NATIONALISM WITHOUT COMPASSION

A debut political work proposes a kinder, more inclusive patriotism.

Nationalism has meant different things at different times in different places, some of them positive and many of them decidedly not. Blackman sees the current surge in nationalism in Donald Trump’s America as one of the most pernicious types: one built on demonizing groups already marginalized in society, including immigrants, racial minorities, women, and the LGBTQ community. But is there another form of nationalism available to the United States at this critical moment in the country’s history? “We can reinterpret nationalism for the coming generations,” writes the author in his introduction. “Nationalism could be more than a collection of symbols, flags, anthems, and languages. It could be about the unseen, the virtues we can share and the spirit of humanity that binds us together.” Blackman is himself the son of Barbadian immigrants, one of whom served as an Army Ranger. The author was also a Democratic candidate in 2016, running unsuccessfully for the Georgia State Senate against a man who would later adopt some of the most dehumanizing tendencies of Trump’s nationalism. Relying on his own experiences for guidance, Blackman identifies the country’s failures of compassion in recent years and describes how Americans can build a better sense of national pride by improving the way they treat one another. The author discusses a wide range of subjects in an accessible, sometimes-oratorical prose: “We’re on the verge of, if not living in, the first generation of humanity to passively accept large-scale government surveillance, and it’s not just young people. The Patriot Act wasn’t passed, or supported, by the teenagers of today.” His positions are rather typical of what one might expect of a progressive American politician in 2019 (and one can’t help but wonder if this book isn’t written as a statement of intent for some future campaign). There is a rushed quality to the writing that suggests it would have been improved by another round of edits. Even so, it’s hard to disagree with many of the points Blackman makes about the ways in which various American systems have broken down due to the neglect and apathy of the majority.

A convincing but fairly boilerplate critique of Trump’s America from a progressive politician.