Tribalism

Not long before I started law school in 1970 each state had their own UCC (unified commercial code). Fortunately, before I had to learn about such economic regulations, a national unified commercial code was adopted. Before this adoption giving legal advice to businesses that had expanded beyond the states was challenging. If your client wanted to do business with a company in Oklahoma which rules would apply? God forbid if the client decided to do a joint venture with companies in Oklahoma and New Mexico! There was resistance to the move because it threatened states’ rights and was of longstanding tradition. In these times such past concerns are rarely considered even among the most ardent states’ rights conservatives. Our beloved free enterprise system flourishes better in a market governing all states.

Before that time all states had their own laws and enforcement. Once again, federal interference was considered a violation of states’ rights. This worked okay until the advent of cars and highways. Bonnie and Clyde took advantage of the tribalism by robbing banks in Texas and racing to the Oklahoma border. The state law enforcement officers had to stop at the border and no law was broken in Oklahoma. Eventually federal law enforcement agents were created to cross state lines and a federal law was created making it illegal to cross state lines to avoid arrest. Additional federal laws such as drug laws were created to address multi-state drug cartels. 

Fast forward to today. I can send what I’m writing to a friend in Germany in less time than going to get a drink of water in the kitchen. The car I own has parts manufactured in many countries. I can have a face to face conversation with a trekking company I used in Nepal in seconds for almost nothing. I’m sure each of you can come up with better examples. The world is shrinking and there is no turning back.

there is a shadow over the next inevitable evolution called tribalism. Some say racism but there are many examples of different groups who hate each other. This primordial characteristic is a rock in the road but cant stop progression to the next stage of human growth. The trick will be for the US (a hodgepodge of tribes) to rise above it first to claim success in the inevitable world market and social structure

* (I personally have traveled to many countries, stayed with families, relied on Sherpas to keep my alive in the             Himalayas, danced in the streets of Istanbul during Ramadan, and have found that the majority of people I’ve met who are different than me by race, religion, education, tradition, etc., are mostly good people who worry about their kids, their education, making enough money to support the family, etc., just like Americans.)