Happy Independence Day

[Wildor]

Now that the holiday is over, I feel its no longer... "inappropriate" to have myself a little rant.

Days like Canada Day and Independence Day are really pointless. I don't mean to be unpatriotic in saying it, nor do I mean to disrespect America (I'll do that if I mean to. Trust me.), but all these holidays do is to blur an already thin line between patriotism and Nationalism. Patriotism being good, meaning you think your country rocks, Nationalism being bad, meaning you think your country is superior to all others without any supporting evidence.
Nationalism also having been a tool used to fuel Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Europe, a device used to generate public support for the unification of Germany, or as it was known in Germany at the time: Kultur Kampf (The Struggle for culture.), and for those who don't know, the unification of Germany was one of the precipitating factors of WWI.

I forgot my point.... something to do with Nationalism being inncessantly fueled with each holiday that celebrates your nation, and that in turn becoming some sort of catalyst for unforseen war and destruction.

Storm, blaming nationalism doesn't help any in understanding war, or nationalism itself.

I am firmly convinced nationalism, or patriotism, or religion, or lebensraum (spelling?), or colonialism (or anti-), or "the greater glory of our leader", or even "Let them eat cakes." are all pretext for a deep human need to war.

[Demonhero]

Storm, blaming nationalism doesn't help any in understanding war, or nationalism itself.

I am firmly convinced nationalism, or patriotism, or religion, or lebensraum (spelling?), or colonialism (or anti-), or "the greater glory of our leader", or even "Let them eat cakes." are all pretext for a deep human need to war.

Oh certainly war is a human impulse, but in this day and age where we pretend to be civilized, we need real excuses, excuses that Nationalistic pride helps to create.