Tribalism’s War on Truth: Reclaiming Clarity
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, online groups falsely claimed hospitals were murdering patients by withholding treatments like ivermectin, convincing some families to attempt removing critically ill loved ones from ICUs. Photo by The New York Times
The Integrity Project
In September 2021, anti-vaccine groups on social media, including X, falsely claimed hospitals were murdering COVID-19 patients by withholding treatments like ivermectin, convincing some families to attempt removing critically ill loved ones from ICUs. This was tribalism at work: united by a shared distrust of medical institutions, these tribes prioritized their group’s narrative over scientific evidence, framing doctors as enemies and inciting actions that risked lives and strained hospitals.
In his June 2025 Time magazine essay, Dr. Rami Kaminski argues that tribalism, often mistaken for human nature, is a cultural construct, conditioned from childhood to prioritize group loyalty over truth. This obsession with communality, he warns, exacts a steep price: the erosion of shared reality. At The Integrity Project, we witness this daily, as tribal allegiances amplify disinformation, fracture civic trust, and threaten democracy’s foundations. Kaminski’s work with The Otherness Institute offers hope. His concept of “otroverts”—individuals who resist tribal conformity—points to an emphasis on the need for independent thinking as a possible antidote. By unlearning tribalism’s hold, we can rebuild a public square where truth, not tribe, prevails.
How Tribalism Fuels Disinformation
Kaminski’s insight that tribalism is learned—not innate—helps explain why disinformation spreads so rapidly. From childhood, society rewards communality: sharing earns smiles, dissent draws frowns. By adolescence, group loyalty feels natural, creating “us vs. them” divides. Kaminski notes how this conditioning makes nonconformity seem pathological, trapping us in tribal mindsets. On X, hashtags like #StopTheSteal or #DefundThePolice become tribal rallying cries, spreading disinformation that cements group identity.
Our work at The Integrity Project reveals how digital platforms, influencers, and the impacts of concentrated media ownership have deepened existing social divides. Actors motivated by political agendas or profit amplify falsehoods within insular groups where allegiance often outweighs factual accuracy. These behaviors and attitudes, nurtured by tribal messaging, demonstrate how disinformation can make extreme ideas seem commonplace. They also provide insight into how false information can spread rapidly even in the face of facts and evidence presented to the contrary. Kaminski’s insight that tribalism is learned helps explain why individuals prioritize group identity over objective truth, fracturing the space for honest public discourse and putting democratic stability at risk.
The Cost to Truth and Democracy
Tribalism’s high price, as Kaminski argues, is truth itself. By prioritizing communality over individuality, society pressures us to conform, even when facts contradict tribal narratives. His insight that nonconformity is stigmatized helps explain why people cling to disinformation—from vaccine myths to election conspiracies. This is not merely personal failure but a systemic crisis.
The stakes could not be higher. Recent events show us how tribal loyalties pave the way for policies previously seen as unacceptable, eroding constitutional safeguards. When allegiance to a tribe supersedes commitment to truth, the foundational arena where citizens exchange ideas in good faith crumbles. Kaminski’s analysis of tribalism’s cultural underpinnings highlights this danger: elevating group identity above evidence threatens the very survival of democratic governance. In such an environment, unchecked power and division thrive.
Otroverts and the Power of Independent Thinking
A potential hope may lie in an unexpected place. Through Kaminski's study of "otherness"—the ability to resist group conformity and think for one's self—we see a group naturally resistant to the forces that Kaminski critiques in Time. Otroverts—a term he coined to describe those who are by their very nature inherently unable to "belong"—prioritize individuality and evidence over group loyalty or groupthink, embodying the yin to tribalism's yang. In a world where tribalism fuels disinformation, they model a different path forward: unlearning communality’s grip through independent thinking.
One need not be an Otrovert to embody these principles. Simple acts—verifying news, following diverse accounts, challenging viral claims—break through tribal echo chambers. Kaminski’s work reminds us that nonconformity isn’t disloyalty; it’s clarity. Our work, and the work of other aligned organizations, emphasizes the need to educate communities, to empower this clarity, fostering a truth-based public square. By valuing evidence and individual thought over tribe, we can counter civic manipulation and rebuild trust. Independent thinking is not just a personal choice—it’s necessary for a functioning society to ensure that facts and accurate information guides our everyday lives.
Reclaiming Our Common Tribe
Tribalism’s war on truth, as Kaminski warns, threatens the soul of democracy. But his insight that it’s learned offers hope: we can unlearn it. The Otherness Institute’s Otroverts may light the way, showing that independent thinking can triumph over tribal loyalty. At The Integrity Project, we’re fighting the proverbial “good fight” by exposing disinformation’s roots and championing civic integrity. Readers can join us—check a source, question a narrative, think for themselves. This is not just agency; it’s a true celebration of and respect for community through the shared recognition that “human being” is the tribe that matters most.
READ ‘THE HIGH PRICE WE PAY FOR TRIBALISM’ IN TIME MAGAZINE
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