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machka_llesan's review
2.0
When I began Tribe, I was captivated. This book begins very well and takes us on a journey of how and why human societies work together to thrive. He criticizes Western societies for their toxic individualism and shows how communal societies fare much better in terms of mental health. However, about 2/3 of the way in, I began to get very jaded with Junger's takes. While he certainly makes very interesting and undeniable claims about how trauma bonds people, he misses the mark on a few things.
First, Junger romanticizes the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Surely kibbutz life and universal conscription has done great things for their population's mental health, but he ignores that Israel is waging a war of aggression that is devastating Palestinian society.
Second, Junger references "No War for Oil" bumper stickers and calls the people using them hypocrites since they are using gas-powered vehicles. While he is correct in a literal sense, he completely ignores that the United States was built around cars and that the drivers may have no choice but to drive.
Third, Junger suggests that American society should just "ignore race and class differences" like soldiers do in their platoons. "We need to focus on our shared humanity rather than our differences." This is good in theory, but also does nothing to actually eliminate structural inequalities.
Fourth, and perhaps most baffling, Junger spends the entirety of his book denouncing greed and free-loading, but stops short of bringing up capitalism at all. He chastises the public for being disconnected from the realities of manual labor jobs, leading them to act selfishly, including not paying laborers enough. He also loathes how those responsible for the social ills that followed the 2008-2009 financial crisis were never punished despite how socially disruptive (and deadly for some) their actions were. He blatantly misses the point that toxic individualism and greed are intimately tied to capitalism (as is racism).
Overall, it seems Junger has done some really great synthesis of existing and his own primary research, but falls short of applying it to the society in which we live.
First, Junger romanticizes the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Surely kibbutz life and universal conscription has done great things for their population's mental health, but he ignores that Israel is waging a war of aggression that is devastating Palestinian society.
Second, Junger references "No War for Oil" bumper stickers and calls the people using them hypocrites since they are using gas-powered vehicles. While he is correct in a literal sense, he completely ignores that the United States was built around cars and that the drivers may have no choice but to drive.
Third, Junger suggests that American society should just "ignore race and class differences" like soldiers do in their platoons. "We need to focus on our shared humanity rather than our differences." This is good in theory, but also does nothing to actually eliminate structural inequalities.
Fourth, and perhaps most baffling, Junger spends the entirety of his book denouncing greed and free-loading, but stops short of bringing up capitalism at all. He chastises the public for being disconnected from the realities of manual labor jobs, leading them to act selfishly, including not paying laborers enough. He also loathes how those responsible for the social ills that followed the 2008-2009 financial crisis were never punished despite how socially disruptive (and deadly for some) their actions were. He blatantly misses the point that toxic individualism and greed are intimately tied to capitalism (as is racism).
Overall, it seems Junger has done some really great synthesis of existing and his own primary research, but falls short of applying it to the society in which we live.
cylz's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Very quick read with lots of super interesting insights. Readers might enjoy Rutger Bregman's Humankind: A Hopeful History for some similar themes.
I had a bit of an issue with the author's gendering of male and female emotions and attributing them to sex. There are of course some traits and behaviors humans experience that are generally biologically related to sex, but he associates many traits to men and women, later saying that if there are no men or women present in a situation then the role can swap. He specifically says at one point that these traits or behaviors are more related to gender than sex, but that makes me wonder why gender them then? If the person expressing them can alternate depending on the context, it follows (in my mind) that they are societally gendered rather than biologically assigned.
There was nothing ill intentioned about this, though, and I was able to look past it and still take away lessons from it.
The author is very fair and seems well researched across the board. I learned a lot about Native Americans (he calls them American Indians and explains why at the top of the book), and a lot about the psychological impacts of war and returning to society. The book is accessible and insightful. Definitely recommend.
I had a bit of an issue with the author's gendering of male and female emotions and attributing them to sex. There are of course some traits and behaviors humans experience that are generally biologically related to sex, but he associates many traits to men and women, later saying that if there are no men or women present in a situation then the role can swap. He specifically says at one point that these traits or behaviors are more related to gender than sex, but that makes me wonder why gender them then? If the person expressing them can alternate depending on the context, it follows (in my mind) that they are societally gendered rather than biologically assigned.
There was nothing ill intentioned about this, though, and I was able to look past it and still take away lessons from it.
The author is very fair and seems well researched across the board. I learned a lot about Native Americans (he calls them American Indians and explains why at the top of the book), and a lot about the psychological impacts of war and returning to society. The book is accessible and insightful. Definitely recommend.
dreiac's review against another edition
4.0
An insightful book about the colossal psychological and emotional effects between wholesome communities and modern society.
jmacl42's review
3.0
It had some really interesting parts and cool stories. The insights into human cooperation and our sense of belonging to groups really were good. I just felt it focused on war a lot and didn’t leave me with an overwhelming awe about the subject that I was hoping to feel. It’s good but not great.
kgsvamp's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting to see the psychological and societal implications of our innate need for belonging and community and how depression, loneliness and alienation, stem from our departure from the close-knit bonds of traditional tribal societies.