Toxic tribalism and Kate’s cancer message
Reaction to Kate’s cancer message is a reminder of how tribal everything has become.
The Princess of Wales announced this week she has completed her chemotherapy and is now focused on remaining cancer-free.
What followed was a largely positive response to her three-minute video message, which featured clips of her spending time outdoors with her children and husband.
Many people were moved by her words. I myself shed a few tears. I cannot imagine what it must be like to battle cancer while trying to support three children through it all and do so under the glare of the media.
Then I noticed some different reactions popping up on my social media feeds. There were the jokes, which always crop up no matter the sensitivity of the subject matter. Some people shared the video with the Succession theme tune dubbed over it.
But it was the other reactions that got me thinking, and it’s something that crops up in my mind time and time again, as someone who is extremely online.
People didn’t like how polished the video was, they said it felt too much like PR spin or a movie trailer. Other people said it wasn’t an accurate visual representation of living with cancer, it was too pretty.
There were people who stated the interactions between William and Catherine were not genuine and repeated unfounded claims regarding the state of their marriage.
Some even continued to question her cancer diagnosis.
Many of the accounts sharing these sentiments were US based. When I glanced at the history and bios of several, I found most were fan accounts for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with large followings.
This reminded me, yet again, of the tribalism in so many aspects of our lives, from politics to the royal family.
Even though the subject matter of the video was serious - a mother announcing she has ended treatment for a serious disease after nine difficult months - people had to step up to defend their tribe.
While for one person, watching Kate’s deeply personal message inspired sympathy, for a person who sees Catherine as a “rival” to their tribe’s hero, it inspires contempt.
And it works the other way too whenever the Sussexes do or say something publicly.
Valid criticism based on truth is one thing. We all, of course, have the right to an opinion.
But rather than a discussion, online forums feel like a rage-filled battleground of warring views and doubling down on a position, regardless of any new information and facts.
This becomes more of a problem for us all when it comes to politics.
People are focused on defending reputations, rather than defending the truth. And no one ever wants to change their mind.
This tribalism means the daily news agenda feels like an endless cycle of Rorschach tests. The same basic information is there, but it can be twisted to suit the narrative of the particular media outlet, politician or influencer sharing it. Readers either stick with the echo chamber that suits their opinions, or angrily step in to denounce any information that might be at odds with their belief system.
The only facts that matter are the ones that align with their own view of the world. We can’t even agree on a set of shared facts, and being wrong is not an option.
Every single day we see people angrily defending their position that so obviously is not supported by the known facts, just what they believe to be true.
Tribalism is nothing new, but it feels like social media has sent the outrage machine into overdrive.
The result of this is deeper divisions and more toxicity in our politics, which sometimes spills over into violence in the real world.
In the case of Kate’s cancer battle, it has led to the most horrendous misinformation and abuse being shared online.
Being wedded to one tribe leaves little room for complexity, nuance and compassion.
Well said. The topic of the royal family is a polarizing one, and the commentary space has slowly shifted in the direction of Team A vs Team B and team A copying Team B etc etc. Essentially, hot takes for engagement. I also can’t blame these commentators, the content creator space is tough to make a living out of and the market for writing jobs is frankly awful. I’ve touched on it before on another platform, but I can’t talk about William and Kate without getting hate from team Sussex, and I can’t talk about Harry and Meghan without getting hate from team Wales. It’s a tough spot to be in, you’re either 50% hated or 50% loved. But I agree, this all-or-nothing mentality often blurs the truth. I think that’s the difference in commentators who see the royal family as a fandom vs a real institution/real people able to be criticized when necessary.