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Culture is a big part of it, yes, but often 'nation' does include aspects of ethnicity. Like I said, the term is complex. Nationalism is something people seem

Culture is a big part of it, yes, but often 'nation' does include aspects of ethnicity. Like I said, the term is complex. Nationalism is something people seem to naturally do. Whether it has a 'point' or not in 2013 is pretty irrelevant - if people are doing it anyway, it's important to try and understand it. While nationalism certainly does distinguish people, it doesn't follow that it dehumanizes others. Having a 'love of country' is perfectly compatible with recognizing the humanity of those not in it. As for your last question, of course not. I'm a little curious why you asked me that. Do you think I'm some sort of racist for trying to explain a concept to you that's prevalent across the globe?

smokeyj 13y ago
> Culture is a big part of it, yes, but often 'nation' does include aspects of ethnicity. Google defines ethnicity as: The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. Sounds a bit circular. > Nationalism is something people seem to naturally do. Nationalism is something you do? How does one nationalism? > Whether it has a 'point' or not in 2013 is pretty irrelevant - if people are doing it anyway, it's important to try and understand it Based on what I've gathered, nationalism is a way to arbitrarily distinguish your culture from another in hopes of inevitably forming a border with your neighbor in order to enact a national government? > Do you think I'm some sort of racist for trying to explain a concept to you that's prevalent across the globe? Not one bit. I understand the notion is prevalent, but I wonder if we would be better off without it. Similar to racism, it's prevalent and we would be better off without it. I do feel that many arguments in favor of national pride work in favor of racial pride as well -- which is why I brought it up.

smokeyj 13y ago

> Culture is a big part of it, yes, but often 'nation' does include aspects of ethnicity. Google defines ethnicity as: The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. Sounds a bit circular. > Nationalism is something people seem to naturally do. Nationalism is something you do? How does one nationalism? > Whether it has a 'point' or not in 2013 is pretty irrelevant - if people are doing it anyway, it's important to try and understand it Based on what I've gathered, nationalism is a way to arbitrarily distinguish your culture from another in hopes of inevitably forming a border with your neighbor in order to enact a national government? > Do you think I'm some sort of racist for trying to explain a concept to you that's prevalent across the globe? Not one bit. I understand the notion is prevalent, but I wonder if we would be better off without it. Similar to racism, it's prevalent and we would be better off without it. I do feel that many arguments in favor of national pride work in favor of racial pride as well -- which is why I brought it up.