July 4, 2006
THERE IS NO GREAT BRITAIN:
Anti-English feeling 'at its strongest in nationalists' (HAMISH MACDONELL, 7/04/06, The Scotsman)
SCOTTISH nationalism is fuelling anti-English feeling in Scotland, according to major research published today.The first detailed analysis of Scottish attitudes, both to the English and to Muslims, found that people with a strong sense of Scottish identity are more likely to be anti-English.
Researchers found that while Islamophobia in Scotland remained at roughly the same level regardless of whether people were nationalist Scots or not, Anglophobia was higher among Scottish nationalists.
The SNP leadership has insisted for years that it represents an inclusive and positive civic nationalism, not negative ethnic nationalism.
It's the perfect day to celebrate the blessing that America is nearly devoid of nationalism. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 4, 2006 8:37 AM
You are such a NUT JOB!
Posted by: David Cohen at July 4, 2006 2:00 PMWhere's William Wallace II?
Posted by: AWW at July 4, 2006 3:41 PMNo, it just strikes me as a nice, compact yet flavorful way of describing someone who thinks that there is almost no nationalism in a country that is nothing but nationalism.
Posted by: David Cohen at July 4, 2006 10:19 PMNot to interrupt this erudite exchange between David and Orrin, but I can't think of too many ethnically or racially or even culturally-based political nationalist movements that delivered anything like their promise, even when successful. There may be some cases where a vibrant minority shakes off a drudge-like or truly oppressive majority (Singapore, the Netherlands?) and takes off, but many seem to devolve into bitter, xenophobic navel-gazing. Scotland did a lot better when it tied its loyalty sails to the UK--they came close to running the place or at least the colonies. It didn't stop them from whining non-stop about the Sassenachs, but I'm not surprised Scotland's current social decline is matched with outright anti-English rejectionism.
Quebec wasted two generations chasing a nationalist fairy tale and has a lot of catching up to do. Tha Canadian left goes off in all kinds of crazy, sour directions by throwing up the States as some kind of enchaining oppressor. Just about all of Eastern Europe has been composed of recidivist basket cases for nearly a century. And let's never forget what a boon Arab nationalism has been.
You can be fiercely proud of your country/people/culture, etc. and guard your heritage jealously, but unless you see yourself also as part of something bigger and more important, you can get yourself into quite the destructive messes.
Posted by: Peter B at July 5, 2006 7:18 AMRacism is a lousy principle to organize a society around.
Posted by: oj at July 5, 2006 7:25 AMNations are nations. Races are races. Just because there's a lot of overlap doesn't mean that the two are identical.
Peter: This is just part of Orrin's internationalist universalist project to remake the world in our image. For some reason, he thinks that requires building blocks of ethnic nations or, as the says, that every people that thinks it's a nation is a nation.
Posted by: David Cohen at July 5, 2006 3:51 PMNations self-identify by racial groupings. Those soccer fans waving flags are like gangs wearing their colors.
Nationalism is evil, but people who have no ideals are left with nothing but ethnicity to organize around, so they do.
Posted by: oj at July 5, 2006 3:56 PM