I see these talks about how people on Iran’s national TV represent the fact that the government keeps them in constant check to align with its policies.

But then I realize this is true of everything else, too.

Those of us who don’t align with such systems must also check if someone isn’t part of the government’s apparatus. In doing so, we mirror the same dynamics—trapped in a loop of suspicion and validation.

When I examined this through the lens of externalities, it became obvious: their behavior is universal.

Take the United States, for example. People there constantly perform allegiance to the Democratic Party (and I assume the same applies to Republicans or other factions). When I was an active free software advocate, everyone in that space loudly pledged loyalty to the “party” of open-source ideals and figures like RMS.

These days, my own allegiance—in my tools-for-thought world—shifts toward pioneers like Douglas Engelbart and Maestro Kay ✦.

So here’s my conclusion: as social animals, wired to herd and cluster, we need to express “religions”—whether ideologies, groups, nations, or tribes—to signal belonging. It’s a trust mechanism. I don’t think this has to disappear, nor is it inherently toxic.

But then societies—and our politics—become a hall of mirrors. We’re forced to judge others for taking sides, for wearing their allegiances. Whether that’s right or wrong? I don’t know. But it is.