why are some autistics nationalist?

Post Reply New Topic

My conclusion of nationalism is that it stems from a primordial and subconcious desire to belong to a group and the fear of rejection. These tend to be neurotypical traits.

Why do some autistics fall into this line of thinking? Is it learned behaviour?

Maybe for the same reason aspies find it necessary to follow the rules and expect the same of others.

Same reason anybody else is.

For the opposite reasons of not being Nationalist, most likely.

We may not want to be part of a peer group or clique but still want to identify with our country or state. There's a difference.

Yes. It is clearly not instinctive or inherent so it must be learned behavior.

ruveyn

I absolutely agree...

Studies on infant cognitive development confirms reasoning facilities/faculties are not present in young infants...
...a fact that has been known for millennia.
The Jesuit priests had a motto:
Give me the boy/child until aged 7 and I will show you the man...
In essence, children are brainwashed/conditioned before they have the ability of critical thinking.

This social indoctrination process can be socially positive or negative...
You can condition a child to be a pillar of society...
...or an anarchist...

And then there is the consideration of individuals being socially "poisoned" through the adoption of incompatible social protocols/belief-systems which are in variance to their inherent nature...
...creating what is known as "cognitive dissonance"...

For me personally, I don't have a great affinity with nationalism.
Nazism was simply an extreme form of nationalism, for example...
<quote>
"Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus, the first part pronounced as "Nazi"), is a variety of fascism"
<end quote>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism

Also consider the evolutionary process:
Tribalism (or nationalism) provided protection and "survivability" in early human development...
It protected the limited resources available at the time, and those tribes who lacked an inherent social cohesion and tribal aggression would have been less successful in terms of procreation and the passing down of survivalist traits to their offspring...

Many, if not most, animal species protect their territory, so it must be surmised that this tendency/trait has a significant advantage in the evolutionary process in certain instances, or it wouldn't be in existence...

Regardless, to me personally, nationalism very definitely seems to be a foreign cultural influence/meme in regards to the inherent nature of those on the autistic spectrum...

Judging by your chosen avatar, I am not surprised you have American nationalist sympathies, no offense intended...

My avatar has caused some butthurt with the America haters in this forum, both domestic and abroad.
My last one really made them scream.

I think the Wild Turkey was a better mascot idea than the Bald Eagle.

Turkey is good roasted but the eagle can swoop down and scratch someones eyes out.

Wild turkeys are horrid creatures that make my dog bark at 5:00 AM as they invite their vulture-looking young to defecate all over my lawn. So yeah, the Eagle was a cop out.

I think some Aspies might be Nationalists because there is comfort in familiarity, and they might not be able to imagine other cultures, or be as receptive to experiencing them. Change is difficult, and if there's anything that stunts change, it's conformity.

I'm not sure that nationalism is irrational. One's nation-state is an allied group. Nations are also a basic unit of international relations. Even further, nations are part of the norms that most people, including aspies, are taught to respect.

Nationalism and tribalism...

Here is Australia we have a degree of community tension as a result of our multi-cultural national policy...
The problem seems to stem from the idea/actuality of immigrants choosing cultural segregation as opposed to cultural integration, as has largely happened in the past...

I have a particular problem with this internal tribalism weakening the sense of national unity...
And on a global scale, I am disappointed that individual nations seem to prefer segregation rather than being part of a global community.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a one world "government-ist"...
I'm just making an observation...

I would have to say that my nationalistic tendencies definitely stem from the perspective of order among chaos. I personally prefer organization to individualistic disarray. I may not participate in the social aspects of nationalism, but I appreciate the semblance of structure and familiarity. It makes things a bit calmer in my feverishly troubled brain-box.

Ben Franklin had this to say about them