A few evenings ago at game night, the 5-year-old daughter of the hostess decided she wanted to strike up a conversation with me.
"I love America. It's the best country in the world!"
Hmm. Option 1: go full anarchist on this poor kid, or option 2: try to spark some thought. I know, she's way too young for serious logical discourse, but why not try? So I asked her how she knew. Had she ever been to another country? She shook her head and said an emphatic, "No."
Had she studied politics and economics? Obviously not. She watches Paw Patrol, not online lectures and commentary. She reads Dr. Seuss, not treatises on history and trade. So our conversation came to a bit of a dead end there.
A bit later, she announced that her town was the best town in the world, too. Now, I would agree that it's a better town than the nearest significant city. Spokane is basically the urban equivalent of crotch rot. but again, what is her experience of other towns? I named several around the US, and she admitted never having visited any of them.
But she remained adamant in her declaration of home-town supremacy. The Socratic Method has its limits.
The problem isn't just with children, though. Blind nationalism and local tribalism are rampant in all global societies. These irrational allegiances are promoted by corporate and political rabble-rousers out to profit fiscally or politically. I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, because travel is not an option for me, but I know what I see here in the US, and flag-waving patriotism is a big deal for adults whose arguments are no more advanced than those of this 5-year-old.
Examine your biases. Challenge your beliefs. Maybe you're right, but maybe not. Does truth matter? Is there room for skepticism toward your own position? You can't learn until you challenge what you think you know. Be your own Socratic pest. I dare you.
