Interesting how many different (not so charitable) interpretation of this comic exist in thr comments.
To me this of course a simplification, as its a comic and was postes in !memes
In my opinion this comic shows how nationalism can be used to pit the working class against each other even tho their class interests are pretty similar, no matter which side of the border they are.
Nationalism actually: The people and products and culture from this country are better than those from another country because they are from this country.
So in the real world, nationalism, and specifically economic nationalism, obviously tends to oppose this sort of behaviour.
I can only assume the artist is upset with market fundamentalism in their country, and while it's ironically accumulated through globalisation which is another thing nationalism has varied opposition to, tried to bring nationalism into it because "country border".
Edit: Oh, and while I'm in no way an advocate of nationalism—actually big on sharing culture, wealth, and knowledge as a whole—a lot of really bad misinformation of various schools of thought seems to be pushed around here. Getting fatigued by Americans grabbing a random ism word and throwing it around so out of context, it's usually ironically opposed to what they think it is.
Edit 2: Go to bed, +13 / -1. Wake up after Americans have been online, +14 / -10. I rest my case.
No, actually nationalism in Europe is like "let's hate our neighbors instead of the bourgeois in our country. They speak a silly language". That's what mobilized soldiers into the first world war.
Source: I'm German and I hate French people much more than my boss (/s to the last part if not obvious)
I think that's just good ol' fashioned xenophobia. But yeah, has often been a trait of ultra nationalism in Europe's very complex history. Maybe the comic should be retitled; A beginner's guide to "nationalism".
I say often here, pick whatever political/economical/societal ism you like, there'll always been an entity exploiting it in the background. This is why we have so many, none of them seem to ever work, and everyone has such varying views and experiences of them, why they do/don't work. Our species can't have nice things.
Not that I'm obligated to answer you, neither did you answer me, but sure:
It is a thought terminating cliche to say "Nothing is perfect so everything is the same." No, there are big gradual differences between systems and it does matter which is in place.
But I don't think I will convince you and I don't think I will continue this conversation.
Your question wasn't answered because it was already answered. Now you're steering far off course based on an additional and brief remark, that was not a question, as though it's a mantra. Yeah, your "answer" was indeed a waste of your time.
Country borders aren’t a product of nationalism either. They’re created in agreement with other governments (usually after a dispute). It marks the territorial reach of a government.
