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My problem with American Exceptionalism is that the AE crowd wants me to teach it as fact in my history classes. The same crowd then turns around and complains that I don't teach critical thinking. I agree with the poster that said to deny American Exceptionalism requires critical thinking. When you look objectively at the United States, you will see that it has problems just like everywhere else.
--Good: The United States has the best healthcare providers in the world. Bad: Because of the way the system is set up, many people cannot access that healthcare system because of poverty. Result: The life expectancy of the US is nearly identical to the life expectancy of Cuba.
--Good: The US Constitution was among the earliest documents to grant rights to all people. Bad: the rest of the world had caught up to us (not bad) and surpassed us (bad) in some measures especially in granting rights and privileges to women and other populations (no female presidents? no equality for gays?)
--Good: The US has the strongest economy in the world. Bad: Our insistence on free market ideology has led to a huge wealth gap and the worst inequality in the industrialized world. Result: 47% of the workers do not pay federal income tax because they don't earn enough money to pay federal income tax.
There are other issues, but when a country believes itself to be the best without reflection, it loses the motivation to improve itself.
I mean the entire reality of living there - all costs, personal rights, justice system, tax system, job opportunities, educational opportunities, equal rights, etc., etc.
And then, if you do this homework and find another country you think you'd really rather live in, let me know, and why.
That country doesn't exist. No country is perfect. Not even the U.S.
I've never lived in the U.S (been there many times) and have no desire to live there. It's a nice country for sure, but I couldn't tell you if it was better or worse than Canada or Germany. That's like comparing lasagna to steamed buns to curry and trying to pick a winner.
National pride is inevitable, and to large extent useful. How else to motivate young people to join the military, for example? But there’s a fine line between national pride and national hubris. A people who have achieved much, who have produced enormous invention, scientific and cultural impact, have excellent reason to be proud. But history is not kind to nations that call themselves “ueber alles”. Blatant claim of superiority is rarely justified by continued maintenance of such superiority (if it ever existed).
Americans are a curious people… intuitively and profoundly religious, seemingly rigorous about keeping apart the spiritual and the practical, yet also equating America’s foundational political document not merely as a national manifesto, but as something infallible and holy – a religion of its own.
I agree with Aldous9 (post #11), that an exceptionalist creed – a kind of civic religion – is very convenient to hold together a huge, variegated and largely isolated country. But it is very much double-edged. One hopes that abuse of such a creed is limited to empty political rhetoric, and does not come to permeate the national ethos too deeply.
Earlier in this thread, there was a statement about immigration; essentially, "if somewhere else is better, go ahead and move there". Well, immigration is risky and traumatic. One’s home country would have to be very unpleasant, and a competing country very much more attractive, before immigration starts to make sense. For instance, people leave Mexico, Russia and Vietnam because (a) they find substantial problems in their home country, and (b) substantially better opportunities elsewhere. Such a case would be very difficult to make for leaving America, even for those disgusted with mainstream American values and convinced that somewhere else offers better education or access to healthcare. This does indeed imply that America is not substantially worse than elsewhere; but it says nothing about America being “the best” – or even nearly as good as somewhere else.
Nationalism is retarded. It's no different than white or black pride. You had NOTHING to do with being born anywhere. It's nothing to be proud of. You did not accomplish anything.
Nationalism is retarded. It's no different than white or black pride. You had NOTHING to do with being born anywhere. It's nothing to be proud of. You did not accomplish anything.
Nationalism is just an expression of group identity. Indeed, one does not choose one's parentage, and if the group membership is based on choice of parentage, there is nothing that one has individually accomplished to merit that honor. It is indeed "retarded" to take credit for where one happened to be born. But in all times and in all societies, people prefer their own group to that of outside groups. It's a mechanism for cleaving together and for motivating acts of mutual assistance. The danger is when distinction between in-group and out-group becomes too stark.
What I do find to be ironic is the American tendency to view other nation's nationalism as simpleminded vitriol, leading to dumb squabbling; but at the same time, reveling in a fierce American nationalism. The exceptionalism seems to be: "When other nations tout their superiority, they are myopic fools". When we do this, we're merely expressing self-evident fact".
I understand why it exists. I understand it's role in human evolution. Much like a tadpole that sheds it's tail to become a frog, we should shed these vestiges to become more civilized.
But in any case, the US does have a really severe health problem with obesity and overweight that should be recognized. And while other countries have lower obesity rates, they are increasing, even in countries such as France.
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