Bush Administration Benefits From Tribalism

Re “21st Century Tribes,” Opinion, Dec. 12: The roles of sociology and psychology in human behavior are invaluable. Whether to explain tribalism, nationalism or fundamentalism, we cannot know enough about what motivates us. But we cannot persist in the belief that only foreign cultures are vulnerable to the propaganda and manipulation of ill-intentioned colloquial influence. The rise in Christian fundamentalism as a tool for political exploitation signals that it is time to talk about American gullibility. That the Bush administration does not grasp the concept of virulent tribalism is hard to believe. After all, it succeeded in manipulating a large number of our citizens in its cynical effort to create a tribe of its own.

Tracy Figler

Reno, Nev.