All of this St Georges stuff really winds me up. I can't see nationalism, patriotism, or even the idea of nation state as anything other than an expression of humanity's base animalistic group behavior. Celebrating a framework which excludes those unlike us, a way of proclaiming conservative values and parochialism as positive attributes, of ( Read more... )

This and this have made me think. I have mixed feelings about the Danish cartoon fiasco. On the one hand, freedom of speech and criticism is so important. But then, surely to have a freedom requires responsibility, and so in this instance was it right to piss some people off on purpose? Especially the type of people with connections to extremists. ( Read more... )