It consistently entertains me how Robert Frost was able to become one of the most quoted people of all time by getting people to quote the opposite of the meaning of his poems, just like "The Road Not Taken." Of course, this proverb is older than his application and was meant to be taken literally, but this illustrates something fundamentally important to poetry and any metaphorical language, which is that it can be interpreted in more ways than there are interpreters. It can be used to justify anything at all because of the loose connection between concept and reality.
"Border Stories" here seems to be a perfect example of the misuse of metaphor which is so rampant in modern political arguments. The argument is interesting and intelligent, but it seems unable to follow its own premise to its conclusion, that a healthy border of skepticism is necessary to maintain healthy ideas.
The flaw I see is that skepticism needs to be applied more rigorously to internally generated arguments than external ones. External arguments are naturally put into questionable territory unless they come from a trusted source. But we're biased to follow our own internal arguments because the process that led to their formation has already passed our internal filters.
I think the author is on to something when it comes to the origin of xenophobia, but connecting health to the origin doesn't necessarily mean that the conditions that created it are relevant to any specific implementation of the idea, particularly modern nation-states. Understanding how borders affect people requires a more detailed analysis of power dynamics. Otherwise, there's no real evidence that this metaphor would be beneficial to implement for the reasons stated.
At least since the Monroe Doctrine, the US has considered the entire Western Hemisphere to be its sphere of influence. You could of course argue that this has extended to the entire Eastern Hemisphere as well. There are few borders that limit the reach of US agencies which focus on exerting control on foreign nations. From the perspective of a collection of powers which aspire to hegemony, the borders which exist aren't meant to allow mutual self-development by various nations but to facilitate control by the dominant power. The stronger the borders are, the more effectively this power can be exerted in a "Divide and Conquer" strategy.
But there's a cost to applying pressure, and the more strongly this pressure is applied, the stronger the response becomes. As people lose their power, their desire to retaliate grows. If the border from their perspective only increases foreign influence and control on their lives, it doesn't make any kind of good neighbors, only disempowered and angry ones ready to fight back.
"Border Stories" here seems to be a perfect example of the misuse of metaphor which is so rampant in modern political arguments. The argument is interesting and intelligent, but it seems unable to follow its own premise to its conclusion, that a healthy border of skepticism is necessary to maintain healthy ideas.
The flaw I see is that skepticism needs to be applied more rigorously to internally generated arguments than external ones. External arguments are naturally put into questionable territory unless they come from a trusted source. But we're biased to follow our own internal arguments because the process that led to their formation has already passed our internal filters.
I think the author is on to something when it comes to the origin of xenophobia, but connecting health to the origin doesn't necessarily mean that the conditions that created it are relevant to any specific implementation of the idea, particularly modern nation-states. Understanding how borders affect people requires a more detailed analysis of power dynamics. Otherwise, there's no real evidence that this metaphor would be beneficial to implement for the reasons stated.
At least since the Monroe Doctrine, the US has considered the entire Western Hemisphere to be its sphere of influence. You could of course argue that this has extended to the entire Eastern Hemisphere as well. There are few borders that limit the reach of US agencies which focus on exerting control on foreign nations. From the perspective of a collection of powers which aspire to hegemony, the borders which exist aren't meant to allow mutual self-development by various nations but to facilitate control by the dominant power. The stronger the borders are, the more effectively this power can be exerted in a "Divide and Conquer" strategy.
But there's a cost to applying pressure, and the more strongly this pressure is applied, the stronger the response becomes. As people lose their power, their desire to retaliate grows. If the border from their perspective only increases foreign influence and control on their lives, it doesn't make any kind of good neighbors, only disempowered and angry ones ready to fight back.