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To: ravager
National pride, is still just pride, and it's a vice that is exploited by savvy politicians and others once this pride is able to blind people.

Pride is a vice and only in moderation does it have a positive aspect. It is good to have pride and ownership. It is what makes people keep order and maintenance to a society. But in excess it becomes arrogance or causes people to loose perspective and rational thought. It becomes something which demagogues exploit to seize power, to stir one group up against another. Of course you can also suppress pride, and this is a forced modesty which isn't good either.

Other aspects that are exploited by those that lead social movements and politicians are race (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton), sex (Feminist movement), socio economic class (the leftist / socialist types with their age old scream for class warfare), national origin (The Irish and how they were singled out years past) and religion (Iran / Saudi Arabia etc), a few aspects that you also dabble into.

Hitler spoke to German pride in the 30s: http://www.youtube.com/verify_controversy?next_url=/watch%3Fv%3D26Mxy-9Sqb4 But obviously it's a racist conspiracy against you, and you have your pride now. I'm happy for you.

47 posted on 02/06/2012 1:18:47 AM PST by Red6
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To: Red6
Explain to me at what point does not excepting foreign aid (a measly £280 million from a debt ridden country) with enormous strings attached becomes “excess pride” according to you?

Ignorance is what blinds people more then pride. India's problem is not lack of money but proper governance, distribution, bureaucracy, enormous size, lack of infrastructure, health education. Is India doing anything about it? Plenty! But it will not be fixed overnight. One thing India is not running short of is money.

I am ok with my national pride and other vices. You maybe a holy man, I am not. But I am not ignorant either. The examples of social movement (race, sex, class) only tells me there are some “pride” you agree with and some you are fearful of.

58 posted on 02/06/2012 9:09:52 AM PST by ravager
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