An attempt to reclaim dominance

When man was evolving in the wilderness of African savanna thousands of years ago, his tribe's survival depended on certain emotions he experienced in his relationship with other tribes: Fear, hatred, rage, jealousy, greed, hostility, etc., which manifested as aggression, conquest, destruction, genocide, robbery and theft.

As tribes learned to coexist with other tribes, taming of these primitive behaviors became essential to maintain peace in the evolving society. Wise tribal leaders declared man's primitive instincts as evils, which had no place in the civilized societies. Instead, they promoted moral values and noble virtues, as exemplified in Moses' Ten Commandments.

However, from time to time, when men of a certain tribe in a civilized society perceive real or imaginary threat to their dominance or existence, they choose leaders who encouraged them to freely express their base instincts in words and deeds to reclaim their dominance. The insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 is such an example. The truth is, the people who stormed the Capitol to overthrow the Republic merely formed the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

The detrimental social consequences of insecure tribesmen resorting to primitive behaviors to maintain their dominance are evident for all to see: Demagogic leaders promoting violence against "other tribes"; voter intimidation and suppression; rampant racism and discrimination; police brutality against Blacks; and xenophobia resulting in violence against Asian Americans. They are too ignorant to know that their regressive behaviors are akin to those, which primitive man displayed in the wilderness of African savanna.

K.P.S. KAMATH, Cape Girardeau