Good Nationalism, Bad Nationalists - Essay Example

Good Nationalism, Bad Nationalists Nationalism per se is generally a good phenomenon, a virtue that everyone must possess, however, how the proclaimed and acknowledged nationalists behave and act by virtue of nationalism draws the line between good and bad. Indeed, nationalism is not bad, self-proclaimed nationalists’ actions are. Mr. Webster defines nationalism simply as “loyalty and devotion to a nation”. Within this context, nationalism is good because it unites the people within a nation under a common love and loyalty for the motherland. However, on the other hand, the same unifying force also is the very reason why the world is torn apart by war between conflicting countries. Soldiers and civilians alike valiantly march into war under the flag of courage and nationalism, to defend one’s own country and defeat the foreigners and outsiders. Nationalism has therefore drawn the line between countries; it creates the well-entrenched notion of “us” and “them”. Everyone on the other side of the fence is a potential threat, if not of inferior quality. This line is drawn based on many different factors, including but not limited to, race, geography, language, and culture. A very good example for this division is during a boxing match or the world cup. For some reason, a friendly competition between sports professionals is never friendly at all insofar as fans are concerned. When boxing’s Manny Pacquiao fights a Mexican boxer, each home country forgets about its crime, political and insurgency problems and is united in cheering for their sports hero. And for unexplained reason, one almost instantly becomes a fan just for being of the same nationality as the players. The spectators feel a special connection or bond between them and the players. Nelson Mandela saw how potent the world cup is in fostering a common identity among South Africans and cementing their sense of pride and nationalism as a unified nation. And within a span of only a few weeks, Nelson Mandela was able to achieve what many before him have failed for centuries – he united South Africa under one team, one chant, one flag and one country. South Africa did not just win the rugby world cup in 1995, more importantly it won the newfound understanding that they are all South Africans, blacks and whites alike (Carlin). Nationalism is said to have been born in Europe and was just replicated into the rest of the world. Naturally, the birthing pains gripped the continent in such a way that the mere thought of it still cause a twitch to the stomach. Nationalism is a product of a long, gradual and painful process of discovering a country’s one shared identity. Nationalism is what made the Republic of Italy that we know today, but for a hefty price. The unification of Italy in the nineteenth century brought about a growing sense of shared identity among the people in the Italian peninsula. The clamor for a single nation motivated the Risorgimento to bring the peninsula under one flag, one kingdom, one country, one nationality. And the same need for one shared identity made Massimo D’Azeglio to declare, “We have made Italy, now we must make Italians” (Avanti). He did not just want a Kingdom of Italy with subjects that have varying languages and culture. Massimo D’Azeglio wanted to have a true Italy with Italians, hence the landmark remark from which we can safely infer that the ideals of nationalism created the Italian nation. The Italian success story was then replicated many times over in other parts of the world. It even inspired the creation in the United Stated of America of the Garibaldi Guards otherwise known as the 39th New York Infantry which was created to fight threats against the Union (Obama). Throughout recorded history, Europe is fraught with wars and armed conflict between warring kingdoms and between states within a given kingdom, all in the name of imperial power and honor. Countries in the continent did not just had the willpower to protect its own identity as a nation but also the pride and conceit that they have the superior power to rule over the entire world. A case in point is the episode of Nazi Germany which introduced the world to a whole new concept of nationalism – the exclusivity of the great Aryan race which was used to justify the genocide of thousands of Jews. In this case, a corrupt version of nationalism was defined solely on the account of the perfect physical attributes of the perfect race alone and disregards such considerations as shared culture, geography and history. Hitler drew the line of “us” and “them” right on the nose, literally. But then again, the same sense of national pride and honor which tore the country apart into the West and East Germany is what brought down the Berlin wall after the collapse of communism in East Germany. Nationalism motivated the people to let go of the pains of the past and embrace a reunified Germany. Overwhelmed by the glory of seeing old friends and relatives from the other side, they have learned to forget that they were once eastern and western Germans. Now, they are all proud Germans. The concept of nationalism is good with plenty of advantages for a given country. It unites the people under one sense of national honor and pride. This in turn gives every law-abiding citizen the reason to cooperate for the betterment of the country’s political and economic status not only for domestic stability but also for international display. Moreover, nationalism is what motivates compatriots to help one another when one is in distress in a foreign land. Nationalism created the Chinatowns in almost every city and country around the world. And it is good. However, when it is flavored with the arrogance of superiority over all the nationalities and despise against the so-called inferior races, then nationalism turns sour and bitter. It becomes the bane of the world when it is tainted with the selfish interests of a misguided nationalist. The concept of nationalism is good but the actions of nationalists may be bad. The ideals of nationalism are honorable but the behavior of self-proclaimed nationalists may be deplorable. Man has the capacity to think of good ideas but he has difficulty in putting them into good deeds because self-interest stands in the way. If only we have the power to fluidly transform good ideas into good deeds, then we would have a much better world to live and co-exist in. If only nationalism guarantees good nationalists. Works Cited: “Avanti”. The Economist. The Economist Newspaper Limited. February 24, 2011. Print. Carlin, John. “How Nelson Mandela won the rugby World Cup”. The Telegraph. October 19, 2007. Web. April 18, 2012. "Nationalism." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. April 18, 2012. Obama, Barack. "150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy, 2011", A Proclamation. March 17, 2011. Web. April 18, 2012. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More