The entire debate around the Venezuela strikes reveals the truth about “tribalism”: it is an inherent human attribute, and has a logical evolutionary need to align with, and be a part of the winning team to ensure survival.

Mark Twain said “when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect”.

I’m realizing there is another way to view this concept, which doesn’t require numerical majority, but majority in terms of monopoly of force.

I honestly cannot tell who is on the side of the majority when it comes to support or opposition of the action in Venezuela. What is becoming obvious is who is on the side of the monopoly of violence, and proudly rejoicing in that monopoly.

“because we can” seems to be serving as both the premise and conclusion many people are invoking to justify the action, without actually engaging in thoughtful analysis. And because that is both the conclusion and starting point, they can fill in the middle with whatever piecemeal justification they can muster.

Whether or not they support the action, and whether or not they would have supported the action if it had not occurred, people now want to be on the side of the monopoly of violence because in the short term, they subconsciously or consciously feel it will increase the likelihood of their own survival.

It’s frustrating to watch some of the more specious arguments being raised.

“it was only a 90 minute operation”. Which on its face contradict Trump‘s stated objective to stay and run the country.

But even still, Iraq was “only” a six-week war when George Bush declared “mission accomplished”.

“zero casualties” (Konstantin Kisin raising this one), ignoring the 80+ people killed in Venezuela (subject to upward correction). Very reminiscent of Madeleine Albright asserting that the number of Iraqi deaths was worth the regime change.

The amount of people seemingly on the “right” telling me to go back to Canada, the exact same way people on the left did when I took certain political positions.

On the one hand, I tell myself that they are likely just Internet bots. But that might just be a “cope” attempt to write off the fact that there is tribalism inherent to humanity, and for evolutionarily necessary reasons.

When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

And when you have the monopoly of violence, it is important to exercise it in a way that always factors into the equation that you may not always have the monopoly of violence.

And people will have two wildly different approaches to dealing with that potentiality…

Politics is loyalty to tribe over reason.

And reason is loyalty to truth over tribe.

That’s actually a good one… Maybe one day I can have one deep thought on par with Mark Twain’s repertoire!