Watching the news w Pynchon yet, able to breathe, luckily.

[David Morris]

In my thinking, tribalism is a vital component of our human evolution thus
far. It also at work in all other communal species.  It's root is survival
of the clan. That might include solar power.

On Friday, December 5, 2014, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:

> I have a hard time with identifying "tribalism" as particularly fear
> based. A tribe or community can have other, more positive forces that hold
> them together and provide a sense of identity.  And larger trans-tribal
> groups can be fearful and violent in the extreme.
>
> Also there is a big difference between unrealistic fears and the kind of
> realism that compels a group or person to act in response to a real
> threat.  What we have in the case of race is  too great a separation and
> lack of human interaction, and  historic patterns that are unresolved
> because  of the lack of integration.  The entire context is, as you point
> out, anxiety ridden on virtually every level.
> On Dec 3, 2014, at 10:24 PM, David Morris wrote:
>
> > Militarization of police is allowed/encouraged when fear levels are
> high: the "Other," threatens invasion, destruction, disease and decay,
> Death.  Leave aside the role of an agitator, propagandist in this
> discussion for now.  Universal existential anxiety is humanity's scourge,
> that and getting the next meal.
> >
> > In the US, racism is inescapable, especially towards blacks. Large black
> men, strapping field hands have now become perceived as human-weapons by
> their mere presence, and can be justifiably shot because of the fear they
> provoke in a cop.  The subtext is that if you were in that cop's shoes,
> you'd shit yourself.
> >
> > Riots are not the cause of this shit.  Tribalism is alive and well in
> our present USA.  There is a Money Tribe that wants to hold on too. Fear is
> the uniting force of tribalism, embodied in some form of shared
> identity/interest at risk from an "Other's" ascendancy.
> >
> > David Morris
> >
> > On Wednesday, December 3, 2014, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > we have read Pynchon's essay on the mind of Watts.
> >
> >  I Repeat that Radney Balko's The Militarization of the Police
> > traced the start of SWAT teams to the LAPD as an organizational response
> > To those riots.
> >
> > for 40+ years, and esp since 9/11, the police departments all over the
> United States
> > Have militarized themselves, prepared for " riots" instead of " freedom
> of assembly",  have allowed o'er the top Jacobean-like revengeful anger to
> build
> > And build until: The Bigfoot cops can choke, gang-up on, beat and shoot
> at will.
> >
> > TRP did know exactly when the cops turned. Inherent Vice.
> >
> > Sent from my iPad-
> > Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
> -
> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
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