Because of you I am single
Because of you I am able
Because of you I’m a misogynist
Because of you I”m a feminist

You gotta fight, fight… fight for the right to be equal
You gotta fight, fight… fight for the right to be the same

Ba doom Ba doom Ba doom bah !

Because of you I’m a socialist
Because of you I’m a capitalist
Because of you I’m an infidel
Because of you I’m an intellectual

You‘d better fight, fight….fight for the right to be different
You’d better fight , fight…fight for the right to be the same

Ba doom Ba doom Ba doom bah !

Because of You I’m a freedom fighter
Because of you I love modern Jazz
Because of you I’m a dissident
Because of you I’m an alien
Because of you I do it dirty
Because of you I am a Wolverine


About:
Once asked about some existential enigma Desmond Tutu famously retorted that the secret of existence is not being - but BELONGING...Little did he know how much modern science agrees with him, but for totally different reasons. Humans, we now know, are social primates that find existential value in subscribing to the views of the group. The Party Line. We wear our opinions like identity badges. Our loyalty to the tribe, in what we think and say publicly - for fear of ostracism, no doubt, have defined group behavior and infra group dynamics (tribalism, religious wars, politics...) for most of our existence. Call it our inner sheep. Bah!

The problem with this is that it constitutes a major hurdle to reason, knowledge & progress. You cannot think straight (and speak your mind) if your conclusions get you kicked out of the academy. Or burned at the stake. Take science denial, the idea that climate change is a hoax (on the Right), or that GMO's and Vaccines will get us all killed (on the Left). Irrational, conspiratorial views survive on all sides of the political spectrum, because of this antiquated, evolutionary proclivity towards group-think. People cling to their clan's orthodoxy. Solidarity oblige. God forbid we might think, speak and act independently! Even scientists have a hard time doing so. No, instead we cherry pick our facts to best suit the ideology or economic aspirations of the group (or institution, or team) to which we belong (or the company we work for), often without being an expert on anything. But its more reflexive than it is conscious. Especially among people on the far authoritarian ends of the political spectrum - where the prefrontal cortex of the human brain ceases to function altogether.

Tribalism also pops up in Music, of course. I listen to this, I'm cool. You listen to that, you're a (insert expletive of choice here) traitor.