Guy Carmeli Blog 7- I'm the One

American nationalism! Whatta topic, am I right? Especially for all of us who grew up during the Bush (or Blair) years. Let's just get into it.

Nationalism is hardly new. And American nationalism isn't either; it's about 250 years old. And while our particular iteration has some pretty nifty characteristics (such as the delightful ability to police the rest of the world, or the inability to refuse a refill of our sugar-drinks), I still think it's probably a bad idea.

Hillblom, the focus of Billionaire, is a perfect example of nationalist thought in action, albeit in a much more subtle way than this:

Rather than use physical violence to ensure that people of color know their place as lesser beings a la Edward Norton's character, Hillblom used his money to buy sex with adolescent girls. The money is just as powerful as any weapon. And the subsequent legal battle was only a continuation of the same imperialist attitude. The American agenda is one of supreme and sublime selfishness, of taking and hoarding, all the while ordering others not too make too much noise about their lot in life.

Nationalism is often tied to right-wing groups. The ability to offer a simple solution (kick out foreigners/cut back on welfare) to a complex problem (a changing nation/budget issues) draws many uneducated folk towards an extreme right-wing view. The American xenophobia problem has always existed, though.

So what do we as a community do to combat this problem?

Firstly: sharing openly. Jonno told us a story about a time that he offended somebody by being less than tactful about race on the rugby field. While I'm sure it was embarrassing at the time, by sharing with the group we were all able to learn from his situation.

Secondly: taking a solid look at the effects of these attitudes. The curb-stomping scene is incredibly heavy. Many of the people in the class did look away or gasp at that scene. But nobody reacted that way to Billionaire. Or to Who Killed Vincent Chin? In order to address these inequalities we must first realize how extreme they are in every iteration, especially the ones that pass by our gaze the first time. We must constantly self-asses ourselves.