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Yes. There are spots where Orwell gets convoluted. His famous and impactful (on me, lol) essay "On Nationalism" includes a confusing/backtracking carve-out for
by dalbasal 4y ago
Yes.
There are spots where Orwell gets convoluted. His famous and impactful (on me, lol) essay "On Nationalism" includes a confusing/backtracking carve-out for (presumably) Churchillian patriotism. But I think this is the nature of such ideas. They aren't absolute, falsifiable, scientific ideas. Just observations about people.
- hackerlight 4y agoWhy did you see this as confusing and convoluted? My interpretation is that he's saying the human psyche requires this and if a tame and healthy version of patriotism and national pride isn't provided by the centrist elements in society, then that vacuum will be filled by a populist demagogue who weaponizes it. It seems debatable but highly plausible.
- doetoe 4y agoI am not the person you are reacting to, and while I guess your interpretation of Orwell's intent is correct, Churchill's patriotism can at most be considered tame and healthy when directly compared to Hitler's. It was deeply rooted in a sense of superiority that not only nowadays is considered extreme, but even then (not by all obviously).
- dalbasal 4y agoI am he, lol. Agreed, and it's explicitly that British superiority which Orwell defends in the essay, carving out for it a special place separate from "nationalism" that communism, Trotskyism, Irish republicanism, zionism, etc. are condemned for. I kind of like the controversial nuance though. It shows that these ideas aren't supposed to be scientific, absolute and such.
- qikInNdOutReply 4y ago.. and he is absolut on point, it just hurts to admit, that those who strife for a idealized version of humanity, might feed the darker side while doing so.