Restoration of the word 'Chauvinist'.
A word fatally re-purposed by its usage in feminism: chauvinism is due for a revamp.
When I was living in Turkey, my friends and I often saw examples of extreme patriotism (from Turks, Armenians, Cypriots, et al.) which served to hurt the Turks, Turkish neighboring countries, and any chance to solve some of Turkey's most serious foreign policy problems. We used the term 'hypernationalist' for lack of a better term. The term then came in use as we returned to our home countries in Europe or America, or traveled abroad to other countries (Israel, China, Thailand, etc.) and saw sad examples in those places, too. Little did we know that a correct term already existed. Chauvinism: This refers to extremism in patriotic or partisan sentiment. There is also a British term, jingoism that can be used to the same effect.
Following World War II, chauvinism was reviled: extremity of nationalism rightly being blamed for the conflagration that had recently consumed large portions of the world. The reaction to chauvinism brought about the creation of the United Nations, the Geneva Accords, the EU (from the predecessor organization, meant to de-nationalize European production of coal and steel), amongst many other multi-lateral institutions meant to foster greater global cooperation. New internationalist -isms (communism, capitalism, humanism, islamism, globalism) arose to capture public and political consciousness--although chauvinism remained a latent force propelling many of these purported internationalist memes.
Meanwhile, feminism captured the term chauvinism for itself. A subtle process, the process of a living, unregulated language, took place wherein feminists decried 'male chauvinism'--extreme support of masculine superiority--and gradually the 'male' adjective was dropped from common parlance until 'chauvinism' had become much more narrowly defined in the minds of the general populace. Incorrectly and unfortunately so.
If the mid-20th century wrought an internationalist backlash to extremities and obscenities of nationalism, the early 21st century is seeing a backlash against internationalism, and likewise a resurgence of nationalism and all the dangers it poses when taken to extremity. We need either need to strip the word chauvinism of its feminist baggage or we need greater awareness of the British term, jingoism. Either way, words mold ideas; thus, a word must be reforged or promoted to raise awareness of the dangers of the patriotic, partisan, or nationalist ethos when taken to extremes.
New products to be released in future by CHAUVINISM: Turkish exclusion from the EU (over Cyprus issue); Chinese genocide of the Japanese; Thai-Cambodian war; eternal violence in Israel-Palestine; Second Falkland Islands War; War of the South China Sea; Pakistani-Indian War; US-China War (i.e. World War III); and much, much more!
When I was living in Turkey, my friends and I often saw examples of extreme patriotism (from Turks, Armenians, Cypriots, et al.) which served to hurt the Turks, Turkish neighboring countries, and any chance to solve some of Turkey's most serious foreign policy problems. We used the term 'hypernationalist' for lack of a better term. The term then came in use as we returned to our home countries in Europe or America, or traveled abroad to other countries (Israel, China, Thailand, etc.) and saw sad examples in those places, too. Little did we know that a correct term already existed. Chauvinism: This refers to extremism in patriotic or partisan sentiment. There is also a British term, jingoism that can be used to the same effect.
Following World War II, chauvinism was reviled: extremity of nationalism rightly being blamed for the conflagration that had recently consumed large portions of the world. The reaction to chauvinism brought about the creation of the United Nations, the Geneva Accords, the EU (from the predecessor organization, meant to de-nationalize European production of coal and steel), amongst many other multi-lateral institutions meant to foster greater global cooperation. New internationalist -isms (communism, capitalism, humanism, islamism, globalism) arose to capture public and political consciousness--although chauvinism remained a latent force propelling many of these purported internationalist memes.
Meanwhile, feminism captured the term chauvinism for itself. A subtle process, the process of a living, unregulated language, took place wherein feminists decried 'male chauvinism'--extreme support of masculine superiority--and gradually the 'male' adjective was dropped from common parlance until 'chauvinism' had become much more narrowly defined in the minds of the general populace. Incorrectly and unfortunately so.
If the mid-20th century wrought an internationalist backlash to extremities and obscenities of nationalism, the early 21st century is seeing a backlash against internationalism, and likewise a resurgence of nationalism and all the dangers it poses when taken to extremity. We need either need to strip the word chauvinism of its feminist baggage or we need greater awareness of the British term, jingoism. Either way, words mold ideas; thus, a word must be reforged or promoted to raise awareness of the dangers of the patriotic, partisan, or nationalist ethos when taken to extremes.
New products to be released in future by CHAUVINISM: Turkish exclusion from the EU (over Cyprus issue); Chinese genocide of the Japanese; Thai-Cambodian war; eternal violence in Israel-Palestine; Second Falkland Islands War; War of the South China Sea; Pakistani-Indian War; US-China War (i.e. World War III); and much, much more!