WHY WE HATE:

Tribalism Activity (Us vs. Them)

Overview
In this activity students examine the individual and societal costs and benefits of tribalism (us versus
them affiliations) and conduct an inquiry that helps them understand the role that social media plays in
fueling tribalism. Through video and text, students learn that tribalism can take many forms and that
individuals’ tribal affiliations can change over time. They then use secondary source materials to
investigate the impact of social media tools and tactics on tribalism. Finally, they create a collage to
communicate ideas about how differences within their school community can be bridged. As an
extension, students can explore the role that tribalism played during the Holocaust and its impact on
individuals through eyewitness testimonies.

Target Audience
Grades 6-8 Social Studies; Grades 9-12 History, Psychology, Sociology

Activity Duration
Two 45-minute class periods

Key Learning Objectives

Students will:
• describe how individuals affiliate with specific groups.
• explain the impacts of tribalism on individuals and society.
• analyze video and text for evidence of tribalism and associated behaviors and beliefs.
• evaluate the role that social media tools and tactics play in fueling tribalism.
• communicate with others to explore how tribal differences can be bridged.

Enduring Understandings
• Throughout history, tribalism – dividing people into “us vs. them” categories – has contributed to
fear and hate.
• Tribalism is fueled by competition and the desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
• Social media algorithms and campaigns fuel tribalism.
• We have a lot of control over the categories we use to define ourselves and these categories tend
to be flexible.

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Essential Questions
• Why do humans divide people into "us vs. them" categories?
• What psychological forces are at the root of tribalism?
• What tools and tactics are used to promote tribalism?
• Can we overcome an “us vs. them” mentality and, if so, how?

Materials
• Identity Chart Activity Sheet (one per student)
• Social Media & Tribalism Inquiry Project Activity Sheet (one per student)
• Tribalism & the Holocaust Activity Sheet (one per student, if doing Extend activity)
• Internet and computer access

Background Information/Links
Tribalism
A tribe is defined as “a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked
by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a
recognized leader.” When we hear the word tribe, we may think of Native Americans, but in modern
usage the term can also refer to people who share common ideas and allegiances. Tribalism is defined as
“behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one's own tribe or social group.” Tribalism has
societal and individual benefits as well as costs. In terms of benefits, tribalism gives us a sense of
belonging and trust. In our ancestral past, we needed communities we could utterly rely on in order to
survive. Group affiliation can bring cohesion to communities and inspire individuals to act on behalf of
others. Psychologically, humans find comfort and security from feeling that we are part of something
bigger than ourselves.

Tribalism can have very negative consequences when it is used to exclude individuals or groups or to
take away their rights, status, and/or independence. These negative aspects of tribalism are often fueled
by competition and the perception of a common threat. They promote fear, anxiety, and prejudice, all of
which make us more susceptible to fake news, propaganda, and conflict.

Tribalism can take many forms in our modern society. One prominent example of tribalism is individuals’
strong affiliations with sports teams. These affiliations are often built on regional identities and
promoted through the use of symbols. We frequently see deep bonding between fans of a particular
team who identify strongly with each other and against fans of opposing teams. Another example of
tribalism is political affiliation. The moral aspects of individuals’ political beliefs can make this form of

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tribalism even more powerful than in sports. We tend to believe that our group is acting out of love and
good intent while our political foes are acting out of hate and a desire to harm us. While political
tribalism has been evident throughout history, today we are witnessing increased polarization due to a
lack of trust and civil discourse across parties.

Today, social media makes it easier than ever for individuals to connect with other members of their
tribes and ignore or deny information that threatens their worldview. Social media algorithms are
designed to drive engagement and, as a result, prioritize content that touches on negative primal
emotions. These algorithms bypass institutions that were designed to manage our base tendencies
and urges.

The good news is that the negative aspects of tribalism are not irreversible. We actually have a great deal
of control over how we categorize different groups, and the categories tend to be quite flexible. One
historical example of this flexibility is the shifting of alliances among nations between World War I and
World War II. We also see examples of individuals, such as Frank Meeink, who have radically changed
their tribal affiliations. Meeink, a former neo-Nazi skinhead, now regularly gives lectures on the
importance of tolerance and stopping hate.

The Rohingya Refugee Crisis

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group of about 1.1 million people who have lived for centuries in
Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist country. They have been denied citizenship in their own country since 1982
and live in poverty.

In August of 2019, the Myanmar military, local police, and Buddhist community members began violently
driving Rohingya from their homes – destroying and looting villages, killing men, women, and children,
and raping women. The reason given for the violence was retaliation for a series of attacks the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) carried out on police outposts.

According to Rohingya refugees, there had been a buildup of religious persecution, in particular against
Muslim teachers, for several months before ARSA even carried out their attacks. The military then
directly ordered Rohingya people to leave the country, after they murdered their relatives and
destroyed their homes and businesses. One interviewee described watching his sons being shot in the
back as they ran.

