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Re: tribalism, religion, patriotism: A continuum
er — (archived)

I don't think so. The very fact that patriotism and fundamentalist religion seem highly correlated argues against the "vacuum". And some hyperpartisan types reject both patriotism and religion.

I just think patriotism and religion are deliberately linked to provide each other with legitimacy. It's no surprise the Communists are "godless", and lefties "hate our country". Isn't that convenient? On the left, you have this amorphous touchy-feely solidarity with the downtrodden and the poor (which is just a lame attempt at some form of global patriotism, it fits in well with environmentalism, too, "patriots for the planet", if you like. with both Gaia and "progress" as god substitutes. It's all absolute hogwash, of course. My political preferences are based on experience and reason, not supernatural forces.

The key to maintaining your sanity is to not confuse your opinions on how the nation and the planet should be administered with religion or patriotism. I love my country the way I love my home town, or my home state: Not because they are "better" than others, but because I know their subtle qualities and virtues well and I am comfortable with them, and perhaps because I've gotten to tolerate their shortcomings. Hell, I love my wife, too, but she is just one of billions of women on the planet, she isn't necessarily superior to all the others just because I care for her more than any of the others.

And of course, when economics enters the picture, no can be trusted to be honest. People don't have to be evil or hypocrites to favor the policy which promises to favor them the most financially. It's perfectly natural, probably even wholesome. But when you actually start believing what's good for you is best for everyone else, you can no longer be trusted to be objective. Oh, you may be objective, but why should I take your word for it? And if you don't even recognize that influence working on you, can blind partisanship be far behind?

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