American Exceptionalism

I well know. But Canada never got over it, much to Canada's loss. You forget that Britain sought colonies to exploit them. The US threw off the yoke. Canada remained a loyal Dominion.

 

if you had waited, you could have just asked for independence instead of going to war. Just saying!

 

Actually we bounced back after a hard period including Carter, Vietnam.....
but part of what has been our success....and what made our way of life "exceptional" is being eroded away. 20 years ago someone with Obama's obvious ideology wouldn't have made it even a first term.

So...I guess we are on the way to being as unexceptional as Canada, eh,?

 

Look at the word: "exceptionalism". That means the US perceives itself to operate on a fundamentally higher, more advanced level than everyone else due to its governmental and societal systems. As such, they also tend to believe that any common historical trends, such as collapse of empires, economic crises or being conquered militarily will never happen to the US.

Idiots, all of them.

 

I agree. Carter was the first modern President to govern from his moral sentiments rather than the national interest. He remains a pecksniff and self-indulgent to this day.

 

We are exceptionally stupid in voting in politicians who then become puppets for the corporate elite who then make sure all the money goes to them and everyone else is left scrambling for crumbs.

We make sure that someone who robs a convenience store for diapers is put away for many years but make exceptions for those who rob Americans of billions and not only let them go on with their lives but reward the with millions/billions more.

Too big to fail is our mantra because these people are above the law along with too little to matter because private prisons need to be filled.

 

It's the illusion that many Americans have that says America is just better than everyone else.
It's our version of a delusion that is shared by many people in many countries.

 

Canada doesn't delude itself into thinking its exceptional or anything. We were never taught to think we're the best in the world unless its about hockey.

 

Canadian exceptionalism is just like Russian exceptionalism: "Americans think they're better than everyone else, so let's tell ourselves we're better than them by saying we're not exceptional."

 

I don't think that Americans think that they're "better" than everyone else. It's just that Americans are so thoroughly ignorant of affairs outside our own country, most Americans are too ignorant to even have an opinion about everyone else. To most Americnas, the rest of the world just simply doesn't exist. That's why America is exceptional. We are the only ones that we know exist.

 

You gotta admit though that the U.S is pretty damned good at fookin other countries up.. I aint saying it's a good thing... but you gotta recognize above average performance when you see it. I think we are second only to Israel if you consider bang for your buck.

 

It seems like the US has always had an elite. There certainly wasn't any farmers present at the signing of the Constitution. But I think America was the place where elite's took the yard and ran a marathon. America's the Imperial bastard of Britain.

But, about Canada, since it's the worlds second largest oil holder, I think it's actually self-sufficient enough. I don't think they will have to search for a buyer for their oil.

 

Canada is destroying itself with that sludge they call oil. Like all the fraccing done in the U.S... starving imbeciles being fed their own feet.

 

That's never really slowed down oil companies before. The citizens of the US have been filing complaints against the polution and devestation of their local environments ever since the days of Rockefeller. There has been a large amount of complaints from South American nations like Venezuela about the destruction of land and waterways from the oil waste that seeps into the ground. Aside from a big oil spill that you can't possibly ignore, you'll never see any of their stories on the news unless it's being regarded as fiction because OIL is likely carrying the To Big To Fail membership card.

In these days, whose going to shut down oil production on a producer of consequence?

 

President John Adams, the guy who felt he would get no appreciation from history in his own time,
was asked for aid by Greeks in their bid for independence from the Ottomans.
His reply was that American Exceptionalism is to be a beacon of democracy but not getting involved in foreign matters.

I can except that concept.


Moi
No I do not remember the second president

 

I wonder if the temptation was just to good to ignore for the American government at one point. It's like at the end of WW2, Germany dropped the Ring of Power (from Lord of the Rings) and America had a chance to destroy it and ensure a imperialist regime never rose again, but they just couldn't resist the opportunity for Power and kept it for themselves.

That might be a nerdy metaphor, but hey...

 

I'm not sure what is used to mean, but currently it seems to be a means to reassure the stupid people of the US, that the US is in some why unique. That American's are somehow better than others. It's impact is inherently the inverse of this, as with that reassurance comes apathy. There is no nation on the planet inherently better than another.

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It was explained to me by a US Right winger as follows:

American's have more TV's per household and larger TV's than other people in other countries.

 

I would include chest-beating arrogance in that narrative-an almost pathological need to feel superior; somewhat like a boxer who keeps telling himself he's invincible, despite losing every fight. It starts with the Pledge of Allegiance and continues with conspicuous flag-waving and displays of symbolism (eagles and stuff), with constant repetition until the brainwashing is complete.

 

Simply; the accumulation of more and more stuff. If your neighbour has stuff it is your patriotic duty to acquire more, and more shiny, stuff than he has.

 

Then borrow mony to buy it, then borrow more and more and more. How could it possibly go wrong?

 

Isn't that your economic policy in a nut shell my leftivist friend?

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We are also the most charitable people on earth. Much more so then the greedy euros. Why do euros keep so much for themselves and give so little back?

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Pathological need for superiority or just an accurate observation of the world as it is?

 

Bigger houses, more cars, more TVs, more hot tubs, more computers, powerful military, the most advanced medicine in the world. Streets so wide you don't need a scooter etc...

 

See, a perfect illustration of the American rationale; more is better! Utterly vacuous rubbish.
You have bigger houses because you have more land to build on.
You have more cars because Americans are so obese that you can't waddle any further than the refrigerator.
You have wider streets because our cities were built before the motor car was even deamed of, and people walked.
You have more TVs. I'm at a loss as to why you feel it necessary to emphasise this. Hot tubs-an outdoor bathtub? WTF is the point of that?
More computers? How many is enough?

I had a guest from America stay with me once, and she was horrified that I actually suggested walking to the shops, a whole 500 yards away!

 

The European Union donates more to international aid than the United States and nations like Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark donate more per Gross National Income (by far) than the US.