rtwngAvngr said:
Nationalism is not necessarily intertwined with ethnic homogeneity, racial homogeniety, cultural homogeniety, or perceived common history. It can crystalize around new positive values, around democratic institutions, tolerance, and individual rights.
But it can't. It never has and never will. There is no example of multiracial society that was able to sustain itself absent the brutal oppression of one or more groups. Yugoslavia is a great example. It took the iron repression of the communist Tito to keep this artificial conglomerate of groups together. Pull him away, and everyone reverts to the real core: the racial and ethnic groupings that people feel true affinity for. Same for the Soviet Union. Back in history, the Roman Empire grew nicely until they starting gobbling every language, race and culture in the globe. Then it collapsed of its own weight. Look at Iraq. Saddam, a Sunni, clamped down with extreme brutality on the majority Shi'ites, as well as the Kurds, etc. He's gone. Peace ensuing? No, the Shi'ites are calling for blood and the Sunni insurgents are SPILLING it, in buckets. South Africa: now that whites have been removed from leadership, blacks are taking over and killing the few who remain.
People, let me stress something here. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY. Someone is always on top. Someone is always running the show while the rest swallow lies and wander in confusion. If you think racial and ethnic groups "share" power while singing "Kumbaya," you need to wake up to reality. Ain't nobody sharing SHIT. That's not how it works. The only people goofy enough to believe this wholeheartedly, I'm afraid, are whites.
Democratic institutions, tolerance and individual rights are burned into the DNA of WHITE, or European-derived, people --- and then arguably mostly Northern Europeans. Our big mistake is to think that this will work, one-size-fits-all, around the globe. Even in the unlikely event it does, don't you think it's a little contradictory to declare that the U.S. is going to "bomb the world into democracy"? Whose interest does that serve? Probably ours, which might be OK, but let's not act like we're altruistic saints when we pursue that.
Democratic institutions, tolerance and individuals rights have most certainly NOT arisen among black Africans, Mestizo or Hispanic peoples, Arabs, Indians or Asians. Some, like the Japanese, have done a fair job of adopting democracy, as dictated by the West, but they didn't have the idea themselves.
Of course, if I'm wrong that race and nationalism aren't connected, then we could replace the 300 million whites in America with 300 million Chinese via a mass airlift. And, within two or three years, once the Chinese have gotten used to Cheez Whiz and cable, America would be just like your grandad remembered.
Do you believe that?
