Oorgo

"My Nation" vs "My Foundations"

I was over at Random Fate reading a well thought-out bit of a rant by Jack about the nationalism, patriotism and the immature reaction to 9/11. He also pointed towards an amazing article by Christopher Dicky on MSNBC titled "U.S. Nationalism Run Amok", or "American Dream, American Nightmare". Albeit a bit overdramatic title, the content of the piece is tremendous and well thought-out.

Dickey refers to George Orwell's work “Notes on Nationalism.” to paint a disturbing picture of how Americans general way of thinking has little to do with patriotism and more to do with nationalism, which comes part in parcel with the ability to continually deny or ignore facts, truths and immoral actions performed by your country, because you believe it's beyond reproach. Here's a little quote:

“In nationalist thought there are facts which are both true and untrue, known and unknown,” Orwell wrote, in a spooky foreshadowing of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s nationalist musings. “A known fact may be so unbearable that it is habitually pushed aside and not allowed to enter into logical processes, or on the other hand it may enter into every calculation and yet never be admitted as a fact, even in one’s own mind.”

I like the fact there is very little partisan speech in this essay, making it enjoyable to read even by an outsider such as my self, located up here in Canada.

I don't want to spoil the articles with my feeble attempts at a review, so I would suggest just reading both Jacks and Dickeys. Absolutely worth it.

Posted by Oorgo at July 13, 2006 11:59 AM Permalink - Category: Politiks | TrackBack