Originally posted by Fleetwood Mac
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I don't think it's xenophobic to want independence. I think it's xenophobic to define who is British and who isn't, and to want to take action against those deemed to not be British. I think it's xenophobic to reject any person or idea based on it's origin and not it's merits. I'm talking about the BNP. Have been this whole time with a few minor forays into some British stereotypes. I'm not talking about you. I'm not talking about the EU. I think the BNP has a dog in the race regarding the EU, but I'm willing to bet it's not the same dog as your dog.
To say that Britain has a history of exclusionism is both fair and unfair. I admit that. Certainly outsiders can see it that way, and I'm sure some insiders do as well. Accepting foreigners and foreign ways has historically not been the strongest suit in British history, somewhat sad given the breadth of the Empire. Especially compared to America. Which is why it's also unfair.
America has a similar problem, but we take in people and just hate them until we start hating someone else. But what it is to be an American has not been a static concept. Sometimes it has meant obedience, sometimes it has meant rebellion, sometimes it has meant expansionism, sometimes isolationism. Sometimes we are the world police, sometimes the kid everyone likes to bully. Essentially our national identity is schizophrenic, so with one glaring exception, anyone who talks about "real Americans" is either doing it in a commercial or getting blown off in a bar.
We say we are a melting pot, but it's not true. We are a stew. The beef does not mix with potatoes or the carrots, but in the end it all tastes like stew. So Vietnamese take out is just as American as pizza. But we have never demanded assimilation from our immigrants. Or maybe we have, but we never got it and never got used to it. Britain most assuredly has demanded it and has gotten used to it. There is a beautiful museum exhibit that was just in town of African cottons and Indian silks made up into these beautiful Edwardian gowns worn by women in British India and Africa. Now we Americans have a hard time keeping our explorers in pants when in other countries, much less making the natives wear our stuff. We never even succeeded in making our own Natives wear our stuff, much to the scandal of the teachers on reservations.
And I can't tell you where the difference comes from, since clearly we are hugely British as a nation. We are different. We should be. But I know what American strength and weaknesses are. I know when America is in trouble. And we are, though less so than we were 10 years ago. I don't know how to know when Britain is in trouble. It's why I asked. You have some weaknesses. Many of the same weaknesses we have. I'm not singling you out as some nation of racists. You guys hit a lot of major milestones before we did. What I am saying is that it is right for my knowledge of some of your weaknesses to cause some concern. I think most likely you guys handle it brilliantly. But I'm not British, I don't know for sure. Which is why I ask. As a citizen of the world who has heard some stuff but doesn't know a lot, I ask. I explain the reason for my concern.
But as for becoming a genocidal nation, I assure you that my assumption that it could happen is nothing personal. I assume it can happen anywhere. It has happened everywhere at some point. It's probably a lot less likely that a modern country is going together and kill all the Jews, but how many are killing political dissidents or terrorists? China killed 80 million of it's own people in 50 years in the name of politics. Greece just recently rounded up illegals and homosexuals and stored them in cages on docks in several cities. And as best I can tell, no one knows what happened next. There are no more stories about it. Not even that they were released or or arrested or even deported. Black out. That's not comforting. Are huge or isolated nations less susceptible? Maybe? It may end up making us more susceptible in this new era of hyper security. Do I fervently hope that our differences from Germany and our involvement in the aftermath of genocide would mean we wouldn't let it happen? Hell yes. Do I count on it as certain? No. 15 years ago I could not imagine allowing some rent a cop to invasively search me for any reason. I protested against frisking procedures by police in high school. A few months ago, I let some guy search me because I didn't want to miss my plane. I've changed. My country has changed. I never thought we would be this. So I don't rule out anything anymore.
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