To me, the war on nationalism is the war on democracy in that it's the war on the entitlement to everyone's stake in their nation-state.
This is why I'm against open door immigration. The new owner is being given a stake in a nation built by my family and ancestors and expected to be passed on to my heirs. They assume all the assets and liabilities of the state and the public goods and are able to collectivise and elect a leader that represents their interests. That's why in London we now have Sadiq Khan and it's unlikely he'll leave unless he's replaced by another Muslim. But pressed on the issues and metrics of a successful society there are few that would argue he's a successful Mayor.
But more than this there's an obvious ploy to atomise Western societies to an individual level and impose a universal and unquestionable morality. Proponents often try to claim that all societies are bound by the Golden Rule, but even that is stretched to its limits so they just call you a racist if you point out the obvious differences. Only the West's colonial history (not the Mongols or the Turks for example) is seen as bad and worthy of perpetual guilt.
In doing so we've completely lost faith in the basis of capitalism which was the West's finest export (it seems to me to be the only basis for the hegemony of our financial system, for example). There used to be a lively debate between the works of Max Weber and Karl Marx over the correct philosophy of history. Weber argued that while the different societies of the world share some superficial similarities, they are fundamentally different in their values and belief systems. Reading the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism today we can see how much our current society has lost its belief in it. Marx's argument was Historical Materialism, which even though it was tried by animals from Mao to Stalin, looks like it's still the prevailing philosophy because we won't stand up for what made our system work.
It's just a shame that it's so easy for our modern globalist media to discount any discussion on the basis that it comes from a place of bigotry rather than principle.
btw totally irrelevant to THIS thread but in reference to your (paid) thread on conspiracy theories, just wanted to quickly mention the Trent Affair, which has pretty much been forgotten. Basically, in 1861, the USA came within a whisker of starting a third war with Britain that, oddly, neither nation really wanted. Hence all the navel gazing and wondering (in Britain) how it came to be that they were supporting the Confederacy as opposed to the Union. THAT'S ALL, no nuggets of wisdom or advice :)
There is no requirement for hating others in being a nationalist or a patriot.
The whole semantic ballet regarding nationalism is racist towards white people and cultures, as it is only our nationalism and ethnocentrism that is being called into question.
No one liberal ever denigrated the kurds for being fervently nationalistic along lines of racial and cultural hegemony and purity - but transplant kurdish independence propaganda and substitute kurd for white anglo-saxon american, or cherokee, or jew, or swede or catalonian.
See how you react. Odds are, on reflex anyone white will react with scorn and shame when seeing a slogan to the tune of "Deutschland den Deutschen - Ausländer Raus!".
But not when a cherokee, a kurd, a jew or a palestinian starts talking about his rights by blood to a certain area of land. Blut und boden that is called, and is seen as virtuous when done by non-whites, and badwrongevil when done by whites.
Meaning: the whole ideology of migration and multikulti and equality? Is an ideology the goal of which is genocide towards all euopean peoples, and their descendant cultures, if sufficiently white.
What is wise about character takedowns/gaslighting from behind an Avatar? That is by definition on-line trolling. I think it stems in this case from mere jealousy.
As to the WHO, I have come to think of Covid Policy as murder, and the virus maybe too, so any plan to further centralizing such controls without accountability for that, is literally letting murderers take over the world, for a controlled population drawdown.
Following that thread to sunhawk's comment, which was a perfectly measured and rational response, "Skeptical1" outed himself in his reply, dripping with yet more contempt, sarcasm and un-earned superiority.
Some people are best ignored. If you gained something from your interaction, good, but any further interaction is beneath you. He writes like someone who just read a wikipedia page and is now an eminent expert on the subject, correcting everyone he encounters. I saw more wisdom and tact in community college.
Matthew: Without going into detail, my parents “knew” Donald Trump in the mid 1980’s (dinners with he and wife Ivanna, light correspondence). I have always been confused by his portrayal in the media as it is at odds with the person my parents knew. (FYI mom had a BS meter that could detect even the lowest levels.) As I reflect on him as I write, I think you have to have lived in the 70-80’s to understand who he is as a person. Now that I think of it his policies are reminiscent of the working middle class of that era as well.
