American Exceptionalism

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   Sooner28posted 12 years ago

   http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc … sm/254534/
   
   A shorty history of the term, and the irony of the American right insisting Obama use it more often.

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      JSChamsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ok then....so what do YOU think of American Exceptionalism?

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         Sooner28posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I simply would ask, why do you embrace nationalism?

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         Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The belief that we are somehow inherently superior makes us incapable of seeing our errors or adapting, we dismiss other countries so we don't learn from them and we have an air of arrogance which has ensured a whole lot of the world hates this country.
         
         I can't tell you how many people here still believe that the US has the best quality of life in the world rather than the 31st because they just assume it.

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            WD Curry 111posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I guess it depends on what you mean by quality of life. Those other countries don't have college football.
            
                                           

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               Sooner28posted 12 years agoin reply to this

               No sarcasm intended, I do immensely enjoy college football.  Some people turn it into a religion though.

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      prettydarkhorseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Stalin used it differently.
      
      Mighty Mom discussed this some months ago!~  http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/66328
      
      Thanks for the link and America is beautiful and unique, but not exceptional in its true definition!

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   JSChamsposted 12 years ago

   So why do we have an illegal immigration problem?
   If we are that bad shouldn't people be staying away?

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      Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      31st is better than some surrounding countries, we are also relatively easy to get into both because of policy and geography doesn't mean a thing about American exceptionalism though.

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      Sooner28posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Do you believe that illegal immigrants ONLY come to the United States?

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         JSChamsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         NO...
         but more come here and according to what I am hearing they shouldn't be.

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   rickyliceaposted 12 years ago

   The U.S. is still has a high level of "awesomeness", but it's not exceptional anymore. Remember the U.S. created the constitutions of Germany and Japan after WWII. Western Europe and some countries in East Asia, are also industrialized democracies.
   In the first half of the 20th Century the U.S. was truly exceptional Europe was ruled by Monarchies, then later Fascists and Communists.
   Thanks to the U.S. the world was saved from these threats.
   
   However the current use of the term of "American Exceptionalism", meaning that any critique of U.S. policy is unpatriotic, that your either with us or against us attitude, I disagree with.
   
   Oh and it is quite ironic

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      Sooner28posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have no problem with praising the achievements of individuals within a country, but nationalizing it to "my country is better than yours because we ARE the United States" is blatant nationalism.

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   chefsrefposted 12 years ago

   Reminds me of another culture that claimed to be the master race. Well, we do lead the world in diabetes and obesity. Yay! We're number one

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   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   Exceptionalism as a concept is apt and really does fit what the founders were trying to accomplish with America. I don't think anyone disputes that.
   But American exceptionalism should be something we continue to earn, not assume.
   It's something to keep reaching toward and proving every day.
   
   But the term has been coopted and turned into a mantra of blind, unthinking nationalism.
   Ironically, by the same folksy folks who would ban any and all six syllable words from our national vocabulary as being too erudite or esoteric or something equally horrid and liberal.
   
   
   Have a nice thread on this. And don't forget:
   Support our Troops everybody!

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      gmwilliamsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Mighty Mom, excellent takeon this issue as usual.    You are quite a wondrous person!

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      Jeff Berndtposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      But American exceptionalism should be something we continue to earn, not assume.
      It's something to keep reaching toward and proving every day.
      Yes, this is so very true.
      
      But the term has been coopted and turned into a mantra of blind, unthinking nationalism.
      Indeed. Most of the people who talk about "American Exceptionalism" use it as code for something more like jingoism, and seem to think that if you aren't a flag-waving nationalist, you're somehow unpatriotic.
      
      If you want the US to be truly exceptional, well, you've got to be willing to do the things that make the US exceptional--the kind of things that helped us to reach the moon in 1969. (pro tip: lots of the people who made that happen went to college and studied science.)
      
      Nowadays, however, we refuse to embark on any kind of project of national pride, on the foolish principle that the country shouldn't have to do anything (new) to be considered exceptional. Well, you know what? If we keep sitting on our butts and not doing stuff like breaking the sound barrier, visiting the moon, building the internet, etc, other countries with smarter populations are going to pass us up. Heck, Singapore and South Korea both have more broadband internet connections per capita than we do. Most of Europe has a robust renewable energy program; we've got something between diddly and squat. We're falling behind because people would rather be complacent than competitive, and somehow they still think this counts as 'exceptional.'
      
      Pathetic.

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