS OF RIVAL TEAMS CAME TOGETHER.

THEY THOUGHT, AT THAT POINT, "HEY, WE HAVE A COMMON ENEMY."

WE DON'T WANT TO BE TAKEN OVER BY ISLAMIC EXTREMISM.

WE'VE HAD ENOUGH.

THIS IS OUR COUNTRY, AND WE'VE HAD ENOUGH.

THE RIVALRIES GO BACK TO WHEN FOOTBALL BEGAN IN THIS COUNTRY,

BUT THE TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED

HAVE IGNITED SOMETHING IN US AS LOYAL FOOTBALL LADS

WHO DON'T CHANGE TEAMS

AND COME TOGETHER UNDER ONE COMMON PURPOSE

AND ONE COMMON GOAL.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

HAVE ATTENDED THEIR LAST TWO DEMONSTRATIONS,

BUT DESPITE THEIR MESSAGE OF UNITY,

SOME PEOPLE ACCUSE THEM OF HARBORING RACIST MESSAGES.

- NAZI SCUM! - OFF OUR STREETS!

WHAT WE SEE IN THIS CASE IS TRIBES

THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY SEPARATE

WHO HAVE COME TOGETHER FOR A COMMON GOAL,

BUT SOMETIMES THE COMMON GOAL CAN BE JUST AS RACIST AND UGLY

AS THE TRIBAL BOUNDARIES WE SAW BEFOREHAND.

ENGLAND UNTIL WE DIE!

OUR TRIBAL PSYCHOLOGY CAN BE INFLUENCED

BY MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT CAN MAKE US SEE

OTHER PEOPLE AS OUR ALLIES OR AS OUR ENEMIES.

THE GOOD PIECE OF NEWS

IS THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE CATEGORIES THAT ARE FLEXIBLE,

THAT WE CAN MOVE AROUND ON THE FLY,

THERE IS ROOM TO DO BETTER.

THERE IS ROOM TO OVERCOME HATRED AND TRIBALISM

EVEN IN SOME OF THE WORST CONTEXTS.

THE SAD THING, THOUGH, IS THAT OUR GROUP PSYCHOLOGY

IS REALLY BUILT TO LOOK FOR THREATS,

BUT THOSE THREATS DON'T HAVE TO BE REAL.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE JUST COMPLETELY MADE UP.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE PART OF PROPAGANDA,

BUT NEVERTHELESS, JUST THIS PERCEPTION OF A THREAT,

EVEN IF IT'S FAKE,

CAN REALLY CAUSE OUR TRIBAL BOUNDARIES TO CHANGE --

SOMETIMES IN WAYS THAT ARE GOOD,

SOMETIMES IN WAYS THAT ARE PRETTY NASTY.

LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE ARE NOW JUST A COUPLE OF CLICKS

AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.

AND THE SKINHEADS, THEY WOULD ALWAYS SAY,

"FRANK, GOD NEEDS MORE SOLDIERS.

HE NEEDS MORE ANGELS TO RUIN SODOM AND GOMORRAH."

IF THERE'S ANYTHING ONE DERIVES FROM A STUDY OF MASS KILLING,

IT'S THAT PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.

THE HATE, THE MASSIVE VIOLENCE,