This makes him unshakably certain of being in the right. Even when the facts are against him, a nationalist will persuade himself to be the strongest by believing that he is serving something bigger than himself. Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception. An opinion regarding his unit will be regarded, either as an acknowledgement of his unit’s victories or defeats. Nationalistic passion is, by nature, aggressive, because they think solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige. Nationalistic passion can also be purely negative, such as hatred and prejudice towards a race which are irrational and unfounded.
The main determinant of a so-called nationalistic passion is their desire and hunger for power. However, let us not mistaken nationalism with loyalty to a government, a country, or other unit whose very definition could be easily questioned such as the White Race or those who based their definition on a religious doctrine. So-called ‘nationalist’ also see it as their duty to secure more power and prestige, not for himself but for the nation or other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own individuality. Most importantly, the loosely used word ‘nationalism’ refers to the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil. Consider these absurd remarks as an example: ‘Germany is naturally treacherous’, ‘every Englishman is a hypocrite’ and ‘The Spaniards are natural aristocrat’. The word ‘nationalism’ was considered by Orwell to be adequate in representing the habit of mind where people assumed that they are able to classify human beings to be either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or to label certain group of people, race, or ethnicity to have certain traits. Orwell merely used this word for lack of a better word.
The word ‘nationalism’ used in this essay was not used in an ordinary sense, especially at times where the emotion he was referring to does not attach itself to a nation. However, I believe the contrary, that is, he realized that he was also filled with the many traits he criticized, and by realizing this, he was able to conduct a thorough investigation about many intellectual failings in the one place where some reliable evidence could be obtained – that is, his own mind. Many who disagree with his opinions usually label him as being self-righteous and too hypocritical to admit that he was not immune from the many traits he harshly criticized. Many admire him for this criticalness, and some, who received his criticism, may despise him for it. “Notes on Nationalism” by George Orwell shows how Orwell utilized his writings to pierce through intellectual hypocrisy and expose those who deceive not only others, but also themselves.
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