Recently we featured an article on our site with the author of “The Nodens of Citizenship,” Olivia Rubin. This author asserts that Nationality is not a negative word in today’s culture. We also interviewed Dr. Zeynep Tufekci, author of “The Nationality Factor.” Dr. Tufekci agreed with our opinion that Nationality is no longer a negative word, and many are those who support the view that it should be. For example, in her book she speaks of how nationality can provide you with a sense of security and even family support. Additionally, she argues that many cultures can teach you valuable life lessons, such as working together for a common cause, sharing resources, and the value of compromise.
In our interview with Dr. Rubina, she agreed that Nationality should not be used negatively. Nationality is more than a word used by the politically correct, but rather something to use with an open mind to enrich life experiences. For example, she stated, “I believe that the term Nationality is overused, and I’d prefer to use the word affiliation instead.” This was noted by several readers as a very intelligent and sophisticated point of view on the matter. After all, those who believe that affiliation or membership in one group is better than another, often do not see the beauty in differentiating their concept of Nationality from that of ice-cream.
It is true that many of the articles on “ice-cream couture” talk about how good it is, however, what is lost with the concept of Nationality is the individual experience of each human being. While it is easy to stereotype someone as belonging to a certain group because they enjoy the products of that group, it is not necessarily the right thing to do. For example, there are people of various ethnic backgrounds who may enjoy ice-cream, but they do not actually enjoy ice-cream in its original qualities. Likewise, there are many people who enjoy being affiliated or part of a particular group but they are individuals with unique perspectives and thoughts that are reflected in their own way, which is part of the beauty of diversity. By learning to appreciate these differences and to treat them with respect, we can create a much more perfect world where we can all live in harmony and understanding towards one another and towards the world around us.