Paths to Nuclear War
Posted: 2024-01-10 23:34, Wednesday
War, eh ? Can't be off topic, can it ?
In any case, this thread is most definitely a one off.
Thoughts - Part I
Collision Course
A) Who are "you" to dare resist obeying "us" and ultimately becoming like "us" ? No way "you" recalcitrant, civilizational bumpkins...
B) Who are "you" to dare force "us" obey "you" and, god forbid. become like "you" ? No way "you" hubristic expansionists...
Collectivities: Feelings of Superiority & Long Term Memories
A few building blocks...
Tribes that view themselves as the latest and greatest things since the invention of... sliced bread are in constant need of feeling as well as being repeatedly told they are on top of the world. It's not a matter of highfalutin ideals and the trite, civilizational "stuff"; it's just that when "you" feel "you" are unquestionably superior to some other tribe(s), well, "you" want these children of... lesser (anthropological) gods to bow to "you" and constantly "sing" how great "you" are in every respect. Like the communist ideologues of yesteryear, messianic "True Europeans" usually lead the charge these days... Often, their "humanism without borders" effortlessly combines with "rear guard" nationalism. Ain't this some... miracle or what ?
Military victories invariably breed arrogance in populations. The victors' self-congratulatory narratives constitute the bedrock of mainstream nationalism. On the other hand, military defeats may generate some patriotic sentiments in the "loser" populations. That said, such sentiments are usually eclipsed in those instances where revanchist adventures (i.e., payback) end up being militarily successful.
Geopolitical history has long lasting consequences. The longest lasting of such consequences are the sentiments entertained by the "psyches" of various peoples which, despite "civilization's pieces of paper", remain tribal and antagonistic in the extreme.


Thoughts - Part I
Collision Course
A) Who are "you" to dare resist obeying "us" and ultimately becoming like "us" ? No way "you" recalcitrant, civilizational bumpkins...
B) Who are "you" to dare force "us" obey "you" and, god forbid. become like "you" ? No way "you" hubristic expansionists...
Collectivities: Feelings of Superiority & Long Term Memories
A few building blocks...
Tribes that view themselves as the latest and greatest things since the invention of... sliced bread are in constant need of feeling as well as being repeatedly told they are on top of the world. It's not a matter of highfalutin ideals and the trite, civilizational "stuff"; it's just that when "you" feel "you" are unquestionably superior to some other tribe(s), well, "you" want these children of... lesser (anthropological) gods to bow to "you" and constantly "sing" how great "you" are in every respect. Like the communist ideologues of yesteryear, messianic "True Europeans" usually lead the charge these days... Often, their "humanism without borders" effortlessly combines with "rear guard" nationalism. Ain't this some... miracle or what ?
Military victories invariably breed arrogance in populations. The victors' self-congratulatory narratives constitute the bedrock of mainstream nationalism. On the other hand, military defeats may generate some patriotic sentiments in the "loser" populations. That said, such sentiments are usually eclipsed in those instances where revanchist adventures (i.e., payback) end up being militarily successful.
Geopolitical history has long lasting consequences. The longest lasting of such consequences are the sentiments entertained by the "psyches" of various peoples which, despite "civilization's pieces of paper", remain tribal and antagonistic in the extreme.