Very good point. As racism is a sub-set of Tribalism, Tribalism might be a sub-set of Materialism (or maybe just plain "selfishness"). I will have to think more about this.

Regardless, we need to make a conscious effort to overcome whatever underlying instinct.

I have encountered thinkers who recognize the failings of western democracy. They seem to believe that an oligarchy might be better. In the short term, maybe. But history shows that bad emperors often follow good emperors. So not much was accomplished in the long term.

The big problem I see is that democratic governance is also a big creator of values in individuals. Citizens take some of their cues from what is happening in the legislatures. For example, a politician who is caught cheating on his taxes entices a carpenter to hide some of his income.

What we need is a system of governance that consistently puts people of good character and capacity into positions of governance. That will help shape our value systems. As the value systems of individuals improves, so too will governance.

Yes, we need people to be less materialistic. But how do we move from HERE to THERE when too many of our politicians are on front pages being exactly the opposite of where we should be?

Democracy is still needed to take humanity to the next level. But our current democracy--from the 19th century--is not capable of this advancement.