Stock image of a palisade from Almay
In the old days, there was no confusion about what was meant. The Pale was the palisade of wooden stakes surrounding the village. The word, Pale, derives from the Latin word, Palus, which means, stake. In the case of a palisade, the stakes were tall and substantial.
The point of the Pale was to keep the outside out, and the inside in.
Beyond the Pale, means the same now as it always meant, except now it’s used as metaphor. Modern humans remain as concerned about whether your with us or agin us as their ancestors, though now less often a matter of life or death. The metaphorical stakes of the Pale still keep the outside out, and the inside in.
It’s a matter of belonging or not belonging. The question is important to many, though not to me. I’ve never thought of myself as belonging to any sort of group. I’ve never wanted to belong to any group. I barely understand why anyone would.
Yes, if you’re part of a tribe you can probably count on support from the rest of the tribe, but only if you limit yourself to what the tribe thinks proper. Any deviation will be beyond the Pale and will likely result in your being cast out from the tribe.
How suffocating. I prefer making my own decisions.
When I was a kid I avoided the other kids to wander the outskirts. There were always animal pals to wander with me. My animal pals never questioned my membership. There wasn’t any membership. There was no Pale. No rules. No demands - except one, mutual respect.
Animals demand personal respect. They don’t say so, but if you fail to respect their personal boundaries they will walk away and not return. Not many people are aware of this trait. They imagine animals only care about food. Not so. I don’t think I’ve ever met an animal that wasn’t serious about respect.
Human animals are the same. Human animals believe the palisade of belonging will protect them from foreign disrespect outside the Pale.
It doesn’t matter if it’s true. The belief is comforting. That’s why the enduring concern over inside or outside the Pale.
Respect matters more than belonging.