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Notes -
Good portrait. Now do a male normie red triber.
The red tribe has significantly more regional and religious- and sometimes ethnic- variation amongst itself than the blue tribe, although it partially makes up for it by having a bit less generational variation. For a young-ish male red tribe normie of nonspecific ethnic background and lackluster religiosity in Texas-
Listens to mostly music that plays on country radio, possibly including Taylor Swift if no one is around(I've seen coworkers hurriedly skip songs in their playlists to hide this). Probably has classic songs on his personal playlist- definitely some older country(think Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc) and probably some classic rock or maybe hip hop(think eminem, not gangster rap). Agrees with his elders that modern pop culture and media mostly pushes bad messages and that's deplorable, but probably thinks country music and maybe some science fiction is a partial exception. Probably doesn't read too many books, or catch the latest movie releases, but almost certainly plays video games at least casually.
Very proud that his job is useful and productive, and willing to explain exactly how. Is upset at people who do nothing useful yet command high salaries, like HR ladies. Probably thinks his boss is useful, earned his position, and deserves his salary, but thinks his boss's boss is an overpaid jackass who needs to get his nose out of a spreadsheet and deal with the real world. Biggest complaint about work is likely not getting paid enough.
Sharply negative opinion of 'wokeness'. Thinks it's utterly retarded at best and more likely to be evil. Thinks anti-white hatred is a threat and may or may not connect wokeness with communism. Definitely doesn't believe in straight or male privilege and possibly a little bit uncomfortable with homosexuality, definitely thinks trannies(and he calls them that) are mentally ill. Still, unless he's particularly religious, he probably isn't socially conservative enough for the religious right. He likely thinks both parties are extreme on abortion, that casual sex is morally wrong but that waiting for marriage is ridiculous, and the death penalty is an obvious right. Very pro gun rights.
Is a Christian- in decreasing order of likelihood, an Evangelical, a Catholic, "other Christian", Mormon, and mainline. Believes the bible is the truest thing ever written, and knows he should pay more attention to it, and probably feels guilty for not going to church every Sunday. But God is forgiving, he's pretty sure that's written in the bible somewhere.
Really likes it when he gets to interact with or supervise elementary school-age boys(about 6 to 11, for non-Americans), but might be a bit less sold on other kids. Being a volunteer coach, scoutmaster, etc, is something he'd happily do. Wants kids and expects to eventually make financial sacrifices for the possibility, is possibly frustrated by the modern dating market and probably a bit scared by today's divorce laws. Still, if he's got a good woman and he's in the situation to get married, you can't be scared of everything.
Expects his girlfriend's father to care a great deal about how much money he makes and not much about how reputable his job is, barring outliers like strip club manager or NFL quarterback. Is aware that buying that ring without her father's blessing is a serious faux pas. Expects to carry on a much more socially conservative lifestyle in practice after he gets married, and finds it suspect to seriously date a woman you're unwilling to marry if she gets pregnant.
Believes sports are important, even if he doesn't participate in any(and that might be obvious from his physique). Follows football but probably is only peripherally aware of basketball and says baseball has 'too many games'. Definitely fishes, might go golfing, possibly thinks he should get into soccer but he doesn't. He thinks hunting is cool but doesn't go unless someone invites him. Owns a gun either way, and thinks responsible citizens(like himself) should have wide latitude to carry concealed and use guns in self defense.
Strongly supports the police and military even if he hasn't personally served. Won't hesitate to recommend enlistment to a young man who seems a bit lost in life.
Is very upset about inflation and the cost of housing, for which he mostly blames democrats. Is not vaccinated and opinions of the covid response run along the spectrum from 'hysterical, neurotic, and possibly psychotic in the clinical sense' to 'actually evil'. Strong supporter of Gov. Abbott's border behavior and wishes he'd confront the federal government like that to build nuclear power plants. Might question universal suffrage after a drink or two, but isn't quite sure how the franchise should be restricted. Supports a retirement age for politicians.
Doesn't approve of Trump's personal behavior, but doesn't think he's done anything that would be illegal if normal people did it. Might think some of the January 6 prisoners are being prosecuted unfairly, but probably not all of them. Is aware that democracy is decaying and firmly blames democrats and particularly Trump derangement syndrome; his elders talk about communism and socialism, and he's aware those are bad things, but it looks more like social and environmental than economic lunacy that's an actual threat to him. Thinks immigration is excessive but that deporting millions of people is a pie-in-the-sky exercise; admires the first gen illegals for their work ethic but thinks their children are great arguments against birthright citizenship. Is not a race realist or a white nationalist, but probably thinks it's better to be white than anything else, and doesn't even try to reconcile the two beliefs.
Knows there's just no fixing some people, but doesn't like tying it to a specific quality like intelligence or conscientiousness. Knows those people are disproportionately likely to be black, but thinks everyone should have the chance to be judged individually, on their merits. Has a very low opinion of black culture. Tells jokes about all the different kinds of people, but only to those he knows well. Might still be prejudiced against new englanders. If he doesn't agree with you he'll tell you to your face, and expects people to get to the point if they have something to say.
Talks to his dad regularly and consults with him for advice. Might travel or do activities with his dad and wouldn't find it an insult to be compared to him. The same might go for grandpa. Definitely does not think using parental resources is wrong, as long as he's not a burden, but he'd think there's something wrong with a man who lives with his parents well into adulthood(a woman, probably not).
Looks down his nose at 'woo-woo crap', but himself willing to listen to alternate medicine and a wide variety of conspiracy theories. Might go on oddball diets, but cheats on them. Expects women to be doing this perpetually.
