Nationalism is Bad

I don't typically agree with my hyper-liberal friends on Twitter. Sure, there are economic factors behind racism, sexism, and such, but that doesn't excuse Trump supporters; Whatever its flaws, I'm not going to blame neoliberalism for Les Deplorables. I was raised in the South and know that even during the fat years racists are still racists. But there is one thing we can probably agree on: nationalism is bad.

Part of this is self-preservation: This election year doesn't give me many reasons to be proud to be American, other than the higher probability that we won't elect a demagogue than we actually will. The fact that it has come to this is embarrassing. But my biggest concern is that I have Chinese friends who I want to stay friends with, and only a post-national world really guarantees that. Fortunately the other side seems to see it the same way. According to "China-watchers" Chinese patriotism is about regaining the pride they lost over the past two or three centuries of Western dominance, mixed with pursuing a special kind of middle-class success, aka the "China dream." This more or less jives with the attitudes I encounter among my friends. Sure, this kind of patriotism has its excesses—I don't care what maps exist. There is no way the whole damn South China Sea belongs to China (Republic of or People's Republic of)—but this is something 'Murica has demonstrated quite frequently.

Of course both my Chinese friends and myself could be living in an elitist bubble, and our views don't reflect those of the proletariat. In the U.S. there seems to be a major misconception that the Chinese, on average, are more intelligent and rational, which I think stems from the stereotypes of Chinese Americans, combined with that glowing mystique we often give to foreigners; For instance, the British sound more charming and enlightened due to their accent. What is forgotten is that every country has its share of uncultured, anti-intellectual philistines. While my opinion is that Chinese culture, in general, pays more respect to pragmatism and education than my own, this does not mean ignorance does not abound (it most definitely does). I don't really use Sina Weibo, but I can only imagine areas of it are like Reddit, but in Mandarin, with the commentariat calling for the complete annexation of Japan. With respect, though, the Chinese as a whole are fairly modest in their national ambitions, at least compared with the American adventurism of the last decade. Seeking ones "rightful place" is not the same as trying to take over the world or spread one's ideology.

Of course, the Chinese government's obsession with territorial sovereignty and, perhaps more importantly, the survival of the Party, has fed nationalistic rhetoric and the suppression of dissent. Hong Kong is a tricky issue for me personally because I want to be supportive of both sides of the autonomy debate. It's quite obvious that freedoms are being eroded here (especially among the theological community), but localist parties like "Youngspiration," besides their terrible names, are also bad at moderation, boycotting events for being "too Chinese" and yelling obscenities when being sworn into office. Such rhetoric only worsens the prejudice the locals have for their northern cousins and vice-versa. Sure, tourists are always annoying, but aside from the problems of parallel trading and the clogging of the pedestrian arteries, they bring lots of money into the city.

My point is that there is a perfectly acceptable level of compassionate disdain one can have toward ones geopolitical neighbors without being an ass. For instance, I would allow a Midwesterner to sleep in the cold even though they would probably find it bracing and strengthening of their Lutheran merit. I also become quite jingoistic during national sporting events. But these things are the proper cathartic releases of national pride.

Fortunately it seems like most Hong Kong locals are able to find a happy medium between enjoying their freedoms as Hong Kongers while also being proud Chinese. During the Olympics many switched between supporter their athletes (who never win) and the PRC's. I also felt a similar "both-and" attitude earlier this month during China's national day, when Hong Kong put on a decent fireworks display over the harbor. Many of my Mainland friends are saddened by the rhetoric that comes out of Hong Kong these days, as well as the prejudice they often feel. My hope is that things like that reassure them that it's not all as black-and-white as it seems, that there is a complexity to being Hong Kong Chinese—and being a person of any citizenship really—that defies choosing one identity or the other. As a foreigner, I really will never be able to fully understand what it means to be Chinese in any shape or form, but I do appreciate the freedom I have in this city, and know that it can only be preserved through continued mutual understanding and a respect for the ambiguity of being Hong Kong Chinese.