Beware slogans, especially political slogans. If you want to get inoculated against them, read Zoshchenko, he was great at satirizing Soviet rhetoric. He was extremely popular, even Stalin was a fan but eventually banned him, although he didn't kill him, which was something, I suppose. At any rate, I hate to tell you guys, but I dissent from this whole "America first" slogan. I've been in Mexico going on five years now, I'm practically Latinx, and in terms of emotional support, I have sided with Mexico in all their disputes with America (and the Anglosphere) over the past few years. They banned the importation of GMO corn and Monsanto was furious, Obrador held his ground. They decided to keep their oil reserves, and the Americans were furious. They were not as hard with the covid measures, and The Economist was calling Obrador a tyrant for it. I thought Mexico was in the right every time. I don't know what will happen to me if Sheinbaum is elected, but at present, my political allegiance is to Mexico, not America. I was not treated so well in America, more by omission than commission, I could never get anywhere with my work.
In his book on Machiavelli, Leo Strauss says that patriotism is just collective selfishness, somewhat redeemed by being less odious than personal selfishness. I have to agree with him here. It's also been said that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, we can add religion to that one. People are always looking to boost themselves by latching onto some kind of group. I was a total individualist, I paid the price for it but I thought I was a genius.
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