Citizenism reframes patriotism as an ethical principle that public policy should systematically favor the material and civic interests of existing citizens over non‑citizens and narrow private interests. It functions as a deliberately moral language for restrictive immigration, welfare prioritization, and civic‑membership policy that aims to out‑compete cosmopolitan or interest‑group justifications.
— If adopted widely, this moral frame would shift how immigration, redistribution, and national membership are debated—making plain‑spoken prioritization of citizens politically and rhetorically acceptable and altering policy choices.
Steve Sailer
2026.01.07
78% relevant
Ramaswamy’s emphasis on ancestry and 'heritage Americans' is a close variant of the 'citizenism' frame (prioritizing a bounded civic community and privileging citizens by status). The piece concretely advances a lineage‑based test for belonging that could be translated into immigration and political‑membership policy, matching the existing idea’s claim that civic policy is being reframed around prioritized membership.
Steve Sailer
2025.12.31
100% relevant
Steve Sailer’s essay explicitly coins and defends 'citizenism' as a moral theory to triumph over elite 'multiculturalism' and to justify immigration restriction (he cites public polls and elite/populace divides).
David Polansky
2025.12.31
85% relevant
Polansky’s piece articulates the same rhetorical move captured by the existing idea: citizenship is being treated as a convertible political claim (a prioritized status) rather than a bundle of civic duties. He cites Trump’s order on birthright citizenship and contrasts modern elite dilution with middle‑class attachment—precisely the dynamics 'citizenism' highlights about how politicians and movements weaponize membership norms.
← Back to All Ideas