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> Also, bad communities fail. They should be allowed to fail. Are there circumstances under which nation states could/should be seen as 'communities', I wonder

> Also, bad communities fail. They should be allowed to fail. Are there circumstances under which nation states could/should be seen as 'communities', I wonder. And, what would be some sensible ways of detecting and handling failure at such scale.

sameasiteverwas 1y ago
> sensible ways of detecting and handling failure at such scale War and revolution. 'Burn it down and start from scratch' is an extreme path to fix a failing country. Historically, the people that rebuild are rarely the same people that burned it down.
- BruceEel 1y ago
  Grim and plausible.
tycho-newman 1y ago
Sure. That said, the nation state is often little more than regional elites legalizing their control over workers and capital. If your local elites are generally better than the alternative people tend to stick around
- BruceEel 1y ago
  Broadly agree. I'm probably too upset to write about the local elites with anything bearing even a passing resemblance to objectivity, but an outbreak of incompetence is the overall impression.
carlosjobim 1y ago
Yes, when the nation is ethnically homogenous you can have that. But it's not a guarantee. "I against my brother. I and my brother against my cousin. I, my brother, and my cousin against the world" -Arab Proverb
- BruceEel 1y ago
  well put.
- tycho-newman 1y ago
  I did nazi this coming …
- barry-cotter 1y ago
  It’s a Bedouin proverb, not an Arab one, and it’s me, not I.
barry-cotter 1y ago
> Are there circumstances under which nation states could/should be seen as 'communities', I wonder. No. Imagined communities are fake communities with none of the feedback mechanisms that make real communities resilient to elements that have extremely different priorities to the median member. See how the Swedish Social Democrats imported over 1% of the Swedish population in one year from Syria.
- BruceEel 1y ago
  Interesting take. And yeah, indeed, Sweden. It breaks my heart.

sameasiteverwas 1y ago

> sensible ways of detecting and handling failure at such scale War and revolution. 'Burn it down and start from scratch' is an extreme path to fix a failing country. Historically, the people that rebuild are rarely the same people that burned it down.

BruceEel 1y ago
Grim and plausible.

tycho-newman 1y ago

Sure. That said, the nation state is often little more than regional elites legalizing their control over workers and capital. If your local elites are generally better than the alternative people tend to stick around

BruceEel 1y ago
Broadly agree. I'm probably too upset to write about the local elites with anything bearing even a passing resemblance to objectivity, but an outbreak of incompetence is the overall impression.

carlosjobim 1y ago

Yes, when the nation is ethnically homogenous you can have that. But it's not a guarantee. "I against my brother. I and my brother against my cousin. I, my brother, and my cousin against the world" -Arab Proverb

BruceEel 1y ago
well put.
tycho-newman 1y ago
I did nazi this coming …
barry-cotter 1y ago
It’s a Bedouin proverb, not an Arab one, and it’s me, not I.

barry-cotter 1y ago

> Are there circumstances under which nation states could/should be seen as 'communities', I wonder. No. Imagined communities are fake communities with none of the feedback mechanisms that make real communities resilient to elements that have extremely different priorities to the median member. See how the Swedish Social Democrats imported over 1% of the Swedish population in one year from Syria.

BruceEel 1y ago
Interesting take. And yeah, indeed, Sweden. It breaks my heart.