the.com/nationalism
Love of country, weaponized into a reason to distrust everyone outside it.
means The belief that one's nation and its interests deserve primary loyalty, often defined against (and above) other nations and peoples.
from From 'nation,' tracing to Latin 'natio' — 'birth,' from 'nasci,' to be born — originally meaning a group of people born of the same stock or place. The '-ism' suffix, marking a doctrine or movement, got bolted on as the idea hardened into ideology around the 18th and 19th centuries, when scattered loyalty to kings, clans, and regions curdled into something bigger and more combustible: loyalty to the nation-state itself, often defined by exactly who it excludes.
- vs patriotism
- patriotism loves its country, nationalism needs yours to lose
- origin
- 19th century idea, born alongside the printing press and maps
- irony
- borders feel ancient, most were drawn within memory
- paradox
- unites millions by insisting they are better than everyone else