I appreciate your trump skepticism and interest in nationalism, as I have always thought trump devious in his construction of "maga". To me what makes America great is her declaration that all men are created equal. This was the promissory note that abolished slavery, which also gives promise and Hope to the abolition of abortion. Trump called himself pro-life but had rape exceptions and tried to impose them on the Republican party platform. He called himself pro-life and yet "fathered" (his word) the warp speed abortion tainted vaccine which would be forced on every citizen, while disclaiming responsibility for that forcing. It is my opinion the Trump was a Democrat plant, placed in order that conservatives would lock down where they would not have under somebody who called himself a Democrat.
Those who supported Trump would do better to reorganize under Rand Paul who not only has fought deep warp state on many occasions, but also has a human life amendment on the docket. Rand Paul 2024 for created equal 2026.
Hi Matthew. This post caught my eye and as I delved into it, I suppose recognized a bit of what your anonymous stranger with an obtuse comment was getting at. I suppose it is also no coincidence I am also Canadian and perhaps share a bit of a different perspective.
I started writing on the pandemic on FB right from the start. I broke all of my social media rules -- never post an opinion as it may come back to haunt you years later -- because I couldn't stand by and watch what I perceived to be a train wreck in slow motion.
I believe I am thoughtful and considerate, and knowledgeable on a large variety of topics that I either work in, or have researched over the years. I have been working in my profession for almost 30 years now, and I can say, that perhaps I have achieved a level of wisdom in that realm. I think one of my measures, is that it comes along with a certain calmness regardless of what is going wrong.
However, when commenting about the pandemic or related topics of philosophy or politics, I have not achieved that calmness. I have found that I feel rushed to write more, and that in the rush, I easily mix fact and analysis, with emotion and presumption. These are often exposed as pejoratives, slipping into my consciousness.
I have sensed it (that mix of emotion, presumption with fact and analysis) in your writing, though far less often than in mine. Some of my friends have called me out on it and I've made edits to remove some of the emotion and presumption, but it takes so much time. Time I feel like I don't have. I will simply point out that even your clarified use of the pejorative jingoism still conveys a very narrow -- and distasteful to you -- view of his use of the flag.
I will also say that your anonymous commenter responded in a typical Canadian way, a sort of tsk-tsk at the "blind" perspective of the Americans we both admire and feel frustration toward in the same breath.
Keep writing Mark. I believe that the Americans had a hand in creating this big mess, but that you are the ones who will save us from it.
I've also been looking into the idea of nationalism recently, although not from the perspective of CoVid or the current war that's happening. From a philosophical perspective, it's beneficial to create a national interest and a unifying concept for people to rally around. The problem is how this group is defined and functions in relation to other people who have grouped together in a different way.
I think the Trump topic needs lots of discussion . From what I see Trump seems very much to have hustled and bamboozled a growing group of people that identify the corruption of power and loss of integrity within the social structured of society. Trump leveraged the growing concern to gain support of such sentiments while designating himself as representative . And then as that representative maliciously acting out every reason to discredit it. Trump set the table for the villainous actions that we are now faced with . My radicalized ( through Trump) left extremists friends all ignore fair process and standards of law because they believe there is this Trump and right wing extremism ready to take over the world .
Trump played the villain everyone was pointing . And when it really mattered he would intervene with a good dose of objective insulting stupidity that power could point to as they deploy censorship and propaganda and false narratives . Treatment for Covid is the perfect example . Because a foolish playing Trump utters Hydroxychloriquin and then injecting bleach it made sense that a fraudulent study would be touted as disproving the idiot . Trump played out the characature of “anti-science”. For the big pharma to gobble up , just as they were about to launch the biggest propaganda campaign ever. We censor science because of Trump ! We cancel and deplatform, demonetize , because of Trump .
So trump supporters your intentions may have been noble , but consider that you have been duped and continue to be duped in a manor that perpetuates the malicious actions snd consolidation of fascist power . Denounce Trump soon and loud . This deescalates the fear of our radicalized friends , and allows them to realize they have become radicalized toward extremism. We need our friends and family and communities to put reason and established values and processes ahead of their fears in order to face this global coup that is underway . While leadership amd a representational voice with the power to make change is desired , Trump is not it . In fact , he is the exact opposite of what will be helpful in these crucial times .
