Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by andrepd 2962 days ago
Do you love your country, your homeland, your family, your culture? Then that's very okay. Do you think that your country, your homeland, your family, or your culture are objectively superior to others? Then you're a fanatic/xenophobe.
2 comments

> Do you think that... your culture are objectively superior to others?

Fair enough, but what do we do about the culture of "citizens of the world"? Aren't we trying to create or grow a better culture when we reject nationalism? Is that fanaticism? Why not?

Culture constantly changes, it's unavoidable even when you love your current culture. If you aren't viewing it as the objectively superior culture it isn't fanaticism.
Are politics becoming outdated, in your opinion, too?
?? I don't follow.
Maybe I was reading too far into your statement. But in general terms, politics (and conflict in general) stems from a struggle over the power to allocate scarce resources towards conflicting conceptions of what is “good” or “deserving”. Often times, statements against privileging your own group to the detriment of others—and I concede you didn’t make that case directly, but I’ve often seen your comparison invoked in such arguments—implicitly assumes that politics, too, should be transcended. There is a sentiment that politics is a vestige of irrationality, and that if everyone was properly educated and could see the greater good, they would necessarily favor that over parochial group interests.