SS's Rant about everything

[Einherjar86]

Neither genes, nor biology, nor psychology, nor chemistry, none of these constitutes "essence." Essence is metaphysical and idealistic; it is the exact opposite of genes and blood and bodies. When we talk of essences, we talk of angels and demons. Demons are too violent, and angels too judgmental. I despise them.

Pride for shit you had nothing to do with is ignorant.

I think that's what Vimana is saying...

 

[Dak]

Yeah, Mathias, Vimana, Carlin, and others said it. It apparently requires constant repetition.

 

[Vimana]

Meh. When it's not good enough to be at the top of the food chain, being the smartest sentient being we know of that can do and imagine many things, people have to latch onto something to substitute for that feeling. So they latch onto an experience or an idea as if it's life itself and then we have all this nationalism bullshit (as well as many other problems). Few people (on their own) wake up and realize that the only thing making them more alike than the their enemies is that they believe that they are more alike than their enemies.

 

[SentinelSlain]

I don't see how Chinese cuisine can have more to do with a specific Chinese person that neither makes it nor had any part in creating it than it does with me.

You're a wanker for saying "neither makes it nor had any part in creating it" considering what my post actually says. Stop trying to labour a well understood point.

 

[Vimana]

I don't know if you noticed this, but you don't have a monopoly on what we talk about in this thread. We've clearly started talking about the silliness of national pride.

 

[The Butt]

Pride for shit you had nothing to do with is ignorant.

No.

 

[Dak]

No.

So why not have pride in the building of the Pyramids? The Battle of Thermopylae? The launching of the Soyuz? Good job Comrade Butt.

Being content with the facets of your existence of which you have no control over is different from having pride in it.

 

[The Butt]

Taking pride in ones nationality is not ignorant. I believe my ancestries have a rich culture and are interesting to read and learn about. I'm proud to be part Polish and part Ukrainian. If you think that's ignorant, so be it but I think the same about your viewpoint as well.

 

[Einherjar86]

National pride is nothing more than a longing for mythological coherence and origin. We long to be descended from something pure and pristine; but this is never the case, and any "origins" that we believe in are mystical in nature: false, projected, constructed, cultural. This is why the Greeks wrote epics (and the English, and the Romans, and the Finnish, etc. etc.).

Every culture is "rich and interesting"; there's no reason to privilege one over others, and doing so is what leads to Nationalist fanaticism. I think Ireland has a rich history and culture, but I don't pride myself on being Irish any more than I pride myself on being descended from early hominids in Africa. Nationalism is blind belief in the transcendental unity of a pure bloodline that goes back to some mythical origin. At its most basic, it's the psychological sublimation of discordance and violence into a coherent fiction.

 

[Dak]

I believe my ancestries have a rich culture and are interesting to read and learn about.

When you are the source of some rich culture, and are interesting to read about, then you may have some justification or a source of pride. "My greatgreat^5grandpappy did X, which is pretty much the same as me doing it" is where the ignorance lies. It is worse than the "we" of sports fandom - at least fans actively perpetuate the existence of sports to some degree.
You have no claim to pride.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

@Ein, Fhhhhhhhucking well said. Shit.

 

[SentinelSlain]

I don't know if you noticed this, but you don't have a monopoly on what we talk about in this thread. We've clearly started talking about the silliness of national pride.

I know and my post was about how a individuals actions can legitimately be tied to their national pride. Think of war heroes and maybe political reformers or revolutionaries.

 

[The Butt]

When you are the source of some rich culture, and are interesting to read about, then you may have some justification or a source of pride. "My greatgreat^5grandpappy did X, which is pretty much the same as me doing it" is where the ignorance lies. It is worse than the "we" of sports fandom - at least fans actively perpetuate the existence of sports to some degree.
You have no claim to pride.

Whatever you say, man.