On my facebook news feed, I noticed a friend had a status update that read "Yay pride week!" She's bisexual with a healthy libido--the kind of girl who screams to be bedded, not an ugly, serious LGBT-activist type. So I commented:AE makes a perspicacious observation concerning the differing attitudes concerning majority and minority behavior. First, allow me to redress a slight problem with AE's argument. "Gay pride" as engaged in by most homosexuals isn't actually an expression of "pride" concerning one's predilection towards same-sex attraction. Instead, as a result of social ostracism, gays are opposing the larger paradigm that frames homosexuality as sexual deviancy and appropriate in only a private context. Essentially, they assail the notion that homosexuality is something to be ashamed of; in doing so, they co-opt a word that doesn't reflect their exact message, but does confer upon them the intended positivity. They actually feel the opposite of shame, a concept framed as "pride" for the purposes of marketing.White pride, huh? I'm glad you don't hate everything about yourself ;)....several other comments expressed very predictable disgust at the idea, justifying my comment in a general sense. Those responding with hostility clearly were appalled by the idea of embracing a white racial identity.
Second, AE broaches the idea that popular society tacitly admonishes any notion of white racial pride, as opposed to its encouragement of minority collectivism. In my opinion, this apprehension concerning white racialism underpins the Tea Party backlash and the incessant chiding of its racial homogeneity.
Pride is generally considered the feeling of esteem or satisfaction. In regards to racial pride, this would seemingly equate with the notion that racial or ethnic accomplishment bequeaths individual members of a given genetic family with a sense of gratification. By this definition, the successes of "tribe" members, such as those by a scientific luminary like Newton, and those of large scale cohorts, such as early American colonists, are motivators for racial or ethnic pride.
But is this concept even rational? Can an individual completely removed or essentially inconsequential in bringing forth these accomplishments rationally feel pride? Can individual esteem derive from the actions of others significantly removed from oneself? I contend these objections completely undermine the rationality of ethnic and racial pride, as pride for venerable achievement only reasonably results from one's own struggle. Only those intimately involved in a given process deserve the honor commensurate with laudable work. In general, it is the slothful and unsatisfied that seek to claim admiration rightfully conferred upon others.
For a concrete example of this phenomenon, take a family comprised of one incarcerated sibling and one decorated scientist. How can the loser sibling reasonably feel pride for the accomplishments of his sibling by the mere genetic link between them? Is he magically exonerated for the miserable failings of his own life through genetic osmosis? Did he display an indefatigable spirit, intense pugnacity, and peerless ability, the aspects of achievement that justify his brother's esteem? Not at all. Yet, he can somehow embrace this as reason for his own pride!? Perhaps, he feels empathetic happiness FOR his brother, but surely not pride.
The spoils of accomplishment, the pride initiated by a job well done, belong to the actors bringing forth the success.
But let me briefly qualify this argument. As in many realms of discourse, the reasonable needn't match the pragmatic. Is racial and ethnic pride a wholly illogical phenomenon? Yes, but that doesn't preclude it from providing benedictions for a given population, such as ethnic based initiatives like Swedish socialism, the British BNP, and those opposing Muslim intrusion in the Netherlands. As with the 2001 New England Patriots, a collectively defined objective that still celebrates individual success can prove adaptive in regards to large scale endeavors. Owing to our social constitution, humans react positively to peer group reinforcement and experience a palpable connection to kin that often betrays our egoistic leanings. The hidebound keepers of reason like myself surely scoff at the masses' delusions, but as any economist notes, human behavior whimsically shirks the logical. And if the ends prove positive for both society and its individual constituents, should we dissuade emotions that are ultimately foolish?
14 comments:
Numerous studies have shown that ethnic pride produces greater self esteem for the individuals that practice it. This is nothing more than a vicarious feeling of pride. One doesn't have to feel pride from one's own personal accomplishments; the feelings are still real regardless. It's no different than feeling proud of your favorite football team for winning the Super Bowl. Sure you weren't even in the game, but you still rationalize that you helped them win with your support.
The thing with White pride that makes minorities upset is that the accomplishments of Whites dwarf all others. This is just a fact. When someone declares, "White pride!", it's like a supporter of a football team that has been whooping every other team's ass for the past 50 years driving down the street screaming his team's name. Who wants to hear that, especially if your team is the worst in the league?
The very same white people who admire "black pride", and just about every other minority pride, are appalled by the concept of "white pride".
It has taken decades of pervasive social engineeering to make people think this way.
I was watching Apollo 13 with my 4 year old, again, and there is a feeling of awe at the commitment and accomplishment of doing something so amazing. The shared pride whether national or ethnic comes from the fact that the nation supported the effort. It wasn't exactly independent. Both the commitment of the nation and the talent and vision of those working on the project were necessary. In such a case there is some rational basis for shared pride. We paid for that project. However, I also feel pride in my sons' talents, whether they master a new piano piece, hit home runs, invent creative stories or the Rube Goldberg Lego machine of the week. We are linked and from that linkage comes the pride. I make it possible for them to achieve by bringing them into this world and supporting their endeavors.
The bizarre thing to me is having group pride when there is nothing to be proud of. Gay pride? What, they are proud of having libidinous activity with a person of the same sex? Goofy. Probably why more reasonable gays avoid the gay pride events. OneSTDV correctly noted that pride is used in place of some other more appropriate term. It is the slippery slope, tolerance to acceptance to promotion to celebration. The point of tolerating is that you don't really like it. But the social engineers want to force you to like it. You don't like it because you think there is something wrong with it.
