I realized I never posted discussion about Ghost of Berlin, will post my notes soon, but for now my thoughts on today's discussion of "nationalism" with Misha Neininger.
First of all, I thought the subject of "transcending nationalism" was very interesting, especially in the context of Germany and its history of an extreme desire for a pure identity that has in a way, made many Germans hesitant today to even wave a national flag. It made me think about my take on nationalism…maybe I have transcended nationalism because I am so culturally confused.
I’ve never been nationalistic, even during the Olympics I don’t know whether to support the US or China. Both countries always end up wining too many metals anyway so I usually just find a smaller country to root for. Sports arenas always bring about national pride, but I don’t really watch sports and don’t follow teams. I’ve never waved a US flag, I refused to say the pledge of allegiance (and got detention for it) and even in high school, I was never very spirited. I am not really fond of the “nationalism” that has emerged dramatically in the last decade following unfortunate events. For a while there, political figures and slogans made me feel like I wasn’t American enough because I did not embrace red white and blue. In a way, I support Germany’s urge to transcend nationalism because to me, nationalism is much deeper than saying how much I love my country, it’s what I do for my country. By supporting important reforms in education, healthcare, civil rights and other social issues, I am being nationalistic. I will never paint my face red white and blue, but will commit to improving my community and my county. That is me being nationalistic.
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