All tribalism isn’t dark skinned, Doc. Democrats, for instance, tend to be very tribal in their behavior. You wouldn’t happen to be a Democrat, would you? (I can imagine you doing that donkey dance.)

But in response to Carolyn, I think the tribal behavior you see in SC is more an economically create condition than a societal one. And it’s not true tribalism, but a temporary arrangement, from which many of those you are thinking of are looking for a way to escape – to become “citizens” so to speak.

Growing up in Southern California, I’ve often wondered if there were a sociological link to the tribal mentality of the gangs who claim ordinary neighborhoods as territory. The more I read your posts about tribalism, the more I understand the cultural complexities we face today. Tribalism is alive and well in the communities of America, where intellectual curiosity is stifled by generations of chip-shouldered elders who propagate hatred for those who dissent. Is it even possible to reset the default from the tribal mind to the citizen mind?

Studies of human behavior reveal that the actions we undertake as individuals are closely related to survival, more importantly, survival on our own terms. Naturally, such a notion implies that we should be able to act relatively free or independent of any debilitating external influences—otherwise that very survival might be in jeopardy. In viewing the instinct for survival in this manner we imply that a basic aim or goal, as individuals, is to improve our capacity for independent action. The degree to which we cooperate, or compete, with others is driven by the need to satisfy this basic goal. If we believe that it is not possible to satisfy it alone, without help from others, history shows us that we will agree to constraints upon our independent action—in order to collectively pool skills and talents in the form of nations, corporations, labor unions, mafias, etc.—so that obstacles standing in the way of the basic goal can either be removed or overcome. On the other hand, if the group cannot or does not attempt to overcome obstacles deemed important to many (or possibly any) of its individual members, the group must risk losing these alienated members. Under these circumstances, the alienated members may dissolve their relationship and remain independent, form a group of their own, or join another collective body in order to improve their capacity for independent action.

http://www.chetrichards.com/modern_business_strategy/boyd/destruction/destruction_and_creation.htm