I agree with most of this, but statistics get in the way of the not-vaccinated: better than 80% of American adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. A large number of the remainder aren't doing so for red tribe political reasons, ranging from "woo woo crap" (my old yoga teacher Fawn), to simple irresponsibility and failure to schedule it. If the entire Red Tribe didn't get vaccinated, it's way smaller than I think.
Rather, a huge number of Red Tribe Americans, got the vaccine initially, and vaguely regret it.
Indeed, I think regret is a good way to identify tribal affiliation in general. What one regrets not doing, and what one is proud of and billboards having done, is a good dividing line.
Red Tribers who served in the military never shut the fuck up about it. See eg, our dear departed Hlynka, subject to the joke from multiple users: "How do you know Hlynka served in the military? Don't worry, he'll tell you." Red Tribers who didn't serve in the military vaguely regret that they didn't, consider it a hole in their life story, and as a result would find that joke vaguely offensive. Blue Tribe PMC who served in the military only mention it if sat down and quizzed about their life story, and skate over it. Blue Tribe normies who didn't serve in the military are just kinda uncomfortable when anyone talks about it, in the same way that one is uncomfortable when somebody voices political or religious opinions that you disagree with.
Red Tribers who hunt never shut the fuck up about it, they build their whole year around hunting for months. Red Tribers who don't hunt vaguely wish they did, and think killing one's own meat is a good thing even if they never get around to it. Blue Tribers who hunt just treat it as a vacation, go somewhere for a week, and eat venison. They never mention it, for fear of getting PETA'd in their friend group.
Living in the same suburban subdivision, Red Tribers will regret not living further out in the country, and claim that the suburb they live in is a "real American small town" or cosplay that their 1.5 acre plot is their "land" like they live in the country. Blue Tribe neighbors across the street will pretend they live in the city, emphasizing that it's only an hour (and a half) to [city] where there's good theater or whatever, and we go there ALL THE TIME it's practically like we live in the city, or that it's getting more diverse, or that there's a lot of great ethnic restaurants if you really look, or...
Red Tribers drive, or wish they drove, a pickup truck. If they drive a Crew Cab 1500, or worse a compact like a Maverick or a Ridgeline, they wish it was a 2500 and make it up to look like one. If they don't drive a pickup, they tart up their SUV to pretend it is a truck. See eg my buddy that bought a Ford Escape and instantly went out and bought a Harbor Freight winch for it, "in case I need to pull people out of a ditch in the winter, I just think if your truck can have a winch it should have a winch..." A Blue Triber who drives that same SUV will pretend it's just the most practical efficient car for them, but they vaguely wish it wasn't so inefficient. A Blue Triber driving a Crew Cab Pickup will constantly try to justify it with vague allusions to outdoor hobbies.
On the same vacation to a resort in Mexico, a blue triber will trip over himself to talk about how authentic it was and the culture and how much he learned and how much he interacted with the natives (waiters). A red triber will talk about how nice the place was and how he drank a lot and it was great because the waiters would bring you tons of drinks right to the pool. Nevertheless, the red triber is more likely to actually have made friends with the staff.
I was writing that description for, specifically, a younger crowd, because that seemed like what the normie blue tribe description was aiming at. And IME for male red tribers likelihood of getting the Covid vaccine is straightforwardly correlated with age(although keeping up with boosters is just not a red tribe thing- or seemingly a mainstream blue thing).
I do think you’re understating the differences in behavior a bit. Hlynka did marry the girl he knocked up; most motteizeans would have settled for uneven custody and child support payments. Suburban subdivisions generally do literally get more red the farther out you go, functionally every white person in a church on an average Sunday is red tribe, and the core red tribe has a substantial fertility advantage.
This might be the geographical variation you referred to, or it might be a difference in definition or emphasis on the tribal concept.
In my mind, the Blue Tribe/Red Tribe split is meant to encompass the vast majority of white Americans (non-Whites have different dynamics, though may be in alliance with Red/Blue whites in different cases). Of course there are geographies and professions where one side has a vast preponderance and the other is rare as hen's teeth. But a huge percentage of the white American population lives in between, neither in Manhattan nor the Yellowstone ranch, in suburbs and small cities. Their attitude toward that liminal location, whether they want it to be more like Manhattan or more like Yellowstone, tells you more about the attitudes of tribesmen than their actions, which are mostly pretty similar. The core red triber isn't a quiverfull oilfield welder who goes to church every Sunday, and the core Blue Triber doesn't have a masters in Gender Studies they use at their email job. Those are extremes, the tiny outer percentages of the population. Rather, distinguishing Red/Blue is about how two sets of suburban parents conceptualize how to teach morality to their 2.5 kids, how they go about lying to their parents about whether they're going to church every Sunday, etc.
This might be geographically personal. I live at the rural exurb edge of the I-95 megalopolis, the last highway exit on the East Coast. Drive west from my house for ten minutes and you see nothing but farms, red tribe country, until you hit Pittsburgh. Drive east or south from my house and in two to three hours you can be in the middle of any of four major cities. I live in that liminal space, where every house on the block might vote differently, and I conceptualize its importance. The keystone, the swing vote, the tipping point. Lose the suburbs, electorally and culturally, and Red Tribe is dead. Win them, and as Hunter S. Thompson said about the 60s, the great wave from the coast will break and roll back from that high water mark.
I think the main division in the red tribe is degree of religiosity(committed versus casual Christian) and then region(southern versus midwestern versus southwestern versus west) and geography(suburban/exurban versus actually rural). My description was pretty southern casual-religious suburban. Midwesterners are probably just a little different.
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The last exit on I-95 is in Houlton Maine. It is wayyyyy more than 2 hours to Boston. But if you want to drink half frozen Molson beer while ice fishing, there is no better place to be.
Sorry, wasn't clear there, I'm the last Exit going West once you exit 95 not the last exit on I95 itself.
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