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Living in a Primitive Society Mitchell Brooks

Ever since cave men, human beings have naturally formed groups or “tribes”. This concept may seem primitive but this notion continues to remain in the daily lives of human beings. Though this idea of people being tribal has become more modernised and is a whole new concept. All aspects of life are decided by “tribes” and it is a very broad subject. It is a perception derived from the theory of insiders and outsiders.

To simplify this theory, insiders are the people with all the knowhow and rule their patch whilst outsiders remain on the outside and are not considered part of the group considered insiders. This is why people form “tribes,” the insiders form their groups whilst the outsiders form their own which can sometimes result in a hierarchy depending on the setting of these tribes. The main forms of tribes formed in human society are from; gangs, bikies, schools, countries, sports, ethnic groups and hobby groups.

It is in the school yard where some of the most complicated insider and outsider tribes are formed. Right from the teacher to year groups and even the ethnic groups within a school, insiders are determined. High schools are renowned for this system. Insiders are determined by the following actions; Intimidation, presence, the authority to decide who is in and out, “knowledge” of what is in and out, the “language” of insiders, and they have similar values. Popularity remains a concept in the school yard and those who are insiders are considered to be “popular,” even if more students may hate them then those who like them. It is in the school yard that trends are set, especially fashion. It is the insiders that determine what is fashionable and the rest of the group will follow. Once the outsiders begin to follow this trend, often the insiders will find a new trend to set. Language is also important when it comes to insiders and outsiders. This is where teachers make it worse for themselves. Teachers are considered outsiders in schools and they are not allowed to use the language that students use. It would be considered “uncool” if a teacher was saying words such as “lol” and “sick” because they are outsiders.

So why do we form tribes? It is simply human nature. We are a social animal, just like wolves that form packs and deer that form herds. We work better when we work as a team and are able to gather ideas to achieve our goals. It is also natural for people to confine themselves to what they are used to, and stay away from things that are abnormal to them, defining to them what an insider is and what an outsider is. An example of this is between ethnic groups. Especially in developed nations such as Britain, Australia and the U.S where there is a huge amount of racial diversity. These nations are “white” and anything different to that is abnormal and those people are considered outsiders. In Australia you will often see “white” students forming their own “tribes,” whilst groups such as Aboriginals, Asians and Africans will form separate tribes as humans do not like abnormalities and have to have things neat and tidy to live the way they want to. People form their tribes based on similarities and values which is why certain ethnic groups find themselves on the outside rather than the inside. It is a natural thing in human behaviour and has been happening since the dawn of man.

Fortunately now, people aren’t officially punished for their abnormalities and for being an outsider. Back from as early as twenty years ago to when humans first entered the world, if you were an outsider the punishment used to be slavery or even worse. Now the punishment for being an outsider is exclusion, rejection, racism and bullying. One of the methods insiders use is by using intimidation and presence to make themselves look bigger and stronger. With this, insiders will give themselves the authority to decide what is in and out.

So are the insiders the majority? It depends on the context, but in a place such as the school yard or even between countries, the insiders aren’t necessarily the majority. In most cases they are the minority and the ones most disliked. An example of this could be between countries. When going worldwide, America would be considered the insiders. They control the economy, they use intimidation and presence and they have the authority to decide which countries are good and which are bad. They are also the most disliked country in the world. So being an insider can also be a negative in certain contexts.

So is this idea of insiders and outsiders a good thing? It depends on what field we are talking about. In places such as in schools, it is often a bad thing. The presence of insiders can cause a hierarchy which bullying and exclusion can result. In a place like a school you want there to be all “tribes” getting along. Unfortunately that is usually not the case. Another example of where insiders and outsiders are bad is between ethnic groups. This form of insiders and outsiders can result in racism and violence. In most contexts insiders and outsiders aren’t a good thing, possibly only in some circumstances between countries when intimidation is needed to keep threatening nations at bay.

Insiders and outsiders is a broad subject and stretches across all aspects of life. It is through this idea that tribes are formed in modern society, similar to those created thousands of years ago. People are social animals and need tribes to survive but sometimes the hierarchical system creates unwanted problems. Nowadays tribes formed include sports fans, countries, states, towns, ethnic groups, school kids and many other contexts. It is because of this that people remain primitive and unable to create one big group where everyone gets along. It seems though that people will remain this way for a long time. Good or bad? Who knows? 