Post by galvez on Feb 16, 2004 1:37:20 GMT -5
Can a nation predicated on the notion of preserving a particular phenotype thrive? Can people do away with nationalist and religious animosity -- so plentiful in the world -- to form an identity based on their external appearance? Can an empire, or reich, be established with the explicit goal of working to preserve those with certain physical traits thought to have aesthetic appeal?
On the internet there are certain sexual fetishists who post photos of members of the opposite sex whom they find attractive on their sig or as an avatar, and believe that their sole purpose in life is to make sure there are more individuals who look like the figure on their sig or avatar. The individual on their sig or avatar may belong to an ethnic group which has been historically at war with or slaughtered the ancestors or tribesmen of the individual enamored with him/her, however. The individual on the sig or avatar may in fact be very liberal and thus repelled to the idea that certain fetishists are using his/her pic to advance a political-sexual agenda, but I digress.
One problem I have with a state with a phenotype philosophy is that it would naturally attract racially mixed individuals passing for an acceptable subtype. The offspring of such individuals may have features deviating far from the ideal of the state. This, in any case, is a major stretch of the imagination, because the thought of people leaving family and friends, and of thinkers, writers and artists joining up with such a phenotypic circus is pure fantasy, and a grotesque one at that.
For some, phenotype-fetishist forums are an escape, because artificial rankings are established, with those of certain subtypes thought more highly than others. This naturally boosts the self-esteem of those who otherwise would be considered as "trash" in normal society (i.e., in the real world where it takes more than eye and hair color to prove your worth). As an individual in such a forum fitting a politically correct subtype, there is no real value to demonstrate -- all one needs is to be run of the mill for a particularly liked geographical area. In fact, sometimes this is not even the case: those perceived as attractive, whatever their subrace may be, are relabeled with a politically correct subtype. This practice underscores the sexual-fetishistic nature of the phenotype forums.
My verdict: a nation based on phenotype will never exist. Bonds are not established based on phenotype, but on biology, culture and a shared history (factors which may correlate with phenotype). An army with individuals of such a state will be one with many deserters, leaving the nation open to attack from more cohesive and deeply-rooted enemies.
In reality, the cropping up of these eccentric phenotype forums is a symptom of the rootless age in which we live, wherein some people conceive of no other bonds than one's eye or hair color.
On the internet there are certain sexual fetishists who post photos of members of the opposite sex whom they find attractive on their sig or as an avatar, and believe that their sole purpose in life is to make sure there are more individuals who look like the figure on their sig or avatar. The individual on their sig or avatar may belong to an ethnic group which has been historically at war with or slaughtered the ancestors or tribesmen of the individual enamored with him/her, however. The individual on the sig or avatar may in fact be very liberal and thus repelled to the idea that certain fetishists are using his/her pic to advance a political-sexual agenda, but I digress.
One problem I have with a state with a phenotype philosophy is that it would naturally attract racially mixed individuals passing for an acceptable subtype. The offspring of such individuals may have features deviating far from the ideal of the state. This, in any case, is a major stretch of the imagination, because the thought of people leaving family and friends, and of thinkers, writers and artists joining up with such a phenotypic circus is pure fantasy, and a grotesque one at that.
For some, phenotype-fetishist forums are an escape, because artificial rankings are established, with those of certain subtypes thought more highly than others. This naturally boosts the self-esteem of those who otherwise would be considered as "trash" in normal society (i.e., in the real world where it takes more than eye and hair color to prove your worth). As an individual in such a forum fitting a politically correct subtype, there is no real value to demonstrate -- all one needs is to be run of the mill for a particularly liked geographical area. In fact, sometimes this is not even the case: those perceived as attractive, whatever their subrace may be, are relabeled with a politically correct subtype. This practice underscores the sexual-fetishistic nature of the phenotype forums.
My verdict: a nation based on phenotype will never exist. Bonds are not established based on phenotype, but on biology, culture and a shared history (factors which may correlate with phenotype). An army with individuals of such a state will be one with many deserters, leaving the nation open to attack from more cohesive and deeply-rooted enemies.
In reality, the cropping up of these eccentric phenotype forums is a symptom of the rootless age in which we live, wherein some people conceive of no other bonds than one's eye or hair color.