Artifact Eight

de Figueiredo, Rui Jr. (PhD. Stanford Univ.) and Zachary S. Elkins, PhD. UC Berkeley. "Are Patriots Bigots?" American Journal of Political Science. January 2003: 171-190. U. of Texas at Dallas. January 21, 2007. <http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rui/apb3.1.pdf>

The two professors compared nationalists' and patriots' opinion on immigration. They analysed different surveys with large populations (or universes) and performed cross-tabulation of variables. They discovered that the more nationalistic you are, the more xenophobic against immigrants you are. their definition of nationalist is that they believe in and love the national interests of their nation competitively in relation to other nations. Furthermore, those who are patriotic are not any more xenophobic towards immigrants. They defined patriot as those who love and believe in the nation's institutions (values and systems) in a non-competitive way (14).

Is this then the solution to ethnocentrism? That it is well to promote patriotism, that of love of system, not exclusively, but like that of love among family (fraternity). This sounds feasible, as one may let dissention ring within and without without losing the social balance.

Question 1) Is America promoting patriotism?

Yes... in a way. The US does promote democracy, but also promote the belief that the United States is Democracy itself.

Question 2) What changes could there be made then?

By unifying the population. How? Stop concentrating on the fringe of the right or the fringe of the left. By educating the populace into voicing their own opinions, rather than that of their political parties, so to rapproach the American society to a masses-based governance.

Question 3) Who, where, when would the change take place?

The who will be the first one who is supported by both right and left, or neither, that is, who remains at the center. Where? The US is the most intellectually diverse and rich state in the world. When is anyone's guess... when the Republicans and Democrats stop trying to exert oneupmanship over the other.

Question 4) What about hot button topics, what will happen there?

Beats me.

Question 5) How does this solve the problem of ethnocentrism?

It is evident that ethnocentrism is prevalent, essentially natural, in human life. Impossible to remove it, it must be garnered to be inactive or be mutually beneficial. To promote patriotism is to promote belonging.. (cf. Ignatieff). Love in the system of belonging is different from rejection. A patriot then should love or at least tolerate those with other ways not because they (ie. he or she) think it is inferior or superior, but because they (ibid.) understand that the "outsider" also is part of a nation, and that all nations have self-determination.