Humans are tribal creatures and part of our tribal nature is defined by our race and heritage. This isn’t a “bad” or “good” thing it’s something that simply is. I’ve seen this misinterpreted and taken wrongly in both directions. For example I disagree with say a guy like Jordan Peterson when he says one should not be proud of their race or heritage (or at least certain people shouldn’t be). This doesn’t make any sense. Everyone has always drawn strength and pride from their heritage and the accomplishments of their people.
This goes beyond race to religion, ideology, nationality, and other things as well. As I said, humans are tribal creatures. To root this out and try to destroy it or shame it out of people is just weird and unnatural. We all have cultural stories, heroes, and champions that we draw inspiration from or did growing up. I’m sure Jack Johnson inspired many young black boys at the turn of the century to take up boxing like McGregor has for the Irish today (well MMA not boxing but you get my drift).
This isn’t to say you can’t learn from or be inspired by other people of course. My favorite boxer of all time is Tyson and I’m white. I’m simply saying to pretend like that doesn’t have ANY effect at all is foolishness. And to try to root this out or shame people for it is also foolishness and wrong. It’s natural and good to have a love of your people, culture, and heritage (It’s far more powerful to love your own as your base than to hate the other as your base).
Where This Goes Wrong
However this trait can be taken too far and go wrong as well. And it goes wrong when the accomplishments of a people/clan/race/group/tribe whatever are held up as an excuse for the actual person not to do anything. I see this a lot with some alt-right types as well as those of other races especially on things like forums or YouTube comments (if you ever want your IQ to drop a good 40 points visit the two places mentioned above).
Where someone from their in-group has success and they use that person’s success as a way to hide and deflect from their own weakness and lack of accomplishment. It reminds me of how people will watch porn and get off on another guy fucking the girl they wish they were fucking. Both are pathetic. So again pride and love of the in-group is good, healthy, and natural. But using it as a way to avoid dealing with your own weaknesses is not.
A great example of this is autistic 120 lb geeky alt-right guys on the internet talking about a “master race” or whatever. There are versions of this in every culture/people/in-group they’re just the ones I thought of off the top of my head. I don’t know if you remember that neo-Nazi guy who looked exactly like the “underman” from a Nazi propaganda poster. It’d essentially be like a crippled guy wanting to live in a Spartan society.
My Point Is…
The main point I’m getting at with all of this is that it’s just as “bad” to hate your heritage and your people/culture/etc. as it is to use the accomplishments of any of those things to rationalize and deflect from your own weaknesses and faults. Remember a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the same can be said of a tribe or in-group. So absolutely I think you should be proud of your people/heritage/in-group but at the same time that should never be used as a rationalization for weakness.
Anything that serves as a rationalization for weakness is bad, period. And it does you or your group no favors. The strong survive and thrive, always have and always will. So be proud of your heritage and your in-group and seek to do them honor. But seek to do them honor through your own strength and accomplishment not through living through the accomplishment of others or those from the past.
A nuance that I think gets overlooked but that is important.
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-Charles Sledge
