The mainstream news has been busy reporting about how, in South America, a tribe of people described as “uncontacted” by modern civilization has been discovered. In almost the same breath as this tribe is described as “uncontacted”, we’re told that illegal logging is rife in the area. Surely the people in the tribe have come into contact with loggers, so perhaps “uncontacted” means that no governmental official or anthropologists has talked to the people.
The big news media has failed to report, however, that large groups of uncontacted people live right within the United States of America. Although these people live in a democratic nation, they have never registered to vote, remaining out of contact with what’s going on in their local, state and national governments. These Americans remain primitively unaware of relevant political issues of the day, and have never picked up a newspaper or read a political web page. Although they move among modern American citizens who participate in their communities, these people only understand the presidential candidates in terms of personality, being unable to comprehend legislative records or policy positions.
The culture of these politically uncontacted tribes of people living in the United States have a bizarre culture in which television shows such as Dancing With The Stars are regarded as primary sources of news. Tribal warriors frequently are heard ranting about speaking only the English language, spreading strange folktales about Spanish-speaking outsiders, but these folktales do not use standard English grammar and linguistic structures of logic.
Members of these uncontacted tribes have been photographed aiming their television remote controls up at aircraft, demonstrating a kind of technologically animist belief that all objects, including airplanes, contain a TV set somewhere deep within them.
I think it is more likely that these uncontacted tribes are just ordinary people who walked away from civilization, because it did not suit them, maybe second and third generation. This happens in this country all the time–even within our own cities, ignorance, and isolation, is bliss. Your point is right on the money.