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National Ism, is a meme that will be with us for centuries to come, Here is why I think so:
I will use America as an example, but try not to read anything into it... it's just an example.
Nationalism isn't just a meme that is a projection of ones self, (for instance America is a great country, I am proud to "be" american and therefore I am also proud of myself) it is also a meme that allows one to protect ones self. (to attack me is to attack all that is good about america - to attack america is to attack me personally)
The part of the nationalistic Meme that will be toughest and longest lasting will be the part of the Meme that is tied to the lower portions of Mazlow's needs Hierarchy. When enough American's feel Hungry because the world government had decided not to subsidize wheat production, as an example, American's will do what they have to do to protect themselves... and their Meme will modifiy itself in order to justify protection.
That's how Memes work. They are self replicating and they modify themselves based on circumstance.
Any world government would have to account for this phenomenon by ensureing that equity accross borders is paramount. Personally I cannot see a world government working unless it had an IRON fist. This would be a governement whose main focus would be keepings it's own subjects in line. The negative reinforcement provided by this government would have to be enough to overwhelm the feelings of inequity felt by those who lose out to others who are successful.
This all seems a bit scary to me, but if strong "national" government remains to represent the individuals in thier jurisdiction of the world they would have both a nationalistic "feeling" and a world society that just might work.
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Living on the edge of sanity
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