Why nationalism is bad

Is nationalism necessarily reactionary and tribal, or can it be more inclusive? A new book by Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative magazine National Review, argues that nationalism is unambiguously good and likely our only way forward as a country.

Our exchange gets contentious at times, but it was ultimately productive. And the reality of Trumpism shows how far away we really are from that ideal. So I reached out to Lowry to discuss his argument, where I think he goes wrong, why nationalism reinforces the very problems he wants to overcome, and why the nationalism we have is so different from the nationalism he imagines.

I wanted to defend nationalism, but I also wanted to make the case that nationalism is a very old phenomenon, a natural phenomenon, something empires and totalitarian regimes have tried and failed to eliminate. The balance of the book is about American nationalism, and I make the case that nationalism is a central part of our tradition, part of the mainstream in America.

I think Democrats have largely turned their back on nationalism, which is partly what enabled Trump to pick up the baton. The textbook definition of nationalism is a distinct people united by a common culture, common history, governing a distinct territory. The version of nationalism you champion in the book is very inclusive, very broad. The latest example I talk about is when he was at war with the city of Baltimore and tweeted that no human being would want to live there.

Well, human beings do live in West Baltimore. The thing is, those moments of controlled Trump are so rare, and the careening, vitriolic, xenophobic version of Trump is what we get every day. Well, I disagree with your characterization of Stephen Miller, but I think Trump instinctively believes in our country first and our interests first.

Now, he can be crude and exaggerated on the stump. But the broader idea of putting our people first, our country first, is very popular. No one else says it in such stark terms. As it happens, racists feel extremely represented by Trump. A couple of things. We desperately wanted to defeat him. We thought there were 16 better alternatives. The office has made no impression on him whatsoever.

And I and my colleagues call him out on that. Christmas is a national holiday; Yom Kippur is not. And they reflect our national identity.

Independence Day is a holiday; Cinco de Mayo is not. And for many millions of people, Americanness is bound up with these ethnic and religious markers. One of the critical bases is the English language, which immigrants have come here for centuries and learned. The most popular presidents in our history were Nationalist. You are either some Yankee or some flatlander. Either way you are some entitled jackass who believes in your own intellectual superiority.

Elvis G. My American ancestors were not racists or bigots. Modern Americans who cannot allow their fellow Americans to celebrate their ancestors are truly the bigots and oppressors of freedom. Americans who cannot simply leave the other Americans in peace, to believe as they will, and speak without harassment, are surely the real fascists. Those Americans who judge others by their skin color first and the content of their character last are surely the real racists.

Submit Search. Close Menu. Opinion Opinion: Nationalism is Dangerous. Advocating for App State. Opinion: Spending on space is wasteful. Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week. Tweets by TheAppalachian.

Recent Stories. Navigate Left. Navigate Right. The Appalachian. Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share via Email. Who else would we put first? A nationalist is one who thinks solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige… his thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations.

To glorify itself, nationalism generally resorts to suppositions, exaggerations, fallacious reasonings, scorn and inadmissible self-praise, and worst of all, it engages in the distortion of history, model-making and fable-writing.

Historical facts are twisted to imaginary myths as it fears historical and social realism. I would love to hear your thoughts on the difference between nationalism and localism. Obviously there is a huge scale difference, but there is a lot of us vs. The America above all discourse has a strong component of nationalism that is dangerous for many different reasons. Among them, the fact that it offers itself as a justification for hurting people who are not […].

Really, Feminism is a form of nationalism. Will you condem feminism too? Critical Race Theory also promotes ingroup outgroup thinking. It is exceptional in a lot of ways - specifically the 1st and 2nd amendment, which frankly Europe would be better off if they had both, as would the rest of the world. We're designed to be a Federalist system anyway. The left are the ones pushing nationalism.

Because apparently I am oppressing people just by existing lol. I voted for Obama twice and he turned the Democrat party against me. He left me no choice but to vote for Trump out of my own self defense.

We have produced more millionaire minorities than anywhere else yet I am expected to believe we are "oppressing" people, as if me studying to learn a skill was depriving someone else of something - completely ridiculous. When you advocate a character-based merit system you get accused of being a racist.

I am not going to compromise my standards of good character just to satisfy irrational people who think they can bully you into silence by shouting insults at you. Such people are fools. They are immoral and unworthy to lead. We've had over school shootings since Don't really feel I need a gun to protect myself against the military since they have access to far superior weapons than I could hope to purchase.

However, there does seem to be a fairly high percentage of criminals thieves in local law enforcement and the TSA. Don't even get me started on the mistakes of the FBI. We are not the best country in the world, and we are not a democracy. We disregard minorities, partisan divisions guarantee inefficiency, and our justice system is anything but just. This article is too political. I want to learn why nationalism is bad without all of the politics distracting me.

This sucks. As a nationalist in The United States,what nationality is better than who in our country? Our country belongs to all who have fought and defended it's constitution.