I DON‘T really care about national anthems. I‘ve never understood the point of them. They take up time before the game, they‘re the least interesting part of the Olympics and I am constitutionally inclined to resent anything that tries to make me stand up after I‘ve sat down.More than that: I dislike what national anthems represent. People who like national anthems tend to be big on nationalism, and nationalism is distasteful to me. Nationalists argue that it‘s about pride and belonging, but generally pride and belonging are built on principles of denigration and exclusion. You have pride in being you if you convince yourself that being you is better than being him, or being me, or being that woman over there. “Belonging” as a word only has meaning if you can make other people not belong.In its most puerile form, nationalism takes the form of the temporary fear and loathing of someone wearing the sports jersey of another country — I am especially susceptible to this.But exclusiona...
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