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NAU
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NAU |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas 
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Just something buzzing through my head after seeing the EU flag and thinking what they've gained and lost as individual nations. So what are the other thoughts out there about taking NAFTA one step further and creating the North American Union, with Canada, United States, and Mexico removing all border restrictions and citizenship requirements and becoming one economic entity under one flag and government? Europe is doing it, Africa is doing it, and I think South America is doing it. So should the North American countries? |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
haven't we already? by your other post, Ali, I would have thought you'd realized that the border between us and mexico is little more than a verbal formality. |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Perhaps, Ali, we should ask the question in a slightly different manner? In what significant way does nationalism differ from racism? |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
hmmmm....are Canadians a different race? |
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Huan Yi Member Ascendant
since 2004-10-12
Posts 6688Waukegan |
Or the Americans one? |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
quote: I'm not suggesting that nationalism is synonymous with racism, Mike, because you're right, the cause of the divisiveness is certainly different. The effect, however, doesn't seem to be so greatly different. Like racism, nationalism makes sweeping generalities about people based on little more than a "There but for the grace of God" factor. Like racism, nationalism breeds best in a culture of pride, hate, and distrust. Like racism, nationalism emphasizes differences instead of similarities, and like racism, nationalism has this nasty habit of breaking out into violence. |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
That certainly happened in the EU, but was not the thrust nor points I was trying to raise with my line of questioning. They were more along the lines of NAFTA v2.0 pros and cons with what has been witnessed in the EU along religious, secular, economic and ethnic lines. Those are the questions I myself am mulling regarding the possible next steps towards continental economic powers, such as those evidenced for the continents of Europe and Africa. As far as races and nationalism go, look no further than the Arabs in the Middle Eastern countries and the various ethnicities in Asia, where if you don't at least look like a citizen of that country physically, then you aren't part of that country. Chinese don't look like Japanese who don't look like Koreans who don't look like Okinawans who don't look like Vietnamese. I guess you could say that there's an American race, but that deals more with body language than anything else. I was once told by a Hungarian friend that they could always spot the American, even before the American opened their mouths. It all had to do with posture, eye contact, hand expressions, facial muscles and lines, how they walked, how they stood and sat with the airs of hunger, pride and aggression thick around them. Seems I've meandered yet again. Time to mull some more on the possibility of the NAU. |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
It certainly is time to mull it over, Alicat. I think the whole concept got slipped over on us without our even knowing it. I heard that the EU constitution or whatever they call it supercedes each nation's "constitution." If that is true, then won't the NAU's operating plans supercede those of Americans, Canadians or Mexicans? Second question: Is this why the illegal alien problem has been unsatisfactorilly addressed? |
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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA |
Globalization is no solution to problems afforded by nationalism. For one it dumbs down differences, discourages heritage and tradition, and generally trivializes culture. Besides, I really don't think it will do anything to reduce or cure violence and warfare. There are civil wars too. Recognizing racial difference is good. Racism is bad. Likewise nationalism is good. Patriotic zealotism is bad. Stephen |
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Skyfyre Senior Member
since 1999-08-15
Posts 1906Sitting in Michael's Lap |
quote: I'd like to see some examples of what you're describing here. This seems like a pretty sweeping statement to me, but I'm not up on politics and sociology, so please enlighten me. |
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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA |
Skyfyre, While it was indeed a sweeping statement ... so was the statement about nationalism. I guess I was more reacting to the suggestion that a global "government" could actually provide a sense of heritage, identity, and the rest ... and also do away with agression and the pesky little problems of groups who are proud of their national spirit. Though proper pride, can turn into arrogance, and ultimately lead to violence ... I believe that agression is part of our sinfulness that will manifest in spite of big overarching government, or all artificial means of desacralizing national culture. Marxism should have taught us that much. One difficulty in talking about this is that there are so many different definitions of "globalization" and people who oppose it, oppose different aspects of it, for very different reasons. Here are a couple of wiki-links giving an overview. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-nationalism Stephen. |
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