imageI’m a firm believer in the idea that ‘tribal-loyalties’ include both blessings and curses to the human spirit.  Each of us belong to a number of tribes: e.g. race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationalism, etc.   There’s nothing wrong with taking pride in one more of the tribal identities we subscribe to.  Our tribal loyalties become problematic  when we allow our tribal affiliations to prejudge other individuals and groups who do not share membership in one or more of the groups we belong to. Tribal chauvinism, the belief that my country, my race or my religion is somehow better than yours, has created more wars, more hate and human suffering than any other historical antecedent.

Those people who proudly recognize that among the many tribes they may claim membership is the tribe of humanity are inevitably more tolerant and accepting of the remarkable diversity found among the human inhabitants of this world.

When I first saw this Cheerios commercial which includes an interracial family,  I jumped out of my chair and yelled: “YES! AWESOME!!!”  It’s not surprising but still sad to note that the folks at General Mills had to disable the comments section on YouTube where this video could be seen because of hundreds of racist comments posted by people who were offended by the idea of an interracial family.

Nope.  Some people still don’t get it. Ideas about racial purity and superiority did not die with defeat of Nazi Germany, the defeat of the American Confederacy, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or the inauguration of the first American President of color. 

“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”  (Senator Ted Kennedy)