John Rooke

For a thoroughly anti-nationalist critique of Zionism

critiquing Israeli nationalism and colonialism is no more inherently antisemitic than critiquing the Chinese Communist Party is inherently anti-Chinese. Believing that to be the case is in itself racist because that belief is rooted in the idea that people and states are the same thing
A “people” is quite simply a group of individuals that have associated together and have over time formed cultural similarities. It is an organic network of affinity groups with a culture that developed freely and naturally, and that will change and evolve over time. A people have no innate “essence” that exists out in the ether, and there is no force involved to maintain a people. A nation state on the other hand is a group of elites that has forced many people under one despotic military regime with the goal of creating and maintaining an artificial and unified identity

https://c4ss.org/content/59230

#Zionism #nationalism #anarchism

Anti-Zionism Isn’t Enough.

We Must Oppose Nationalism in All Forms. In today’s cynical and dishonest political climate every critique of Zionism is smeared as antisemitic by the right wing and moderate liberal media.

^{Center for a Stateless Society}

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Tess

7 months ago •

“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.”
Albert Einstein

It's actually racist to consider that a group of people, in this case "semites" or some sub-group of them, can't stumble over the same errors all other, at least western (sub)cultures, stumbled over. Stones like, nationalism, totalitarianism, fascism, submission by force of others, discrimination .. and so on, and so on and so on.

And it would be a dis-service to those people or groups to not point out their problems and failures to them because of some particular and very special reason. That would be differentiating, discriminating because of something.

A true friend, someone who really is interested in you, also points out your errors and problems, otherwise he's just virtue-signaling.

Tess

7 months ago •

Nationalism in itself is criticized. To my mind no one group caught in the grips of nationalist fervor should be singled out for vilification. The notion of nationalism is the culprit and is what should be noted from the post & challenged.
Einstein described himself in this way "I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever."
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/global-citizen

I choose to believe falling prey or stumbling into or over such as totalitarianism, nationalism, fascism, discrimination and the oh so many ills that plague mankind isn't a given because it happened before to others...but that's a choice.

Einstein's Political Views | American Museum of Natural History

A passionate humanitarian, Einstein emerged from his shell to argue for the protection of human rights around the world.

^{American Museum of Natural History}

utopiArte

7 months ago •

@Tess > I choose to believe falling prey or stumbling into or over such as totalitarianism, nationalism, fascism, discrimination and the oh so many ills that plague mankind isn't a given because it happened before to others...but that's a choice.

Yes and no I guess.
It looks to me that those things are the result of tribalism and I came to the conclusion that tribalism by itself is part humans of human nature, literally written in to the DNA of homo sapiens.
When you say that a behavior is an option, a choice that's probably true to a certain extent, other wise it wouldn't happen so often, or maybe even always, in any cultural group, sooner or later.
If you have a choice it's because you are acting.
Is reaction or reflex a choice?

When ever it comes to "-isms" we are most likely in a phase of unreflected reaction that lead to extremes and their for inevitably to errors and wrong doing.

Choice is when we have means at hand to see and understand options, their are many reasons or situations when this isn't the case (anymore).

@Tess

Tess

7 months ago •

It remains so for me I choose to believe one doesn't necessarily have to follow... My humanity is bound to my right of choice.
I do recognize that a school of thought seeks to completely negate & dowmplay my individual agency but it's one I obviously don't agree with...
I think I can agree with the notion though that when isms are involved "unreflected reaction" is in the drivers seat...

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utopiArte

7 months ago •

@Tess > a school of thought seeks to completely negate & downplay my individual agency

Just to not create misunderstandings.
Not trying to downplay or negate, much less justify certain behavior.
The intention is more like taking a breath and trying to figure out where the issues belong to, what and maybe why we or others are facing certain issues, situations or circumstances to realize where we are and what we are. I guess because I consider that that is the first step towards becoming conscientious in a situation, to "wake up" and their for get back in the drivers set of your own behavior, your own choices and leave the position of auto pilot and chain of reactions.

In other words, im not saying:
"Oh, that's just tribal and there for normal and ok!"
but saying:
"Maybe this behavior or reaction comes out of the tribal pathway, derailed, or is about to derail, and you (or we) are risking to lose perspective getting lost in the tunnel view of your bubble, traveling the highway of national BS, not realizing any more the greater picture of who you are and where you are right now."

@Tess

**joe

7 months ago •

I do not believe that my nationality is written into my DNA.

utopiArte

7 months ago •

@**joe

I do not believe that my nationality is written into my DNA.

Who said that?

I consider that the tribal behavior is writen into the DNA of small group species like apes, contrary to sheeps, gnus or bisons that are herd animals.

Ideological concepts like nationality, or any other kind of group identity tap into those key holes.
The concept of "we" and "them" can exist because of those basic instincts.

@**joe

Tess

7 months ago •

I believe I understand you're not necessarily aligned with the school of thought that seeks to negate or downplay individual agency...
Reflective agency won't result from "unreflected action" and the requirements for reflective agency are currently & for sometime now under assault. I think until this is recognized and addressed "unreflected action" will perpetually occupy the drivers seat...

utopiArte

7 months ago •

@Tess
Somehow reflective agency is always under assault as it is way more energy and time consuming than incorporated standard behavior. Unless you incorporated reflective behavior as your standard, something out of the normal and not the standard.

@Tess

**joe

7 months ago •

Okay, I guess I misunderstood something Tess said, but I still think it is dangerous to ascribe any trait to "human nature", since our own nature is one of our greatest mysteries. I don't think we can ever really know what human nature is. We are too close.

Tess

7 months ago •

I think we & them exist because we're social animals. It's so true reflective agency isn't the standard and yet it is possible to exercise reflective agency. I don't believe the assault on the requirements for reflective agency has been at this level in modern history. The devaluation of intellect, science, & education seems a fairly recent phenomenon...

@joe nothing I said included any mention of DNA. May I know what you misunderstood?

**joe

7 months ago •

Oops, I'm wrong again. It was utopiArte who mentioned DNA, but was referring to tribal behavior, not any particular tribe (or nation), as being "written in".

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utopiArte

7 months ago •

@**joe

I wonder if "human nature" and the basics of homo sapiens are the same for me. I guess not and probably will have to wonder about this for some time. Somehow "human nature" refers to positive aspects for me while the tool set of homo sapiens is just the whole tool box we com shipped with.

@Tess

Sounds like you might have to define the time span of "modern times". Does it include the appearence of radio and propaganda, from Stalin over Mussolini to Adolfo Nazi or are you singeling out some specific country or region when you talk bout this?

What about the reflective nature in the case of the 9/11 event (the one of the US) and the reaction, especially home land security (Snowden) and the Irak war?

@**joe @Tess

Tess

7 months ago •

In modern times & since the enlightenment the notion that intellect, science, & education are of value was the norm. In modern times, today, the opposite is proving to be the case. Without such as intellect & education reflective agency is less & less likely to occur. We are living through a period when "unreflected reaction" is normalized because tools that underpin an alternative(reflective agency) are undermined & devalued. The process of normalizing "unreflected reaction" has insidiously worked & has produced an easily manipulated & maintained segment of our society...
I think your term "unreflected reaction" pretty much describes all the subject matter from your last paragraph...

@utopiArte your civil exchange was appreciated. We've about beat this subject to death & gone far afield...
See you around...