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George Orwell: Notes on Nationalism

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George Orwell: Notes on Nationalism
Topic: Society 6:39 pm EDT, Aug  3, 2004

] By "nationalism" I mean first of all the habit of
] assuming that human beings can be classified like insects
] and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of
] people can be confidently labelled "good" or "bad." But
] secondly -- and this is much more important -- I mean the
] habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or
] other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and
] recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its
] interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with
] patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a
] way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but
] one must draw a distinction between them, since two
] different and even opposing ideas are involved. By
] "patriotism" I mean devotion to a particular place and a
] particular way of life, which one believes to be the best
] in the world but has no wish to force on other people.
] Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily
] and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is
] inseperable from the desire for power. The abiding
] purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and
] more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or
] other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own
] individuality

George Orwell: Notes on Nationalism



 
 
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