Sinhalese-Tamil enmity is legitimized by myth rather than primordial fact

Evidence

The Duthagamani myth thus not only provides a context, no matter how dubious, for thinking that the Sinhalese and Tamils have been nemeses for two millennia, but also justifies dehumanizing non-Sinhalese, if doing so is necessary to preserve, protect, and propagate the dhamma (Buddhist doctrine). Furthermore, it legitimizes a just war doctrine, provided that war is waged to protect Buddhism. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 78

Categorization

• XREF: Core to the reader’s thesis: the manufactured-enemy mechanism requires a justifying ideology, and here the myth retroactively manufactures a two-millennia nemesis relation. — connects to: Sinhalese claims to primordial ownership rest on the Mahavamsa’s mytho-history. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 64; Sri Lanka’s founding myth actually makes Tamils cofounders of the nation — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 73; Buddha’s mythic visits legitimize Sinhalese supremacy by subjugating indigenous beings — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 71 (+17 more)
• QUESTION: The reader asks what happens to solidarity when the threat disappears — does this myth’s permanence mean the threat can never really disappear for believers?

Broader Connections

• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is reactive, not primordial #corroborates (0.80) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 105
• Sinhalese enmity is reactive to rebel acts, not primordial #corroborates (0.78) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 231
• Sinhalese nationalist violence against Christians is opportunistic rather than primordial #corroborates (0.75) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 245
• Rebel attacks on Buddhist sacred sites hardened Sinhalese enmity #responds-to (0.75)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology rests on mythic history yet betrays Buddhism’s core values #corroborates (0.72) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 294