National Pride versus Oikophobia and Western Self-Contempt

In order to discuss the issue of National Pride and Oikophobia (the contempt of one’s own home, culture or nation) we need to understand the meaning of “culture”.
So here its definition:
Culture: “Culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artefacts that characterize a group or society. Passed from generation to generation, it acts as a collective "way of life," shaping how people interact, communicate, and perceive the world around them.” Cambridge Dictionary

For our topic today we will speak about the so-called Western Culture, which refers to the social norms, belief systems, political structures, and values rooted in European history.

History of Western Culture
Historically speaking our Western Culture is based on and influenced by three factors:
· Greco-Roman Antiquity: Ancient Greece and Rome laid the groundwork for Western philosophy, architecture, art, and democratic governance.
· Judeo-Christian Heritage: The moral and ethical frameworks of Western society were historically shaped by Christian and Jewish traditions.
· The Enlightenment: This 17th and 18th-century intellectual movement shifted the Western worldview toward reason, science, and the secularization of the state.

National Pride, Patriotism and Oikophobia
For our topic today, we have to look into the meaning of National Pride because it is of course linked to your relationship with our own culture. We will also need to look into the concept of Oikophobia, the self-contempt of one’s own culture, which has given rise to the so-called “Cancel Culture”, a movement part of the so-called woke ideology.

Patriotism
Patriotism prioritizes loyalty, devotion, and allegiance to one's nation or nation-state. It asserts that the nation should be the primary focus of an individual's identity and that a specific group of people sharing a common culture, history, or language has the right to govern itself. It implies the existence of nations, bind by a shared language, culture and history. Most importantly, nations have the right for self-determination, with their own culture, law and interests.

National Pride
National pride relates to the love or value of one’s own culture and its achievements and values. By definition National Pride is not the same as Nationalism. It stands for the knowledge and positive validation of cultural, technological, environmental, economic and social achievements, which have developed over time and have impacted our lives. It values the endeavours, skills and outcomes of those before us as the prerequisite for the standard of living we now have.

Oikophobia and the raise of “Cancel Culture”
Oikophobia is a fear or dislike of one's own home, domestic surroundings, or household environment. In a cultural and political context, it refers to the tendency to reject or denigrate one's own native culture, customs, and institutions while praising foreign ones—essentially acting as the opposite of xenophobia. The word derives from the ancient Greek words oikos (meaning "house," "household," or "family") and phobos (meaning "fear").
The British philosopher Roger Scruton popularized the term to describe a notable cultural condition. In this context, it represents a "denial of inheritance and home". It is used to critique individuals or ideologies that continually criticize their own native society, customs, and government, often siding with foreign cultures.

In his 2022 book: “Western Self-Contempt: Oikophobia in the Decline of Civilizations”, the Philosopher and Scholar Benedict Beckeld reflects on the issue of Oikophobia throughout Western history since antiquity. He examines major political events and the literature of ancient Greece, Rome, France, Britain, and the United States, to study evidence of cultural self-hatred and its cyclical recurrence. The book explores Oikophobia, as “the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably ‘ours’,” in its political and philosophical applications. Beckeld shows us that Oikophobia is not a new occurrence. Other cultures throughout history were affected by it. The author shows us a clear link between the rising success of a culture and its subsequent demise and collapse. Oikophobia appeared in the cultures of Ancient Greek, the Roman Empire and other successful and progressive civilisation as a form of cultural decadence just before they broke down.

Beckeld’s book analyses the theories behind Oikophobia along with their historical sources, revealing why Oikophobia is best described as a cultural malaise that befalls civilizations during their declining days. It gives a framework for why today's society is so fragmented and self-critical.

In our times, excessive political correctness that attacks tradition and history is an expression of Oikophobia. We may want to discuss this issue in more detail and elaborate on its cause and consequences.