I dream of a world without national borders, where it doesn't matter if we are white, black, brown, yellow, Russian, French, German, English ... where we live together in small interdependent communities. Working together in mutual respect for each individual's contribution and unique equally valued gifts❤
Made me laugh to see the 'arbiter of wisdom' refer to America as the exceptional city on the hill, as if Hollywood image he swallowed reflects US reality with total disregard for its own or International laws, treaties, diplomacy and human rights. Brutality and corruption are where Washington truly excels.
Nationalism is not that complicated. It is quite simple really. It is an extension of self-respect and self-worth. We start with the self. Self-respect does not mean we regard others as inferior or that we are perfect and without fault. It simply means that we recognize that we have value, and we respect that value. This is intrinsic in living. Lose self-respect and self-worth and suicide or other form of self-destruction is not far behind.
Expanding from the self we value our family. Family members are closest to us in shared history, shared place, shared responsibility, and often in shared values.
From here we move on to the community with which we share place and history, and to a lesser extent than the family, but still important, we share responsibility for the place, the other community members and the future of the community and the place. We work together to establish local and state laws over time to formalize the shared responsibilities.
Finally, we move to the nation. We share with other citizens of the nation a common place, history, and mutual responsibility. In the United States, because of the unique history of immigration, we also share common values. Nationalism is just recognizing the value of our shared place, history, and mutual responsibility. It is really an extension of self-worth. It detracts nothing from the value of other countries. Just as self-worth detracts nothing from the value of others. Lose nationalism and the destruction of the nation is not far behind.
During my lifetime we have seen an assault on these values: self-worth, family values, community values, and nationalism. Divorce, working mothers, indoctrination instead of education in schools, the welfare state, constant relocation to move up the corporate ladder, trophies for everyone, loss of small business to big box and chain stores, open borders and illegal immigrations, and on and on… .
If these natural social cohesion points are destroyed, they can easily be replaced with totalitarianism, where the individual’s allegiance is to the state and its leader alone, and the individual’s worth is determined by the state and its leader alone.
One of my favorite talks on this subject was given by George Friedman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eovIYNFopgw
To me, the war on nationalism is the war on democracy in that it's the war on the entitlement to everyone's stake in their nation-state.
This is why I'm against open door immigration. The new owner is being given a stake in a nation built by my family and ancestors and expected to be passed on to my heirs. They assume all the assets and liabilities of the state and the public goods and are able to collectivise and elect a leader that represents their interests. That's why in London we now have Sadiq Khan and it's unlikely he'll leave unless he's replaced by another Muslim. But pressed on the issues and metrics of a successful society there are few that would argue he's a successful Mayor.
But more than this there's an obvious ploy to atomise Western societies to an individual level and impose a universal and unquestionable morality. Proponents often try to claim that all societies are bound by the Golden Rule, but even that is stretched to its limits so they just call you a racist if you point out the obvious differences. Only the West's colonial history (not the Mongols or the Turks for example) is seen as bad and worthy of perpetual guilt.
In doing so we've completely lost faith in the basis of capitalism which was the West's finest export (it seems to me to be the only basis for the hegemony of our financial system, for example). There used to be a lively debate between the works of Max Weber and Karl Marx over the correct philosophy of history. Weber argued that while the different societies of the world share some superficial similarities, they are fundamentally different in their values and belief systems. Reading the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism today we can see how much our current society has lost its belief in it. Marx's argument was Historical Materialism, which even though it was tried by animals from Mao to Stalin, looks like it's still the prevailing philosophy because we won't stand up for what made our system work.
It's just a shame that it's so easy for our modern globalist media to discount any discussion on the basis that it comes from a place of bigotry rather than principle.
Beautifully written.
I also might add that being a German Nationalism has been punished out of me by a brutalized school system full of perverts liars and fascists.
I only found out about what it means to be me when I wandered around the world and met different people under different circumstances.
We are many personalities and each occasion we thrive in we become another personality as such we are really fractals of our existenz.
We are spiritual beings that need freedom to thrive.
Those who want to take this freedom are our enemies.
https://fritzfreud.substack.com/p/the-reason-why-we-need-freedom?s=w
"I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it."
–St. Faustina
btw totally irrelevant to THIS thread but in reference to your (paid) thread on conspiracy theories, just wanted to quickly mention the Trent Affair, which has pretty much been forgotten. Basically, in 1861, the USA came within a whisker of starting a third war with Britain that, oddly, neither nation really wanted. Hence all the navel gazing and wondering (in Britain) how it came to be that they were supporting the Confederacy as opposed to the Union. THAT'S ALL, no nuggets of wisdom or advice :)
There is no requirement for hating others in being a nationalist or a patriot.
