The Imaginary: Nations, Culture, and a Common Destiny

To varying degrees, the vast majority of you subscribe to a nationalist model of the state's role and citizenship. I'm interested in a small, but vital distinction between the root of nationalistic ideations. There are two lines of thought that form the foundation of all nationalism. They are:

We share a common culture, and so we must also share a common destiny.
We share a common destiny, and so we must also share a common culture.

Of these two options, which do you agree most with, and why?

I like pie.

I'm partial to apple and key lime; what are your preferences?

Neither, I prefer Raven's method from Snowcrash.

BA-ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMPPPPTTTTTT!

Would you explain that method?

Neither. I don't believe sharing a destiny follows sharing a culture. I am a part of this culture, but I have a culture of my own which I value more. As does every other individual.

I share no destiny with any mass, lest we speak directly of death.

I think you misunderstood what I meant by destiny. Perhaps I should rephrase:

We share a common culture, and so we must also share a common country.
We share a common country, and so we must also share a common culture.

Does Twilight count as part of the common culture?

Then fuck it, I'm joining the resistance, and becoming the new Marc Singer.

PPFFFFFRRRRRRRRFFFRRRRRRRFFFRRRRRPPPPPTTTTTT

Does that include illegal immigration?

This thread is not about immigration.

So you have no answer?

Well, if you insist:

Does the illegal immigrant share your culture? If yes, then it applies to him.
Does the illegal immigrant share your country? If yes, then it applies to him.

Respectively. But that's a non-issue.

Illegals share the country, but they don't share the culture.

That's an issue.

Cool. So getting back to the topic:
We share a common culture, and so we must also share a common country.
or
We share a common country, and so we must also share a common culture?

The two aren't tied together. The French shared their country with the Nazis for a good little while, will you now argue they shared a culture?

I'm doing nothing of the sort. I am asking about your beliefs; I do not hold nationalist beliefs and so the question is irrelevant to me personally.

Fixed

If the question is irrelevant to you personally, why did you ask it?

Because while I am not a nationalist, I'm interested in the thought processes that underlay the nationalism of others?

What possible interest could nationalist thought hold for you if you have no nationalist view of your own, either for or against?

Again, You have a view on nationalism already, or you wouldn't be sufficiently interested in the subject at all to ask for anyone else's views on it. You know, we'd all be a lot more inclined to take you seriously if you didn't lie constantly.

Interested in it, sure. Which is why I asked. As I do not subscribe to nationalism, I do not hold either view. Neither one is right, and neither one is wrong.

Then -- again -- what do you care what we answer?

Intellectual curiosity.

Skin's not altruistic enough to satisfy your curiosity without something in trade. What are you offering?

I probably know your answer, anyway. But what do you want?

Depends on what you have to offer. Skin's not unreasonable, y'know.