Left/Right, With us/Against us, Globalism/Nationalism: Why only two choices?

When any argument rages for decades, it’s because both sides have some truth and neither has it all.

“You’re either for us or for the terrorists,” George Bush said. “Pick one.”

“It’s either the nation or the workers of the world,” the communists said, “Pick one.”

“It’s either science or religion,” say many today, “Pick one.”

Why do we humans keep falling for this? It not only leads to constant, often bloody conflicts, it is, if we would step back for just a minute and think about it, intrinsically stupid. When is life ever so neatly divided into only two boxes? I wonder if we do this because we have two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears. We say, “On the one hand…but on the other hand…” Maybe if we had more hands…

Maybe if we were like the Jatravartids in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? “small blue creatures of the planet Viltvodle VI with more than fifty arms each. They are therefore unique in being the only race in history to have invented aerosol deodorant before the wheel.” 

It’s not just a quirk, it’s a serious cognitive flaw because right now people are killing other people who picked the wrong one: Sunni vs. Shia, Uncle Sam vs. Pashtun, Wahabbis vs…everybody else. 

Right now, a battle is raging in the European Union between globalists and nationalists. EU globalists say, “Look, we’re all just humans, all this fuss about boundaries and nations is passe’. It is nationalism that causes wars-we have the cure for that!”

A huge backlash is building in Europe that is probably going to slap the globalists upside the head. “Oh hell, yes, my nation is important, its boundaries are important, its language and unique customs are important and you can stuff your One World elitism up your bureaucratic booties.”

The globalists claim these nationalists are racists. The nationalists claim the EU is the Babylon of Antichrist. (The guys in the other box are always, not just mistaken, but evil.)

What to do? Be on the lookout for either-or choices and challenge them.

No, I refuse to choose between supporting war criminals and jihadis. I want more choices.

Question everything. 🙂