The whole semantic ballet regarding nationalism is racist towards white people and cultures, as it is only our nationalism and ethnocentrism that is being called into question.
No one liberal ever denigrated the kurds for being fervently nationalistic along lines of racial and cultural hegemony and purity - but transplant kurdish independence propaganda and substitute kurd for white anglo-saxon american, or cherokee, or jew, or swede or catalonian.
See how you react. Odds are, on reflex anyone white will react with scorn and shame when seeing a slogan to the tune of "Deutschland den Deutschen - Ausländer Raus!".
But not when a cherokee, a kurd, a jew or a palestinian starts talking about his rights by blood to a certain area of land. Blut und boden that is called, and is seen as virtuous when done by non-whites, and badwrongevil when done by whites.
Meaning: the whole ideology of migration and multikulti and equality? Is an ideology the goal of which is genocide towards all euopean peoples, and their descendant cultures, if sufficiently white.
What is wise about character takedowns/gaslighting from behind an Avatar? That is by definition on-line trolling. I think it stems in this case from mere jealousy.
As to the WHO, I have come to think of Covid Policy as murder, and the virus maybe too, so any plan to further centralizing such controls without accountability for that, is literally letting murderers take over the world, for a controlled population drawdown.
Following that thread to sunhawk's comment, which was a perfectly measured and rational response, "Skeptical1" outed himself in his reply, dripping with yet more contempt, sarcasm and un-earned superiority.
Some people are best ignored. If you gained something from your interaction, good, but any further interaction is beneath you. He writes like someone who just read a wikipedia page and is now an eminent expert on the subject, correcting everyone he encounters. I saw more wisdom and tact in community college.
Matthew: Without going into detail, my parents “knew” Donald Trump in the mid 1980’s (dinners with he and wife Ivanna, light correspondence). I have always been confused by his portrayal in the media as it is at odds with the person my parents knew. (FYI mom had a BS meter that could detect even the lowest levels.) As I reflect on him as I write, I think you have to have lived in the 70-80’s to understand who he is as a person. Now that I think of it his policies are reminiscent of the working middle class of that era as well.
I appreciate your trump skepticism and interest in nationalism, as I have always thought trump devious in his construction of "maga". To me what makes America great is her declaration that all men are created equal. This was the promissory note that abolished slavery, which also gives promise and Hope to the abolition of abortion. Trump called himself pro-life but had rape exceptions and tried to impose them on the Republican party platform. He called himself pro-life and yet "fathered" (his word) the warp speed abortion tainted vaccine which would be forced on every citizen, while disclaiming responsibility for that forcing. It is my opinion the Trump was a Democrat plant, placed in order that conservatives would lock down where they would not have under somebody who called himself a Democrat.
Those who supported Trump would do better to reorganize under Rand Paul who not only has fought deep warp state on many occasions, but also has a human life amendment on the docket. Rand Paul 2024 for created equal 2026.
Hi Matthew. This post caught my eye and as I delved into it, I suppose recognized a bit of what your anonymous stranger with an obtuse comment was getting at. I suppose it is also no coincidence I am also Canadian and perhaps share a bit of a different perspective.
I started writing on the pandemic on FB right from the start. I broke all of my social media rules -- never post an opinion as it may come back to haunt you years later -- because I couldn't stand by and watch what I perceived to be a train wreck in slow motion.
I believe I am thoughtful and considerate, and knowledgeable on a large variety of topics that I either work in, or have researched over the years. I have been working in my profession for almost 30 years now, and I can say, that perhaps I have achieved a level of wisdom in that realm. I think one of my measures, is that it comes along with a certain calmness regardless of what is going wrong.
However, when commenting about the pandemic or related topics of philosophy or politics, I have not achieved that calmness. I have found that I feel rushed to write more, and that in the rush, I easily mix fact and analysis, with emotion and presumption. These are often exposed as pejoratives, slipping into my consciousness.
I have sensed it (that mix of emotion, presumption with fact and analysis) in your writing, though far less often than in mine. Some of my friends have called me out on it and I've made edits to remove some of the emotion and presumption, but it takes so much time. Time I feel like I don't have. I will simply point out that even your clarified use of the pejorative jingoism still conveys a very narrow -- and distasteful to you -- view of his use of the flag.
