The Tribe of Sarah: A Guide for the Perplexed Media

American Thinker ^ | September 07, 2008 | Thomas Lifson

[neverdem]

Our friends in the media just do not understand the popular following Sarah Palin has attracted. In an effort to help, I thought I should explain her popular appeal to them in terms even an Ivy League graduate could understand.

If you consider yourself a member of the intelligentsia, think of Sarah's unexpectedly numerous admirers as a kind of tribe. We are going to examine a few of the the folkways of strange and foreign people. Think of them as exotic and it may help you stifle any revulsion you may feel at their differences from your own familiar accepted ways.

Many of you probably read excerpts from Colin Trumbull's description of the Mbuti  tribe of the Congo (The Forest People) in one college course or another. In a similar mindset you can begin to understand the values and the ways of the Tribe of Sarah, and maybe begin understand how the world looks to them, even though it is a very different way of understanding reality than your own.

(Okay, I admit the respectful insistence that these are also a complex people, well adapted to their environment and possessed of a beautiful spirituality is probably going to be a stretch for many of you. But still, it is worth a try while you still have careers left.)

We haven't got an entire semester, so I will just hit a few important concepts.

The basic values

Unlike your own refined and infinitely more complex moral understanding, these people believe in abstract concepts known among them as "right" and "wrong" (alternatively "good" and "evil.") They regard those among them whom see as championing the cause of right and defeating wrong as role models to emulate, and frequently accord them honors and deep respect.

Perhaps misinterpreting media characterizations of big oil companies, they see Sarah Palin as someone who stood up to wrong, and thus revere her example. They harbor a belief that she will continue to support good and fight evil, and accordingly project a vision of her success when leaving their world for your own in Washington, DC.

A side note for future reading: a widely believed legend among them has it that a great leader they call Jesus championed good, fought evil, and suffered horribly for it. This martyrdom and its aftermath are a subject of considerable elaboration in their folkways and ritual, and this cultural detail may conceivably amplify their anger when another honored champion is made to suffer.

The role of "Mom"

The person who is assigned the gender role of carrying unterminated fetal tissue mass is the central figure of the family structure among the tribe of Sarah. Known familiarly as "mom" (never "mother"), these moms organize the foundational structures of their civilization. The behavioral norms learned from a mom determine the entire life course of the children. Accordingly, moms are also deeply honored, indeed revered to the point of abject love and devotion among them. Those who threaten harm to a mom occasion deep disgust within the tribe.

Sarah Palin, as the mother of five, including one child facing serious life challnges, is a person widely admired among them for her devotion, which they regard as exemplary. One of their folk celebrations, the "Special Olympics" celebrates the achievements of these children. Nearly all of you have heard of the Clan of the Kennedys in your own tribe; it has actually played a major role in this particular festival.  Perhaps that will help you make the mental leap required to understand the feelings engendered by Baby Tag.

Many of the tribe's moms, seeing Sarah's love for her baby with challenges and empathizing, regard aattacks on her as an attack on themselves. Jung's concept of the archetype may be helpful to you in understanding this admiration and empathy for Sarah and explain their hostile response to your recent work.

Moms closely communicate with one another, and these information flows work to determine where the children attend school and under what conditions, where the family will obtain its staple foods, and see to the enforcement of behavioral norms among all members of the comunity.Think of them as sensitivity trainers, if it helps, but remember that nobody gets to leave at the end of the work day.

The moms have a number of distinctive organizations which channel their social ties and lines of communication. We have no time or space to cover major topics ranging from "church" to "kaffe klatsch." More material for future reading.

The PTA

Sarah's followers know she first attained a formal leadership role in society within an organization called the "PTA," and a little context is helpful. Moms regard the shepherding of their offspring as their primary duty in life, aside from supporting the person assigned the male gender role, known among them as the "hubby." From the moment of the first child's birth until a phase decades later known among the tribe as the "empty nest," the development of children is regarded as the sacred duty of a mom and her hubby, as well as life's greatest and most rewarding experience.

PTA meetings are held at schools, with moms and a few hubbies gathering with teachers and discussing topics related to the education of the offspring. Because education is regarded as second only the mom's own influence on children, moms can have strong opinions on the content and processes of education. Frequently moms vie for honor among themselves, and seek to champion a change, or perhaps fight in opposition to one, resulting in very intense bursts of activity, communication and seeking of political support within the PTA community and beyond. Indeed, serious differences among moms can lead to feuds and vendettas, giving rise to colorful local legend that animate their communal folklore.

Members of the tribe regard someone who began a political rise within a PTA as evidence of adherence to the welfare of her children, and also as evidence of great political favor among members of her community, which subsequently elected her village head man, or mayor. But that term may confuse you, so a brief explanation.

Mayor

Unlike the figures familiar to you such as Mayor Daley, those who carry the title of "mayor" in places like Wasilla must be available to their citizenry at all hours, and are expected to have met them face to face if they hope to gain their vote. Constituents feel little compunction about complaining personally to the mayor. A small town mayorality qualifies as a rite of passge for nascent tribal politicians, ensuring their responsiveness.

Sin

This is going to be a tough one, because there is no comparable concept in your culture. But associated with the abstract concepts of good and evil is one known as sin, defined as the commission of acts which partake of the quality of evil. Now what is really tricky about this admittedly complex cultural construct is that tribe members believe everyone sins. Even good people. They believe that sin is inborn. Rather than categorize someone as evil merely on the basis of sin, they have developed methods of driving away the unwanted effects of the sinful behavior. When one has successfully made the best of the situation, repented,  and corrected the disapproved behavior, they speak of "redemption."

This has important consequences for the tribe's regard of your work on Sarah Palin. If you discover sin within her family, the tribe accepts that sin is inevitable. Instead, they judge how Sarah and the family deal with the consequences. And if they perceive that the "right" thing is being done, they admire her all the more.

