Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
I wish this were true but I don't think it is. Regional or Relgious identity makes sense to me. You want to cooperate with your neighbors because you have shared interests, or you want to be around people that share your value system.
But it seems to me, for some reason people want to be governed by people who have the same native tongue. If they didn't then why is Europe, which is the most affluent and democratic part of the old word, divided by language. That is the biggest factor in determining what country you are born in. Your native language. If your native langue is French, and you were born in Europe, there is like a 95% you were born in France. That is true for almost every language.
For hundreds of years the borders had nothing to do with language. But now it is the single most important factor when it comes to borders. If you are French, and live in a French speaking area, you and your French neighbors seem to be much happier being ruled by a corrupt and evil French King or parliament, than a highly benevolent, prudent and competent German or Spanish King or Parliament.
It doesn't make any rational sense (actually, like racism it is downright stupid and counterproductive) but it seems to be part of the human condition like hemorrhoids.
As for Yugoslavia:
I thought Yugo meant "pan" for panslavia.
I think Pan Slavism was doomed because the people can't really talk to each other. It seems to be part of human nature to not trust someone whose native tongue is unintelligible to you or at least hard for you to understand.
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S--
Don't you answer your own implied question--Why do people want to be governed by people who have the same native tongue? at the end of this post when you say: "It seems to be part of human nature to not trust someone whose native tongue is unintelligible to you or at least hard for you to understand."? Seems rational enough to me. If you don't speak/read the language of your government, then you don't know what your government is doing to you.
How would you feel if the official language of California (or the US) was changed to Spanish, so that all government business was transacted in Spanish and all publications in Spanish only? I would feel excluded and if I were a part of a large community of English-speakers who couldn't get the Spanish-speaking government to accomodate us, I would want my own country with English as the language of the government.
