proffemi:


What are you talking about?

As I have pointed out, our ability to suppress our first impulse and bring our emotions under control makes us superior to other animals. Overt tribalism can, and should be curbed.

You say tribalism expresses itself in football hooliganism. Very good. Then you probably know that the tribalism of the Ultras of Russian or Italian clubs is a different animal from that of, say, Swiss national team supporters. In other words, tribalism may be a basic instinct, but it can, and often is controlled in normal people. Your apparent thesis that unbridled tribalism is universal holds no water whatsoever.

It certainly doesn't with me. You imply that my earlier opening reveals my tribalism. That accusation can not hold up to the scrutiny of any intelligent mind. I clearly presented my methodology, and thereafter presented my conclusion based on data obtained therefrom. And mind, you, a quick scroll through my post history should show you that this is not a data acquisition process that started yesterday. Arising from that, you can accuse me of using a flawed methodology (as someone did). This would be admissible; this methodology will generate subjective data (I only acquired data from threads I visit, and would display bias in the type of thread I visit). Indeed, this might explain why failed to visit the Onitsha flooding thread. The methodology can be improved (that is how research works), but the existing data supports the conclusion 100%. To read through all that and accuse me of tribalism is to reveal you as a shallow thinker.


And then what? Purge yourself, but allow the world around you rip itself asunder? Let me remind you then that "all that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".



You fault my position, but then propose this stupid philosophy? Really? This is relationalism at its worst. We should ignore rabid tribalism just because religious fundamentalism is worse? Do you think the millions killed in Rwanda died happy knowing it was tribal bigots, not religious fundamentalists who killed them? If you think "a few uncouth comments" don't eventually lead to hatred and broken heads, then you must be a child.


If this is your idea of wisdom, then please leave me to tilt at my windmills in peace.

If you want to create your own positions and argue against those then I don’t think you need to quote me to do so. I never advocated for “unbridled tribalism”. I merely mentioned that tribalism was universal. That should be obvious. People tend to organize themselves into groups. Some scholars even point to an evolutionary basis for this. The fact that we are arguing on Nairaland and not Ghanaweb or something illustrates this.

I didn’t make a value judgement about tribalism but merely suggested that speech was better than violence. I certainly didn’t say anything about religious fundamentalism. I don’t even know where you got that from.

I only suggested that you become conscious of your own biases so that you can have the mental clarity to solve the world’s ills.

proffemi:


The sentiment espoused up there is a deadly one, and demonstrably incorrect.

hope you have seen the threat of one of your tribe guy named ajibola he wished igbos were exterminated during the war and he clearly stated that plans for it are on the way.

Like Dr. Clarke said ‘History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be.’

Mr. OP, you’ll need to do an assessment of the root cause(s) of this hatred and pin point its timeline to know if it began today or generations before in order to find ways towards stemming it.

Either people agree or not, this dislike between Yoruba is not competition has people have wrongly said. This dislike began with the question of Lagos prior to the constitutional conferences of the 50s.

Arguably, scholars have put the migration of Ibos to Lagos at late 19th to early 20th century, beginning with the Osus. They settled and prospered and well, wanted Lagos.

This reflected in their stand in the constitutional conferences when Azikiwe, leading the Ibo thought, pursued the excision of Lagos from Yoruba & went as far as soliciting support of the North who hitherto didn’t want to be bothered using the threat of being cut from the sea/port if Lagos Island, a Yoruba town/settlement, was included in Yoruba’s western region. Awolowo threatened to secede from the Naija union & the colonialists somehow managed the conflict.

This was the starting point of the Ibo/Yoruba problem. The Yoruba who had previously been indfferent about ethnicity in politics became awokened to the threat of ‘invasion’ into their local politics and broke out of NCNC which was a Yoruba party but had become dominated by Ibos after McCaulay passed.

The above gave birth to the ‘nationalism’ of the Yoruba in the economic, social & political within their spatial scope. For instance, Azikiwe’s hustle for Lagos made Yoruba protest against Ibo’s VCship in the institutions across Western Region.

Sadly, this ‘dislike’ & suspicion was further amplified with another Ibo reach for Lagos with the Ore invasion during Biafra war. This broke all limits that held Yoruba back & they became fully aware, at least according to them, that the Ibos wanted Lagos.

In essence, the question of Lagos is the focal point of this problem and it has now escalated beyond it. From the early days of Nairaland till this moment, Lagos has continued to be at center of faceoff between both groups. The Ibos have gone as far. And you also need to note that this hatred did not begin with Nairaland or internet, rather, NL & internet only provided a cover for both groups to hurl stereotypes & slurs at one another - what they had hitherto said among themselves and rarely said to one another.

oohlife:
hope you have seen the threat of one of your tribe guy named ajibola he wished igbos were exterminated during the war and he clearly stated that plans for it are on the way.

Yes, I have seen it, and I condemned it. What does that prove? That all Yorubas harbor the same sentiments?? Or are you surprised that one man can be found who has such deep hatred of Igbos? Multiple utterances by Kanu veered equally deeply into provocative territory, and yet, I never mentioned that during our exchange. Do you know why? It's because there is no proof that those utterances represent the view of most Igbos.

In other words, there's nothing to see here.