David Vienna doesn’t think this dad’s imperialism is an act of love, it’s a failure of managing his child’s expectations.
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You’ve undoubtedly heard the recent story of Jeremiah Heaton, the failed Virginia politician who travelled all the way to Africa to claim a chunk of desert just so he could keep his word to his daughter that she could be a princess. He planted a flag of his family’s design and called this new country the Kingdom of North Sudan. Let’s just ignore that this act makes a mockery of international diplomacy, regional tribal relations, and basically solidifies America’s image as a nation of clodhopping imperialists. It’s endearing.
Admittedly, my first reaction was one of denigration. I tweeted, “To the dad who claimed land to make his girl a princess: I told my kid he could be Batman, but I didn’t have to die for him to believe it.”
You see, I thought parenting meant letting your kid’s imagination run wild, not your colonialist tendencies. But, now I see a dad need not manage his child’s expectations. And I, for one, am inspired by this show of love, which dances dangerously close to an actual act of war while waving a flag and wearing a tiara. So, no request made by my boys will go unfulfilled—rationality be damned!
My kid wants to be a rock star? I will help him toss the TV from the window of an expensive hotel suite.
My kid wants to be a ninja? I will allow him to stealthily kill someone.
My kid wants to be a robot? I will hire the best minds from NASA, MENSA and any other group of smart people that go by acronyms to replace my son’s living flesh with metal and circuitry.
My kid wants to be a prince? I will fly to Africa and wage war on the newly formed and poorly defended Kingdom of North Sudan.
It should be easy to overthrow. I hear all they have there is a flag and their king couldn’t even get elected to Congress.
More from David Vienna at The Daddy Complex
This isn’t imperialism. The land wasn’t claimed or governed. There is no population.
No one died or was disenfranchised. There were no victims.
This guy is probably wasting his money but he is hurting no one. All of your examples involve the destruction of others’ property or harming them.
http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-jeremiah-heaton-king-of-north-sudan-2014-7
What if he actually does accomplish turning this into a land like in death valley that can provide food for the hungry? It may be a pipe dream now but it’s a much better attempt to make a difference than sitting on our asses making jokes at his expense.