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The Essence of Nationalism
by Doug Vandinan
Given the growing use of the terms "nationalism" and "nationalist" to denote the ideology
and activists who resist communist tendencies in society, it would be appropriate to clarify
what exactly nationalism means and what nationalists stand for. Such an examination would
serve to strengthen the ideological foundation of the nationalist struggle, and to help
identify those activists who truly deserve to fashion themselves as nationalists, as opposed
to those who masquerade as nationalists yet rightfully should be classified as communists,
socialists, Marxists, or anarchists.
Simply put, nationalism is an ideology based on the belief that people with a common identity
constitute a separate political, cultural, and social community from other peoples. This
common identity stems from shared characteristics -- ethnicity (or blood), lineage, language,
culture, and society. Nationalists have historically demanded that governments share the
same identity as the governed and that they strive to preserve the national heritage.
Nationalists, however, distinguish between the state and the nation, as the state exists
solely to further the interests of the Nation.
All of the above terms -- nation, state, culture, government -- are used loosely in everyday
discourse. Therefore, a concrete understanding of them is necessary to achieve a true
comprehension of nationalism.
A nation is a people that, besides maintaining a common identity, radiates a cultural
idea and interacts in a distinct society.
A culture is the sum total of a nation's creative output. Art, music, religion,
literature, science, architecture, and academe are the building blocks of culture.
Society is a term that refers to the manner in which a group of people interacts with
one another. It embodies a people's traditions, customs, and morals. The ways that families,
friends, the sexes, colleagues, etc., treat one another, and the values and norms that are
expected from such relationships, constitute a society.
A state is ideally the legally formed entity that puts the collective will of the
nation into action. To do so, a state must extract funds from its population and control
territory by force.
A government is the individuals and institutions within a state that have the
authority to establish and enforce public policy and mediate internal and external
conflicts. It also has the power to grant citizenship, which is a special status
that a government gives to its people. Citizens' rights are (supposedly) guaranteed by
their government.
A contemporary example to illustrate the difference between government and state: the
American government is comprised of the President, Congress, and Supreme Court on the
federal level, as well as the various state- and local-level representatives, judges,
mayors, and councils. The state includes all of those but also manifests itself in the
forms of the military, the police, the public education system, the IRS, the EPA, and all
the woefully numerous bureaucracies and committees.
In the ideal nationalist state, citizenship would be restricted to members of the nation.
However, the power elite that has wrested control of the state from the American people has
determined that any human born on American soil is automatically classified as an American
citizen. As a result, Mexicans, Haitians, Indians, Orientals, and others who are not of
the same stock as those that founded America travel here and birth offspring that
immediately are eligible for the complete range of state benefits. American nationalists
demand that this influx of foreigners be halted and that those already here be encouraged,
and ultimately forced, to return to their native lands. Multi-ethnic states historically
have been failures, and today in the 21st century we are witnessing the crumbling of the
once-great American nation, a decay which perfectly fits the historical precedent set by
Egypt, Greece and Rome in ancient times, and the Balkan states in recent ones.
Nationalists also demand that the American nation's sovereignty absolutely be maintained by
the state. Sovereignty, bluntly defined, is the principle that a government has the
right to do what it wants on its own territory, and ideally should reciprocate by staying
out of the internal affairs of other states. Unfortunately, American troops have been used
by the United Nations for "humanitarian" causes, and the disease of globalism frequently
motivates the actions of our government. Hence this nationalist principle of sovereignty
has been blatantly violated, and we must reassert our nation's political authority to act
strictly independent from international and foreign interests.
Communism, also known as Marxism, Leninism, Bolshevism, or socialism, is the
ideological opposite of nationalism. Communist doctrine states that there are no
nationalities; that they are false creations of the rich (or "bourgeoisie," as communists
call them) meant to keep the "proletariat" (blue-collar workers) divided and at bay. To
back that claim, communists seek to promote the notion that we are all "one people," one
individual as good as, and substitutable for, another. Africans, Hispanics, Asians,
Europeans -- all are equal in this view. Therefore, communists revel in a multicultural,
ethnically diverse society, which they see as fulfilling their dream of some twisted
utopian paradise. Calls for national sovereignty and homogeneity are anathema to them.
Furthermore, communists often mask their true intentions with false propaganda intended to
create the illusion that they are fighters for the working class and for workers' rights.
This is but a public relations ploy used to garner the support of the broad masses, most
of whom fall into the "working class" category.
Nationalists do not recognize the communist doctrine of class warfare, which states that
the proletariat must always struggle against the bourgeoisie. According to communists, the
workers -- farmers, miners, factory workers, construction laborers, etc. -- are
continuously exploited by the bourgeoisie -- business owners and white-collar job
holders. As a matter of fact, this false notion of "class" is altogether foreign to a
nationalist's way of thinking. In a nationalist's view, all members of a nation are one
"class," regardless of an individual's job or income. In this sense, farmers, policemen,
store owners and doctors are all organic parts of the nation, all part of one "class,"
because of common blood, lineage, language and history. A communist, however, draws
distinctions by income level, since in his mind the poor are systematically manipulated by
the wealthy. This belief has, to say the least, resulted in much civil strife, rioting,
and mass suffering in Western societies since Marx published his manifesto in
1848.
Today, while classic communism may have faded with the Soviet Union, its ghost powers a
number of politically potent if intellectually barren offshoots including feminism, queer
rights, and multiculturalism; radical ideologies shot through with the leveling spirit of
egalitarianism that continue to exact a terrific toll from traditional, civilized White
America.
Only nationalism, with its emphasis on the preservation of the wondrous heritage of
America, can win this cultural war. While communism seeks to degrade, denigrate, and
destroy, nationalism focuses on creativity, rejuvenation, and replenishment. Nationalists
must, above all else, endeavor to return America to its rightful destiny as the Founding
Fathers envisioned it. Otherwise, our descendents will be forced to endure hellish lives
in a Third World country, a fate for which they will curse us in our graves.
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