Globally, Nationalism appears to be digging its way out the hole we thought we’d buried it in around the turn of the century.
In the US under Trump, White Supremacy – which is the barest face of nationalism – is reappearing. Similarly, in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, and sadly here in Australia too, it’s getting a good kick along.
Often by the very leaders who should be taking a stand against it.
Media pundits, in between hand wringing, talk about who or what is driving the Nationalism bus.
But I’m more concerned about where it’s heading.
Because Nationalism has only one ultimate endpoint: Violence.
There are essentially two groups of people behind the movement.
At the top are politicians and carpet baggers who see an opportunity for power, or at the very least a profile which might lead to a bucket of power or money.
The second group are the foot soldiers of nationalism.
They’re almost always the disaffected. They’ve either slipped down the ladder of success, or they’re barely clinging to the rungs.
They’re pissed off, but they have no idea at whom they should direct their offpissedness.
The first group, the Politicians and carpetbaggers, say, “It’s not your fault. You’re a victim. It’s those people over there. The ones who are a different colour, or believe in a different god. It’s their fault. But you know what? You’re better than them. They’re not quite a human as you and me.”
And then they say, “Even though you’ve had a hard time, and maybe you don’t have much, but they want what you have. And if we let them, well, they’re going to come here and take it for themselves.
They’re going to slip in on boats and outbreed us.”
Or the other message is, “Them over there, it’s all their fault. And you know what? They’ve got it all, and it should be yours. You’re better than them. You deserve it. It’s not fair that they have it all and you have none. The dirty disbelievers.”
Used to be, that was pretty much how the Nationalism sales people actually spoke. But now it’s different, more sophisticated. They’re more likely to talk about tariffs and unfair trade and “illegal boat people”..
Or maybe they’ll talk about that country over there developing a super bomb to blow us up.
Heard that one recently?
Or, they’re coming here as refugees to take over our country. Now that’s got a familiar ring to it.
Or, hey, they’re going to take over the country and impose Shariah Law.
The language might have changed to suit the times, but the message certainly hasn’t.
Thing is, there’s only one possible end point for those lines of reasoning.
Violence, and eventually, war.
So, if we hear messages like these, seductive and appealing; that make it all somebody else’s fault; that give us something to fear, that slyly gives us the idea that we as a people, are inherently better than those “others”, keep in mind, that the end of the Nationalism line, where it’s everybody off the bus whether you want to stop there or not,
Is war.
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