We Are All Collectivists: We Are All Tribal

Human beings are social animals.  We depend on groups, on tribes.  In the modern world that translates into families and villages.  And by village I mean social construct.

In short we care about those around us.  We want those near us to succeed, or, if not succeed, avoid devastating failure.  We may not want to subsidize your food bill, but we’ll rebuild your life:

Henderson, N.C. — A Henderson family that lost its home in a fire one week before Christmas said Sunday that it couldn’t be getting back on its feet without the generous outpouring of support from the Vance County community.

“People we’ve never seen in our life, people we will never meet (were) just giving to us,” said Jessica Morgan.

Donations poured in for the family following the fire, including clothing, money and rent to stay in a nearby mobile home. The biggest donation came from Schewels Furniture, which provided the family with all new furniture, free of charge.

Morgan, her two children and her fiance, Scott Weaver, lost all their belongings Dec. 18 when the Christmas tree in their living room caught fire. Five-year-old Gabriella woke the family up and Weaver helped Morgan escape out a front window with the children.

I’m just begging to explore what this means.  Why a community will rally around a family it’s never met yet, very defiantly, won’t succumb to legislation that might do the same thing.  However, I do know this, the separation exists.  There are many things that we do in our private life that we don’t want legislated.  We don’t want it even though that legislation might be as good intentioned as the charity above.

Fascinating.

2 responses to “We Are All Collectivists: We Are All Tribal

  1. The question: “Why a community will rally around a family it’s never met yet, very defiantly, won’t succumb to legislation that might do the same thing. ”

    In this case, the neighbors were given the choice to help rather than being forced to help. That choice allowed them the ability to evaluate the situation and charter of the recipients. I also assume that this was the first time that the family lost everything in a fire. If that same family has three more fires in the next few years, that generosity from townspeople will dry up.

    One other point to remember is that the cost of the “generous outpouring of support” is actually quite low. Lets put a dollar amount on it. Food and clothing $4,000; cash and rent $3,000; furniture $8,000. That totals $15,000, and I am probably on the high side. How much does our government spend month after month for YEARS to get a family back on their feet.

    • That choice allowed them the ability to evaluate the situation and charter of the recipients. I also assume that this was the first time that the family lost everything in a fire. If that same family has three more fires in the next few years, that generosity from townspeople will dry up.

      Additionally, the neighbors would be able to gauge this family’s past generosity. If the family had been there is support of the community, the community would be more willing to reciprocate. Likewise in the inverse.

      How much does our government spend month after month for YEARS to get a family back on their feet.

      Much MUCH more.

      The social bonds in this case are very strong. The family knows that their neighbors gave this money. From their own pocket. And the incentive to make good of it is high. The reverse is not true of government assistance . In fact, in the absence of strong social bonds, the incentive moves from becoming self-reliant to one of maximizing the government handout.

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