The unmentionable - the 'other' Forum

[Peter Presland]

T
"America" is, like all countries, a phantasm. It is a tribal construct designed to control, utilize with all possible efficiency, and maximize earning potentials of its assets.

Such an entity is as equipped to learn as is, say, a bag of hammers.

The system that incorporates it, of course, is self-correcting by nature -- which is to say, capable of quantifying, analyzing, and possibly benefiting from experience.

The individual and the national entity are natural enemies.

I don't wish to indulge in semantics here, but I'd be inclined to substitute 'Nation State' for 'Country' in the above. Otherwise I agree completely.

I'm reading 'country' as in the land/landscapes and the peoples who share affinities through multi-generational habitation of that land. I see 'Nation State' as the construct Charles is really referring to, although in many ways, even the nation state has been subordinated to supra-national constructs with no affinity or loyalty to either nation state or country - other than to use the NS's political, cultural and especially media and law-enforcement institutions to keep the general populations under control.

I do accept that even 'country' is an artificial construct but, for the purposes of debate with those lost in the 'consensus trance', I find the distinction useful. For example - I can indicate sympathy/agreement with certain manifestations of 'patriotism' as an Englishman whilst at the same time making it crystal clear that I abhor the 'British State' and most all its works past and present. It gets me a hearing where I would otherwise be dismissed completely.

All of which is not to say that both the Nation State and those Supra-national entities are not ruthless in their use and manipulation of the instinctive loyalties engendered by 'one's country' too. It's just that most people NEED to focus their loyalties on something tangible and 'my country' is likely to remain up there with the major 'somethings' as far forward as I can see.