Nation building

Edkins and Zehfuss (2009) define nationalism as a process wherein citizens pledge allegiance and share a national community and cultural identity. The definition mentioned the term allegiance, and Edkins and Zehfuss (2009) defines allegiance as a process wherein citizens identify themselves to the nation-state. The term allegiance is a strong word as it connotes loyalty and nationalism to your country. However, some Filipino citizens has a type of allegiance which could be called "selective nationalism". Filipinos are very proud of being a Filipino when Boxers like Manny Pacquiao and Artists like Leah Salonga are revered internationally. A good example where Filipinos are proud of their citizenship is when Pacquiao said that he is proud of being a Filipino while being awarded by an international association of boxing hournalists. The comments to the article where all positive and filled with self pride with being Filipino( Tagala, D. , June 6,2010). the ohter side of this "selective nationalism" is when Filipinos are ashamed of their citizenship because of an incident that puts the Philippines in a bad spot. An example is the recent Quirino Grandstand Hostage taking that killed eight Hong Kong nationals that weakende our tourism and foreign affairs (Admin, August 24,2010). Many Filipinos were enraged, but it is also a shame for Filipinos because the flaw on our country's national security was internationally exposed. Aside from that incident, many Filipinos act as if they are not Filipinos just because they are able to live better lives overseas. It is a pity to see that some Filipinos suffer from "selective nationalism" , but it these types of people should not be looked down upon. These people have their own reasons why they act like that and suffer from selective nationalism.

references:

• Edkins, J. and Zehfuss, M. (eds.)(2009). Global Politics: A new introduction. London: Routledge

• Admin(August 24,2010). Reaction to the Quirino Grandstand Hostage taking. Accessed October 12,2010 from http://pinoybiz.blogspot.com/2010/08/reaction-to-quirino-grandstand-hostage.html

• Tagala, D. ( June 6,2010) PAcquiao: " I'm proud to be a Filipino. Accessed October 12,2010 from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/06/06/10/pacquiao-honored-fighter-decade