I visited a private high school open house this weekend and there was a character board with some character qualities they were promoting. One was, "Tolerance, realizing that not everyone is at the same level of character development." I liked that better than some of the other expressions of what it means to be tolerant which I have seen.
One
I'm getting a Gookle malware warning when I visit this site--what gives?
@ Mr Apos:
You're the second person to alert me to this. Is it still occurring? I'm not getting any error when I visit on my computer.
Is it something from the AEI blog? Please let me know. Thanks.
You didn't address whether the decorated scientist should feel shame for his brother's actions.
I think it seems reasonable to feel that way. I say the amount of pride (or shame) one can justifiably feel for a person's actions is directly related to the closeness of the other person. So, you feel the most pride in your own accomplishments (though there is also virtue in humility), a little less for your brother's, a little less for a friend, someone from your hometown, your race, your nation, etc.
One,
I'm also getting that malware warning. The warning states that your site contains elements of blog.american.com, which contains malware. I don't know if this is a link on your site or what. I started getting this warning this morning.
@ Sagat,
I just removed the American blog from my blogroll.
Has the malware warning stopped?
@Onestdv
It has stopped for me. No more malware. I think you solved the problem.
OneSTDV says . . .
Only those intimately involved in a given process deserve the honor commensurate with laudable work
You treat this as an axiom, obvious to all. But it is not.
I take pride in the accomplishments of my parents and shame in their failings. I take pride in the accomplishments of my children and shame in their failings. My brother, the same. My more distant relatives, the same, diminishing in their distance. As far as I can tell, all psychologically normal humans are like this. Are they all crazy?
What am I, materially? My genes and my environment. My genes are virtually 100% from my parents, and my environment is hugely influenced by them. How could my identity not be inextricably entwined with theirs? Similarly, my children, my brother, my other relatives. So my accomplishments are partly theirs and theirs partly mine, because we are partly the same.
Don't believers in HBD think that we are, to an enormous extent, our genes? Don't they also think that race is genetic? So, co-ethnics are partly us in a way which matters greatly; therefore, we share credit and blame.
"Only those intimately involved in a given process deserve the honor commensurate with laudable work
You treat this as an axiom, obvious to all. But it is not."
It is a laudable view.
Part of what makes modern, civilized Western culture unique is the respect for the individual, and the idea that you and you alone are responsible for your failings and winnings. Even in not so long ago civilizations, family ties were destiny.
The Ancient Mongols and Chinese would often punish criminals' families. Even today, cronyism hinders the fluorishing of many societies, as is too obvious. I'd rather not enjoy living in a society of tribalism where no matter how hard I achieve, my fates rest on other people who just happen to share a certain percentage of my genes.
Psychologically normal doesn't mean "good" -- that's the is-ought distinction. The noblest features of our species come from overcoming many of our irrational flaws.
Your comment is a good illustration of how the whole idea of passing on a civilizational heritage has been degraded to the silly notion of ethnic or racial "pride", which you correctly criticize as an irrational exercise in self-esteem building, and the false notion that real self-respect can come anywhere but from one's own efforts. But the point of the exercise is not to say, "your ancestors (or people) did this, therefore you are wonderful", but rather "your ancestors (people) did this, they accomplished great things and built a great civilization, and as it was our duty to uphold it and participate in it to the best of our abilities and by the sweat of our brows, and to pass it on to you, so it is your duty in turn to earn, maintain and pass on". Quite a different thing, and a lesson in humility, not pride, accurately encapsulated in Goethe's admonition that "that which thy fathers have bequeathed thee, earn it anew if thou wouldst possess it".
It is true that, as Eric Hoffer wrote, "[t]he less able a man is to claim excellence for himself, the more likely he is to claim it for his group", though it's a measure of the times that identity groups want to claim prestige more as victims than with any claims to excellence. But the "irrational" pride that irritates you is not, among whites, so much a claim to unearned excellence as a reaction against the psychotic denigration of their culture and their ancestors, as if there were nothing there worth "earning anew". I would also suggest that it is, well, irrational, to cavil at the "irrationality" of group identity, since it is as abnormal for a human being not to indulge in it in some form as it is for a human being to be asexual. I would call it arational rather than irrational.
The attitude that ethnic or racial "pride" is "irrational" and therefore somehow "wrong" and unintelligent may be just a peculiar delusion of certain white ehnies, with a tendency to believe their own universalizing bullshit. That tendency to believe in universal norms was probably come by honestly, due to the rise and great success of science in the West in the last half millenium, as science is universal and not culturally specific, though its development is dependent on encouraging cultural norms.
idealistic quail: Even today, cronyism hinders the fluorishing of many societies, as is too obvious. I'd rather not enjoy living in a society of tribalism where no matter how hard I achieve, my fates rest on other people who just happen to share a certain percentage of my genes.
Me, neither, but it's coming soon to a Western country near you...oh wait, it appears to already be here in nascent form - perhaps paradoxically nurtured on Western hubris, manifested in our faith that everyone aspires to the non-tribal, impersonal ethos that we espouse.
But is this concept even rational? Can an individual completely removed or essentially inconsequential in bringing forth these accomplishments rationally feel pride?
A separate issue is whether or not that question is necessarily relevant. When French military commander Henri Gouraud said something to the effect of "Behold Saladin, we have returned," after putting down an uprising in Syria, was it rational for the French troops to beam with pride at the 'accomplishments' of their forefathers in having established the Kingdom of Jerusalem 800 years earlier? Probably not, but that pride presumably carried with it inspirational, beneficial (from the colonial perspective) consequences.
"Psychologically normal doesn't mean "good" -- that's the is-ought distinction. The noblest features of our species come from overcoming many of our irrational flaws."
Indeed.
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