Community of sufferers
Sebastian Junger is the author of the best-sellers The Perfect Storm and War. A journalist, in Tribe he presents his views on the human condition, specifically in relation to post-traumatic stress in soldiers. He argues that what is missing from modern life is the communal values of the tribe.
Why should we give him credence? He has reported from war zones, he appears to have read widely on the psychology of war and he has talked with numbers of combat soldiers and veterans. But he has never been a combatant himself.
Junger begins his thesis with an account of the Native American wars in the United States. Western captives of the Native Americans were often reluctant to return from the ‘‘fundamental egalitarianism’’ of the less restricted native societies. They had risen to the simple ethos of loyalty and courage of Native American life.
He then projects this phenomenon on to modern society. Claiming that ‘‘there is little evidence of depression-based suicide in tribal societies’’, Junger points out our valuing of ‘‘extrinsic’’ factors such as beauty, wealth and status over the ‘‘intrinsic’’ ones like the need to feel competent, connected and authentic.
Drawing on his own experiences as a reporter from Sarajevo under siege, Junger asserts that, under assault, communities often find strength in a shared sense of purpose, like London in the Blitz.
Junger’s key belief is that we are ‘‘wired to help each other’’. Our ancestors were a ’’community of sufferers’’ and war itself is a form of camaraderie, an ‘‘extreme brotherhood. War, in his view, is transformative; it inspires ‘‘ancient human virtues of courage, loyalty and selflessness’’.
There are several problems with this view. Firstly, it is based on syllogistic logic. To claim that ‘‘if war were purely bad. . . it would probably not happen as often as it does’’, is simplistic and selfdefeating. To argue that war is not purely bad because it has good outcomes demeans the enormous costs of conflict. It also ignores the reality that many wars spring from extreme forms of tribalism.
Secondly, Junger’s experience of war is both vicarious and narrow. To generalise about all war from the Siege of Sarajevo and a little experience in Afghanistan is dangerous and misleading. Again, it ignores the reality that both of these conflicts began as tribalistic actions.
Thirdly, Junger disguises his personal plea as considered research. A 29-page bibliography after a 136-page argument suggests his desire is to impress with academic evidence, yet a close look reveals that much of his reading has been fragmentary.
Lastly, much of Junger’s evidence is in the form of slim anecdotes. Like Malcolm Gladwell, he treads the perilous path of generalising from a narrow base.
All this is rather sad, as Junger does make a genuine point. Our veterans do deserve better treatment, and we have lost a sense of community, but this is not the way to argue that.