Towards the end of 2017, USC Shoah Foundation Finci-Viterbi Executive Director Stephen Smith visited a
Bangladesh refugee camp to collect testimony from Rohingya refugees. “Many of the people I
interviewed describe being directly ordered by the military to leave the country, after family members

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were killed and homes destroyed,” Smith said. “They made clear to them that the Rohingya are not
citizens of Myanmar and have no right to be there.”

The United Nations has dubbed the Rohingya refugee crisis a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,”
which is defined as “the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group
in a society.”

Inquiry Learning
Inquiry learning is an approach in which students generate their own research questions and then use
primary and/or secondary sources to find answers to their questions. Before they begin their research,
students consider knowledge they already have and create a hypothesis about what they think the
answer to their question might be. They revisit their hypothesis as they work, revising it as needed as
they analyze additional information and deepen their understanding. Once they have completed their
research and synthesized their learning, they present their findings and reflect on what they’ve learned.
They also consider what they have left to learn about their inquiry topic.

In this activity, students will develop their own questions about the role that social media plays in fueling
tribalism. While conducting their inquiry, students should be encouraged to:
• keep their inquiry question and hypothesis in mind as they review and analyze information
• discuss their ideas with other students in their group or class to gain additional perspectives
• generate additional questions they have as they work and uncover new information
Sources:
• https://www.discovery.com/shows/why-we-hate
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561
• https://sfi.usc.edu/news/2018/08/22861-voices-rohingya

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Procedure
Ask
• Write the definition of a tribe on the board or a piece of flip chart paper (“a group of persons
having a common character, occupation, or interest”). Ask a student to read the definition aloud
and ensure that all students understand the definition. Call on volunteers to provide examples of
different types of tribes.
• Project a copy of the Identity Chart from the handout or draw a version of the chart on the board
or a piece of flip chart paper. Ask students to suggest famous people, historical figures, or literary
characters with whom they are familiar. Choose one you think will work well for the activity; then
work with the full class to complete the chart by identifying the different groups to which the
person belongs based on the definition of tribe.
• Conduct a discussion that bridges the definition of tribe with the list of groups posted for the
suggested individual. Then, have students brainstorm a list of tribal groups to which they belong
(e.g., they are in the same age group, attend the same school, are in a particular class or grade,
live in the same community and country, are members of the same species).
• Distribute the Identity Chart handout and direct students to complete it for themselves. If you
believe it will help make students feel safer and be more honest, indicate that they will not share
their charts.
• Next, introduce the definition of tribalism by posting it on the board or a piece of flip chart paper
(“the behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one's own tribe or social group”).
Explain that tribalism often leads people to identify with an in group (“us”) and against an out
group (“them”).
• Ask students to review their own charts and circle any groups that they believe fit this “us versus
them” paradigm. If desired, direct students to form pairs to share their charts. Note: Prior to this
step, you may wish to refer back to the model Identity Chart created by the whole group and
have students identify groups that fit this “us versus them” paradigm.
• Facilitate a whole class discussion in which you ask students to consider and discuss the benefits
and costs of tribal affiliation/loyalty to a group. Then, ask students to provide examples of times
when the societal costs of affiliation were greater than the benefits. Examples might include
violence at sporting events or the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville that culminated in
violence and a death.

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Analyze
• Introduce Part 1 of the video by explaining that tribalism can take many forms. Promote active
viewing by asking students to take note of the different forms of tribalism they witness in the
video, as well as the individual and societal costs and benefits of tribalism.
• Ask students to summarize the types of tribalism and the benefits and costs of tribalism by
creating short tweet-like messages (using 40 or fewer characters).
• Encourage students to share their tweets and, as needed, summarize the key takeaways
(examples of tribalism include sports teams; benefits include a sense of belonging while costs
include hatred and even violence).
• Work with the whole class to develop a list of factors that lead to tribalism, especially at their age.
• If time permits, to introduce students to role that social media plays in fueling tribalism, share
background information on the Rohingya genocide, and distribute the article A Genocide Incited
on Facebook, With Posts from Myanmar’s Military. (Students can access the article online or you
can distribute printed copies.) Have students read and discuss the article in small groups. Ask
whether students are surprised to learn that a social media site has been used in this way and
why or why not.
• Distribute the Inquiry Project handout and introduce the project: to investigate the role that
social media plays in fueling tribalism.

Apply
• Explain that students will learn more about tools and tactics that fuel tribalism by reviewing
secondary source materials.
• Organize students into small groups and assign one or more of the following sources to each
group:
o Flaws in the Algo: How Social Media Fuel Political Extremism
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/201802/flaws-in-the-algo-how-
social-media-fuel-political-extremism) — (synopsis of research study)
o How Everyday Social Media Users Become Real-World Extremists
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/world/asia/facebook-extremism.html) — (article)
o Social Media’s Re-engineering Effect, From Myanmar to Germany
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/technology/personaltech/social-media-effect-
myanmar-germany.html) — (article)
o The Psychology of Tribalism (http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/09/the-psychology-of-
tribalism.html) — (video)

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 • Encourage students to use the Inquiry Project handout to organize their ideas as they discuss
their source(s).
• Invite a representative from each group to report on whether they proved or disproved their
hypothesis and why.

