Tribalism Is Tearing Us Apart
and the Puppet-Masters Like It That Way
They keep telling us we’re more connected than ever. That’s a joke. I’ve never seen Americans more divided, more bitter, more dug into their camps like trench warfare was the national sport. You don’t need a Harvard study or a DC think tank to figure it out. Just look out your window or open your news feed. The beast we thought we buried—tribalism—is back. And this time, it’s got better branding.
But here’s what no one wants to say out loud: we’re not the ones truly in charge of this chaos. The riots, the protests, the digital witch hunts – those are just the surface eruptions. The real action’s happening behind the curtain, where the puppet-masters – career politicians, media moguls, corporate lords, and bureaucratic lifers—pull the strings and rake in the power.
Let’s talk about them.
The Politicians: Masters of Manufactured Outrage
Every election cycle, they crank up the tribal drums. “They’re coming for your guns.” “They’re coming for your uterus.” “They hate America.” “They hate justice.” It doesn’t matter which party – you pick red or blue, and they’ll give you an enemy to hate. Why? Because if you're mad at your fellow citizen, you're not looking at the debt ceiling, the pork-filled budgets, or how both sides keep raising their own salaries while the rest of us drown in taxes and inflation.
Remember when Congress held hearings over social media “misinformation” while quietly renewing surveillance powers? That’s not oversight. That’s sleight of hand.
The Media: Arsonists with Press Passes
Cable news, big newspapers, Twitter influencers – they thrive on division. A peaceful day doesn’t sell ads. Unity doesn’t drive clicks. But outrage? Now that’s money in the bank. So they hand-pick the worst voices from each side, frame them as “the other,” and let the tribal blood boil.
Take any story – COVID, immigration, crime – and watch how it’s sliced into tribal bait. You’d think Americans live in two completely different countries depending on whether you're tuned into MSNBC or Fox.
Corporate America: Cashing In on Conflict
While we scream at each other over Bud Light and rainbow logos, the big boys are shipping jobs to China, lobbying for tax loopholes, and buying up housing so your kids can’t afford to live where they were born. Nike tells you to "believe in something" while paying workers pennies in sweatshops. Amazon slaps “Black Lives Matter” on the homepage while fighting unionization harder than a mafia boss fights subpoenas.
Tribalism keeps the heat off them. It’s a magic trick. They feed both sides the script, sponsor the talking heads, and walk away richer while the streets burn.
What’s the Solution?
First, we’ve got to recognize the game being played on us. We’re not enemies – we're pawns. If we stop dancing to their music, the song ends. That means:
Refuse to be baited. When a politician or news anchor waves the flag of outrage, ask yourself: “Who benefits from me being mad?” Nine times out of ten, it ain’t you.
Talk to people outside your bubble. Have dinner with someone who voted differently than you. Listen before you argue. Tribalism dies when we build relationships across the divide.
Follow the money. Learn who funds the think tanks, who writes the bills, who profits from the unrest. Transparency is our weapon.
Build local. Federal politics is a rigged casino. But your local school board? City council? Sheriff? Those matter. Take them back. That’s where real change starts.
Unplug sometimes. The digital battlefield is designed to keep you angry, addicted, and divided. Take a walk. Read an old book. Call your grandmother. Find something real.
Look, the truth is ugly, but it’s freeing. The unrest we’re seeing isn’t the product of random chaos – it’s engineered. Designed. Fed. And until we break the cycle – until we stop letting the puppet-masters play us against each other – we’re just sharpening knives in the same collapsing house.
It’s time to pull back the curtain, cut the strings, and remember who the real enemy is.
Not your neighbor. Not your coworker.
Not the poor guy who voted differently than you.
It’s the ones who profit when the house is divided.
It’s the totally fake wizard.
And they’re counting on you not figuring that out.