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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (1755)	2/24/1999 2:09:00 AM
From: Neocon	Respond to of 13062

Anticipating an obvious objection, that patriotism and nationalism are not the same thing, patriotism is the sentiment of loyalty to one's home land, but nationalism is a means of defining the homeland in broad terms. To anticipate another objection, there are both reactionary and liberal (in the good sense) versions of nationalism. In the United States, there is no such thing as ethnic nationalism. There is only allegiance to American culture and institutions broadly defined. Therefore, American nationalism centers on the Revolution, as the defining event of the country; the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as its canonical texts; and the Founding Fathers as the spiritual patriarchs of the American people. Of course, to be faithful to its identity, that means that the United States must be a friend of liberty, insofar as it is capable, outside of its borders. Mama Bear, do you want to jump in on this?

To: Neocon who wrote (1755)	2/24/1999 11:35:00 AM
From: MeDroogies	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13062

No, I don't. Because while understanding the history of the community you join is interesting and fulfilling AS PART OF that community...there is often a lot of community change. For example, I change companies when I change jobs. I like to know the history of the company, so that I understand the politics/social/business implications of my workplace. However, that doesn't make it a necessity to HAVE, nor does it make my stay there particularly fulfilling. Sometimes, it has the opposite effect (more often than not). I often find that altering the course of "history" is more important than understanding or relating to what came before....NOT ALWAYS, but usually. Schumpeter called this "creative destruction" within economic realms. I view it the same way. But that doesn't make my impact particularly compelling or interesting 10 years from now. In fact, you could imply that my effect is minimal to meaningless (though if you apply complexity theory, this is clearly impossible). While I love and appreciate my Irish heritage, and love to study it, it doesn't "fulfill" me. It's just interesting. And perhaps explains the idiosyncracies of those who DO find it an important part of their lives.