Act
• Explain that, while tribalism can have individual and societal costs, our allegiance to particular
tribes can change and sometimes this change has individual and societal benefits.
• Introduce Part 2 of the video and promote active viewing by asking students to watch for what
led Frank Meeink to shift his tribal allegiances.
• Challenge the class to generate a list of the factors that led Meeink to become radicalized and
join the neo-Nazi skinhead movement. Then, generate a list of factors that led him to rethink his
views and change his personal narrative (Meeink changed his mind when confronted with
unexpected kindness; he now uses his experience to promote tolerance).
• Explain that students will create a bridge-building collage to work against hate and help build
connections in the school community.
• Assign each student a partner and ask each pair to answer the following questions in writing:
“What differences do we want to bridge in our school community? How can we accomplish
this goal?”
• Once they have written their answers, allow time for students to design cards that illustrate their
answers to the questions. Challenge the class to come up with a way to create an art project that
incorporates these illustrations. This can be a collage, a graffiti wall, a bulletin board, or a mural.
Give students ample time to create the art project.
• If possible, display the art project in the classroom or in a hallway in the school. Schedule a gallery
walk for students to view the collage and reflect on and/or respond to each other’s ideas.

Extend
• Explain that students will conduct an inquiry project to consider how the concept of tribalism can
be applied to the impact on Jewish people’s lives before and during the Holocaust.
• Assign students to small groups and distribute the Tribalism & the Holocaust handout. Explain
that each group will watch and discuss one of the following video segments containing
eyewitness testimonies from the Holocaust:
o USC Shoah Foundation Volume 01: Rise of Nazism and Racism

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 o USC Shoah Foundation Volume 02: Nazi Occupation and Persecution (1st Half: Leo
Berkenwald through Renee Scott)
o USC Shoah Foundation Volume 02: Nazi Occupation and Persecution (2nd Half: Sol
Messinger through Julia Lentini)
• Promote active viewing by encouraging students to use the handout to take notes while
they watch.
• After student groups have finished watching the video, ask them to share key takeaways. Then
invite a representative from each student group to share its findings.
• Ask students to comment on whether the concept and role of tribalism changed from the period
leading up to the war and the period during the war and Holocaust. Challenge students to
support their answers with specific details.
• Ask students to consider how the concept of tribalism during the Holocaust is similar to or
different from the examples of modern tribalism they learned about earlier in the lesson. Again,
challenge students to support their answers with specific examples.

Connections

Connection to
Connection to student lives Connection to the future
contemporary events

Students who are able to recognize Students can connect their As events around the world
tribalism and its individual and learning to contemporary unfold in the future, students
societal costs are better able to events through their can recognize the causes and
respond appropriately. In their research and will be able to effects of tribalism (e.g.,
personal lives, students can raise make more informed polarization in U.S. politics)
awareness about tribalism when and choices about how they and help to draw attention to
where they see it negatively categorize themselves and the examples and potential
impacting themselves and others. others. costs through their
discussions or actions.

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National Standards
College, Career, & Civic Life C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards
• D2.Civ.7.9-12 Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with other.
• D2.Civ.10.9-12 Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interest and
perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and
human rights.
• D2.Civ.14.9-12 Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of changing societies,
promoting the common good, and protecting rights.
• D2.His.1.9-12 Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique
circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the
significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
• D3.1.9-12. Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views
while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to
guide the selection.
• D4.6.9-12 Use disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses to understand the characteristics and
causes of local, regional, and global problems, instances of such problems in multiple contexts,
and challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address these problems over time
and place.
• D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global
problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy, identification, and complex causal reasoning.
Common Core State Standards/ELA Anchor Standards
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make
logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.9 Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in
order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based
on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

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• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations
and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own
clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that
listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

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 Identity Chart

Directions: Write the name of a famous person, historical figure, or literary character in the rectangle
below. In each of the ovals, write the name of a tribe (“a group of persons having a common character,
occupation, or interest”) to which that individual belongs.

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 Social Media & Tribalism Inquiry Project

Inquiry questions: What role does social media play in promoting tribalism?

Your working hypothesis:

While reading or viewing secondary source materials, make notes regarding:

• evidence that supports your hypothesis.
• evidence that disproves your hypothesis.
• details that describe how specific tools and tactics promote tribalism.
• any new questions or pertinent facts.

After reviewing source materials, answer these questions:

• What role does social media play in how you think about members of your own groups?
• What role does social media play in how you think about members of other groups?
• How might someone in the general public become aware of the role social media plays in
promoting tribalism?
• How can you help inform others about tools and tactics, including social media and its algorithms,
that fuel tribalism?
Be sure to answer any other questions you have listed in your notes.

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 Tribalism & the Holocaust

Directions: As you watch the video, take notes on how the Jewish survivors and/or their relatives
thought of themselves and the tribes to which they belonged and how others viewed and
categorized them.

How did the survivor How did others view/categorize

Survivor Name
view/categorize himself/herself? the survivor?

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