3 ms·

I feel nationalism and patriotism are dangerous concepts that need to be challenged. We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progres

by dmode 8y ago

I feel nationalism and patriotism are dangerous concepts that need to be challenged. We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. Not that I don't believe in nation status. But I never understood why should I like a person who falls on one side of that line more than a person on another side of that arbitrary line. As for being anti-American, I guess it depends on which America. Is it the one that professes the values of democracy and progress, leads in sciences and exploration, welcomes everyone with open arms ? I love that America. Or is it the America of wealth inequality, foreign wars, and global geopolitics. Not a fan of that America.

beaconstudios 8y ago
personally I believe that patriotism is based on loving one's cultural values, not the arbitrary land mass. Whenever I see Americans being patriotic it's usually around a pro-individual, anti-authority culture (though that gets pretty muddled because from my perspective, it seems like both sides of the political aisle are 50-50 on individualism vs authority). Republican patriots love their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech and to bear arms, as well as the US' culture of entrepreneurialism. Democrat patriots love their cultural melting pot and the values of free self-expression and acceptance. "Nationalism" as a term is murkier, because it not only encompasses patriotism but also isolationism, xenophobia, monoculture enforcement and so on. Over here in the UK it even includes Celtic nations' citizens' individual desires for independence from England.
bassman9000 8y ago
We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. How willing is the average russian citizen to do so, given its government stance? The chinese one? The iranian one? It's nice to have those sentiments when you can afford to have them. How are SV companies going to force that to happen in the aforementioned, and other countries? Until we're ready to speak as equals, si vis pacem, para bellum. Without actually getting into conflicts, the US should be ready to win them all. Thinking otherwise is naively dangerous. And the late position of some SV firms and their employees is borderline 5th columnist.

by dmode 8y ago

beaconstudios 8y ago

personally I believe that patriotism is based on loving one's cultural values, not the arbitrary land mass. Whenever I see Americans being patriotic it's usually around a pro-individual, anti-authority culture (though that gets pretty muddled because from my perspective, it seems like both sides of the political aisle are 50-50 on individualism vs authority). Republican patriots love their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of speech and to bear arms, as well as the US' culture of entrepreneurialism. Democrat patriots love their cultural melting pot and the values of free self-expression and acceptance. "Nationalism" as a term is murkier, because it not only encompasses patriotism but also isolationism, xenophobia, monoculture enforcement and so on. Over here in the UK it even includes Celtic nations' citizens' individual desires for independence from England.

bassman9000 8y ago

We should be looking to form an inclusive global community that can progress together instead of boxing ourselves into arbitrarily drawn man made lines which we are thrown into by luck of birth. How willing is the average russian citizen to do so, given its government stance? The chinese one? The iranian one? It's nice to have those sentiments when you can afford to have them. How are SV companies going to force that to happen in the aforementioned, and other countries? Until we're ready to speak as equals, si vis pacem, para bellum. Without actually getting into conflicts, the US should be ready to win them all. Thinking otherwise is naively dangerous. And the late position of some SV firms and their employees is borderline 5th columnist.