Why Nationalism?

[mburbank]

Well, first I'd say that letting you personally define what Kultural DeKay is would be a serious mistake.

My 'ancestors' came to America from Czarist Russia where they were subject to discrimination and violent ethnic cleansing. We have a strong family tradition of socialism and trade unionism.

I don't see a lot of 'Leftists Nutjobs' here in the America that sort of voted for Bush twice. Those that I do see are marginalized to the point of absurdity.

What exactly is the "American National Identity" that you see, and what is it you think is threatening it?

My feeling is that as a very young country in a state of constant flux, we don't have much of a national identity and our constant crowing 'U.S.A, U.S.A!" "We're number one!" postureing is kind of silly. I think we might want to wait and see if we last a half century before we get so arrogant, but that's just me.

Nevertheless, I think we have the seeds of a national identity. Here's how I see it. Individulaism: Very important. It means that your personal view of the American national Identity is no more important than mine, and I could give a crap what you think it is. Freedom of Speech. I want to talk about (or even have a parade about) homo love, tolerance, interacial breeding, same sex parents, Abortion just cause it's fun, Tough for you. When I publicly talk about things I want to, I am EMBRACING the national identity by excercising my FREE SPEECH. The flip side is I accept your right to be the alchoholic numb nuts you are as long as you don't have your fights in my yard. Another part of the National Identity is Freedom of religion. Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, Goofy ass Wiccan, Voodoo whatever, come on down and do what you do. You want prayer in school, okay, but I think church nd state ought to be seperate (part of the National Identity) and if you insist on it, since Freedom of Religion is part of the national Identity you better make time for my kid to do some serious bull killing, blood painting, screaming, writhing Mithrain rituals in homeroom, beause while I'm a Unitarian, my kid is recognizing his Amercian National Identity through worshipping the white bull.

I'm guessing that you have a more narrow idea of what our National Identity is, and it features folks like you getting to enforce it, but before you do, hows about you make SOME effort to figure out what it is and reconcile your love of pubic drunken brawling with 'traditional' christian values. Mythical visions of Huns/Vikings on Horseback, drinking and laughing and loving and fucking and fighting and loving their animals? Deeply rooted to a land their ancestors never set foot on? What Amercia is your Nationalism from?

Why not replace"Nationalism" with "Do whatever the fuck I want-ism and you have to do what I want to-ism". You're just another guy who thinks whatever gives him a hard on comes is a message from God about the way the whole world ought to be. Just because the things I value aren't loud music, face bashing and drunkeness doesn't mean I don't have values and only a blind drunken fuck would think that it did. I'm sure a lot of barbarians were violent idiots, were but not every violent idiot is a barbarian. Love that, KrystalKnacht.