Tribalism is a positive thing in many situations. Corporations that achieve a tribal following have a guaranteed customer base that could keep its number steady for years. Patriotism is a macro form of tribalism that's almost integral for it to stay healthy and strong. Without tribalism, the NFL doesn't exist.
But the entire concept takes a dark turn when tribalism enters politics. People begin fighting for the strength of a party rather than the strength of a nation. They'll willingly embrace a lie or completely ignore wrongdoing if it means their side's power is threatened. Everyone does this to some degree, right or left, but Democrats do it to such an extent that they'll flat-out deny proven reality if it means they can still be "right," even in their own minds.
Watching modern Democrats, it's a wonder how they ever had so much power over the minds and hearts of society for as long as they did. It really is a testament to the power of holding onto the largest sources of information and gatekeeping said info like the world would end if you didn't.
For leftists, maybe they actually did believe the world would end if their narrative ever faltered. Funny enough, it's weaker than it's been in decades, and the world seems to be doing great, yet the left is still clinging to their side of the story as hard as they can.
I don't know if you've ever heard of Adam Conover, but he's been something of a famous internet creator for years, putting out content that usually debunks long-held beliefs or reveals interesting facts about various things you've never heard about. For instance, his video about the De Beers diamond corporation's plan to make diamonds far more valuable than they're actually worth is the stuff of internet legend.
But Conover is a leftist who has been more than happy to spout his political opinions and use his platform to do so. Conover is highly confident in his ability to discern truth from lie, like any leftist is, yet it's become pretty clear over the course of his career that he's not exactly the most informed person. That's pretty odd, given his reputation as the guy who exposes the truth.
But I guess that was the reputation many leftists like him had.
But Conover is a perfect example of how tribalism makes someone who is admittedly intelligent as dumb as the day is long.
Watch this clip from Tim Pool's "Culture War" podcast, where Conover was a guest. As you'll see, Conover seems wildly uninformed about what's going on in the world of politics, despite the fact that he discusses it with relative steadiness. Emphasis on the word "seems."
Language warning before you click play.
Adam Conover is the ideal Democrat. He doesn't know anything, except when handed a sheet of paper to read. pic.twitter.com/kBcc4f31TW
— George Alexopoulos (@GPrime85) May 17, 2025
Pool was visibly getting angry and frustrated during the interview as Conover sat smugly, calmly relaying his ignorance over some of the subjects Pool talked about, such as the "fine people" hoax that Conover seemed to have no idea was a hoax at all.
The thing is, watching and listening to Conover, I'm not so sure that he didn't know. In fact, I think he did know that a lot of what Trump is accused of is false, but he can't say that, because the tribe would eject him if he did.
Conover's people are the coast elite, and they're very rigid about their ideological beliefs. One of those beliefs is that Trump is an unredeemable villain, and any assistance in helping him divorce the real man from the man who they've created in their heads is sinful. Conover is not about to upset his tribe. It wouldn't just cost him his reputation. It could very well cost him his career.
So, when faced with the truth, he can maintain his arm's length distance, not having to admit or confess anything, and thus keeping his status as "one of them" with his peers.
I'll give you another example. While Conover was passive, legacy media are often aggressive in their denial. The best examples of this are any segment where Scott Jennings appears on CNN.
The pattern is that Jennings will often reveal the truth of a thing, and the surrounding panelists will do their absolute best to actively deny the truth or distract from said truth. In a recent dust-up between Jennings and Democrat Party strategist Julie Roginsky, Jennings confronted them about Biden's cancer diagnosis clearly being covered up. Roginsky's response?
It was to bring up Donald Trump's cognitive abilities.
ME: The Biden cover-up is pretty bad.
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) May 20, 2025
DEM: bUt TrUmP!
ME: Ok but the story is the Biden cover up, right?
DEM: tRuMp cOgNiTiVe TeSt!
ME: <Ron Burgundy voice> We are laughing! pic.twitter.com/XPhQluYek5
The lengths the Democrats went to in order to cover up Biden's various ailments are wild, but their willingness to believe their own lies is, in my opinion, even wilder.
But this is what the tribe requires. You cannot give the truth any quarter, even if it's standing there in broad daylight. You must embrace the lie, even at the cost of your own integrity and reputation. This is the tribal law of the left.
Embrace the lie until it becomes truth, no matter how long it takes for that transformation to happen.
This is one of the reasons the legacy media is in such dire straits. Thanks to various internet websites like X, Rumble, and even YouTube, the truth is far more visible than it's been in the past. The shelf-life of the lie is much smaller than it used to be, yet the tribal law of the left doesn't allow for this to be recognized. They'll stare you straight in the face and tell you the sky is green as you sit under a baby-blue, cloudless day, and when you tell them to look up, they'll look at you like you're stupid in hopes you'll start feeling that way.
But fewer and fewer people are starting to feel the pressure they once were capable of exerting.
And leftism is now just a dumb tribe to be a part of.
