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mk  ·  4378 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Enlightenment’s ‘Race’ Problem, and Ours

Thank you for that.

It might be that I am naive because I have never been close to the history of a nation threatened. However, even if nationalism was at times a positive force in the past, wasn't it as many times a negative one? Wasn't it nationalism that also fueled the division of Poland by foreign armies? Nationalism has supported both offense and defense.

You were born Polish, I was born American. What nationalism we have divides our interests. Should you favor another Pole over me? And yet, three of my grandparents were Polish, should you favor me over someone born in Mexico? These are not things that we earned. These are conditions that we were born into. It might sound cliché, but in this day I think it more pertinent that we consider our shared human condition, and look at place of birth as a matter of chance that says nothing about our quality or depth.

I think it is good to have respect for what others accomplished, but to forego pride.