In short, understanding the Tribe of Sarah is going to require you to stretch your minds and learn some new and unfamiliar concepts. Further reading will pay big dividends. But this sort of mental exercise can be both useful and fun, for it can enhance your understanding of yourself, too. That's the great benefit of cross-cultural studies.

Happy Learning!

Thomas Lifson is editor and publisher of American Thinker.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I think he may have intended this as satire, or partly satire. But this really hits the nail on the head.

[xuberalles]

lol..nice.

[AZLiberty]

Eskimos have 27 words for snow, Liberals have 27 reasons why it’s OK to kill an unborn baby, and Conservatives have two important ethical words: “right” and “wrong”.

[goldstategop]

I used to read James George Frazer's seminal classic of mythology, The Golden Bough. Liberals don't really understand conservative rituals and mythology. It might as well be to be them terra incognita as is to us moderns the vanished practices and beliefs of the ancients.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Yanni.Znaio]

The finest level of satire is when it is factual with a good portion of tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in for flavor.

Lipson NAILS IT with style in this piece.

[freepersup]

Well done!

Hopefully, an image of a hammer and nail continue to appear, expressing the accuracy of the author's keen observations in his righteous smack down of the left (as opposed to seeing a red X in a box).

[VigilantAmerican]

Loved it.

Reminds me of “The Body Ritual of the Nacirema,” one of the most ingenious and creative pieces of writing I’ve ever come across, which I was assigned to read in Sociology 101 back in the ‘80’s...hint: “Nacirema” spelled backward is...

[SolidWood]

I really enjoyed reading this.

[cricket]

Am wondering how it is that our neighboring state of Alaska challenges the elitist imagination far more than 'far-away Africa' these days; otherwise why would the Tribe of Sarah be so much more confounding than the Tribe of Obama

(Guess we could just call what appears to be, their obvious bias here - and their collective determination to ignore the discrepancies - the 'Oprah Effect'.)

[VigilantAmerican]

The essay is actually titled “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema’:

https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html

[martin_fierro]

(Okay, I admit the respectful insistence that these are also a complex people, well adapted to their environment and possessed of a beautiful spirituality is probably going to be a stretch for many of you. But still, it is worth a try while you still have careers left.)

He nails it.

One major reason why this highly intelligent, sophisticated and diverse crowd has discarded all semblance of impartiality in overing this election is that most of them won't be around to influence the next one.

[xtinct]

He forgot one...

Sarah speaks for the people. To date, she has verbally kicked Obamassiah's @ss for the tribe. She's our voice.

She's not all about Sarah like Obamassiah.

[Marie]

That’s great! [grin]

[Allegra]

I think he may have intended this as satire, or partly satire. But this really hits the nail on the head.

Written in a satirical vein while also making a valid point.

And I like the way he talks down to the Dems and the media. They deserve no better after their reprehensible behavior that appears to be blowing up in their faces.

[rrrod]

Yesterday a friend stopped by for a cold one and was discussing the pres race. He is a political refugee from Cuba and has only been here a little over a year. He is just a regular guy...goes to work, takes care of his family and looking forward a normal life here.

He made this comment “she is like real Americans...she is what we think Americans are..” The “we” refers to people outside the US and legals here.
Think about it.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Many of the tribe's moms, seeing Sarah's love for her baby with challenges and empathizing, regard aattacks on her as an attack on themselves. Jung's concept of the archetype may be helpful to you in understanding this admiration and empathy for Sarah and explain their hostile response to your recent work."

"I used to read James George Frazer's seminal classic of mythology, The Golden Bough. Liberals don't really understand conservative rituals and mythology. It might as well be to them terra incognita as is to us moderns the vanished practices and beliefs of the ancients. "
5 posted on Sunday, September 07, 2008 3:33:53 AM by goldstategop

Now, before they are sent rushing off to the library for volumes of Rousseau, Frazer, Jung, Durkheim, Lévi-Strauss, Richard Hofstadter, and Margaret Mead, to start their own Coming of Age in Wasilla seminar...there should be a few guidelines. The readings for this week's homework are on the desk: Coming to Shore: Northwest Coast Ethnology, Traditions, and Visions, ed. by Marie Mauzé, Michael E. Harkin, and Sergei Kan, pp. 23-52. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

I think to be fair someone should prepare an audio-visual presentation on the habitat of liberals in Cambridge, Massachusetts and south Chicago. Particularly focusing on the folklore, rituals, superstitions, and tribal customs of liberals. Maureen Dowd has already given us a few hints that the Ma Barker Archetype plays a role in their mythology, superstitions, and tribal lore. A rather important one for early-20th-century liberal matriarchal subcultures.

This is a tough grind month in Ivydom as it is, with all of them speed-reading through paperbacks of Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, and Fanon. Don't be too hard on liberal dorks. They tend to get angry when confused and pushed beyond their paradigm.

Eventually someone snarky enough on the liberal side is going to pick up on the totemism and fetishism of the monkey-god idol and reexamine their involvement in a millenarian messiah cult promising a socialist utopia.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> He made this comment “she is like real Americans...she is what we think Americans are..” The “we” refers to people outside the US and legals here.
Think about it.

(AMEN BROTHER! Can you get a witness?? I said, CAN YOU GET A WITNESS???!!)

I’ll witness to that! It’s true! That is how people outside America — like me — think all you Americans are like.

Sarah Palin is the typical American.

God Bless America!
God Bless Americans!

[Reverend Wright]

When I heard about Obama’s “bitter and clinging” comments at that San Francisco fundraiser I immediately thought of a medieval explorer (Vasco Obama?) reporting back to his patrons about the primitive peoples he had encountered during his travels...