Provincialism: concern for one's own area or region at the expense of national or supranational unity.
There are other nuances to the use of the word, provincialism. But, I'm going with this one today.
There are probably many words that could describe our collective state of being these days. And, while some of those appear to be not unsimilar terms that have been used for such things all along the way, it does feel like there is a timbre in the current set of language that is substantively different. And, the quality of that difference is noticeably disturbing.
Under the guise of populism, it is sometimes difficult to isolate what or who is exactly the fuel for many of our raging cultural fires. Is it a reflection of something important going on for everyday people? Or, is it a function of the charlatans who are stoking the flames of fear, common to everyday people?
It is against that backdrop, that I fear a word like provincialism falls woefully short of the description actually needed. But, for now, I’m going to use it as a means of getting to some of what appears to be involved. As I've mentioned, we recently recently traveled outside the country, and I was reminded again of the importance of doing such things. Sure, the vacationing aspect can be a lot of fun. But, it doesn’t take very much, even in that context, to notice things about the way other people live their lives that are important to consider; not only for their lives, but also for ours.
And, then, when you really talk to them, you get a whole lot of information about how they see things...and about how we see things.
Other people have fully functioning lives. Provincialism tends to be unaware of that. At the very least, it doesn't tend to respect it. It tends to have a high degree of respect for how 'we' do things. But, almost automatically, it has little space for the possibility that others do, too (especially when the way that looks is different). As the definition indicates, it elevates 'our' concern over that of others.
When you travel, you not only notice this, but you also sense that other groups of people having varying degrees of their sense of interdependencies in the world. The American version, right now, seems to be heavily focused on what we need...not what someone else needs (collectively and individually). It is our interests that should prevail, not only for what we estimate is best for us, but also over anyone else (unless it serves our interests).
People in Europe are very concerned about Russia (in particular, Putin). They have a visceral relationship with what is happening around them. This is likely due to the prices they have paid historically from the wars fought by their family members, on their soil. Our wars tend to be 'over there'. And, while we also have some similar fears about things like Russia, it is palpably not the same. Europe is highly sensitive to the powers that surround them in both the east and west. America largely disregards Europe's concerns.
Provincialism is like that. It tends to say things like, "that's not our problem..." and move on with our concerns.
Media can't bridge this gap. Experience can...and often does, especially when real human connection occurs.
I share some pics of our travels here (Top10...if you don't have all day) and here (Motherload...if you do), not for the purpose of thumbing my nose at the real problems of the world, including provincialism (effectively communicating something like, "sorry you got deported...sucks to be you. But, we're sure having fun..."). I'm sharing them to reveal some of the marvels of the way other peoples have adapted to their environments and live their lives...and for the questions that should lead us to.