I will also say that your anonymous commenter responded in a typical Canadian way, a sort of tsk-tsk at the "blind" perspective of the Americans we both admire and feel frustration toward in the same breath.
Keep writing Mark. I believe that the Americans had a hand in creating this big mess, but that you are the ones who will save us from it.
I've also been looking into the idea of nationalism recently, although not from the perspective of CoVid or the current war that's happening. From a philosophical perspective, it's beneficial to create a national interest and a unifying concept for people to rally around. The problem is how this group is defined and functions in relation to other people who have grouped together in a different way.
I think the Trump topic needs lots of discussion . From what I see Trump seems very much to have hustled and bamboozled a growing group of people that identify the corruption of power and loss of integrity within the social structured of society. Trump leveraged the growing concern to gain support of such sentiments while designating himself as representative . And then as that representative maliciously acting out every reason to discredit it. Trump set the table for the villainous actions that we are now faced with . My radicalized ( through Trump) left extremists friends all ignore fair process and standards of law because they believe there is this Trump and right wing extremism ready to take over the world .
Trump played the villain everyone was pointing . And when it really mattered he would intervene with a good dose of objective insulting stupidity that power could point to as they deploy censorship and propaganda and false narratives . Treatment for Covid is the perfect example . Because a foolish playing Trump utters Hydroxychloriquin and then injecting bleach it made sense that a fraudulent study would be touted as disproving the idiot . Trump played out the characature of “anti-science”. For the big pharma to gobble up , just as they were about to launch the biggest propaganda campaign ever. We censor science because of Trump ! We cancel and deplatform, demonetize , because of Trump .
So trump supporters your intentions may have been noble , but consider that you have been duped and continue to be duped in a manor that perpetuates the malicious actions snd consolidation of fascist power . Denounce Trump soon and loud . This deescalates the fear of our radicalized friends , and allows them to realize they have become radicalized toward extremism. We need our friends and family and communities to put reason and established values and processes ahead of their fears in order to face this global coup that is underway . While leadership amd a representational voice with the power to make change is desired , Trump is not it . In fact , he is the exact opposite of what will be helpful in these crucial times .
I dream of a world without national borders, where it doesn't matter if we are white, black, brown, yellow, Russian, French, German, English ... where we live together in small interdependent communities. Working together in mutual respect for each individual's contribution and unique equally valued gifts❤
Made me laugh to see the 'arbiter of wisdom' refer to America as the exceptional city on the hill, as if Hollywood image he swallowed reflects US reality with total disregard for its own or International laws, treaties, diplomacy and human rights. Brutality and corruption are where Washington truly excels.
Good. It's about time! Move on.
And I thought Berenson was an egomaniac. I can only imagine the two of you in a room together — ugh
Nationalism is not that complicated. It is quite simple really. It is an extension of self-respect and self-worth. We start with the self. Self-respect does not mean we regard others as inferior or that we are perfect and without fault. It simply means that we recognize that we have value, and we respect that value. This is intrinsic in living. Lose self-respect and self-worth and suicide or other form of self-destruction is not far behind.
Expanding from the self we value our family. Family members are closest to us in shared history, shared place, shared responsibility, and often in shared values.
From here we move on to the community with which we share place and history, and to a lesser extent than the family, but still important, we share responsibility for the place, the other community members and the future of the community and the place. We work together to establish local and state laws over time to formalize the shared responsibilities.
Finally, we move to the nation. We share with other citizens of the nation a common place, history, and mutual responsibility. In the United States, because of the unique history of immigration, we also share common values. Nationalism is just recognizing the value of our shared place, history, and mutual responsibility. It is really an extension of self-worth. It detracts nothing from the value of other countries. Just as self-worth detracts nothing from the value of others. Lose nationalism and the destruction of the nation is not far behind.
During my lifetime we have seen an assault on these values: self-worth, family values, community values, and nationalism. Divorce, working mothers, indoctrination instead of education in schools, the welfare state, constant relocation to move up the corporate ladder, trophies for everyone, loss of small business to big box and chain stores, open borders and illegal immigrations, and on and on… .
If these natural social cohesion points are destroyed, they can easily be replaced with totalitarianism, where the individual’s allegiance is to the state and its leader alone, and the individual’s worth is determined by the state and its leader alone.
This is why nationalism is a pejorative now.