I’m glad “American Exceptionalism” is back home with the Dems where it belongs
With all the Trump implosion going on, I haven’t had a chance to comment on a thing that happened at the DNC. “American Exceptionalism” came home to the Democratic Party where is belongs.
The Democratic version of American Exceptionalism on display in Philadelphia declares that America does things because they are the right thing to do. Our exceptionalism is based on our exceptional values; inclusion, peace, prosperity, searching out and working toward the common good. That’s stuff that will get you to wave the flag again. That’s the stuff that makes America great. The GOP’s version of American Exceptionalism, on the other hand, is based on a flimsy counterfeit crap, like the very shitty and cloying Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the USA”
That dumbed down version of American Exceptionalism that the GOP has been pushing, good riddance to that stinking pile of shit. The GOP’s version of American Exceptionalism says that anything American does is good, because we did it. Waving the flag isn’t a celebration of having fulfilled our civic responsibilities, it is an end in itself. The GOP’s American Exceptionalism is to patriotism what masturbation is to sex.
jason I don’t want American Exceptionalism in any form. I find it difficult to credit that we claim both Exceptionality and Universality for our values simultaneously.
I’d actually like to see some American humility, occasionally.
America has never been a particular humble country. In fact I’m hard pressed to think of any country that embodies the characteristic of humility. The best I could do is come up with a country that has a quiet smugness. But lately with the turmoil in Europe even the smug seem to be afflicted.
I believe America is exceptional, but we don’t have puff out our chests and tell everyone. So yeah, a little humility would be in order. We often need to be reminded of our values and we should seek out opportunities for positive affirmation of those values.
As an American, I was quite proud of the Democratic Convention. I think it showed the best of America. The America that world wants. Because of my career I have a great many foreign contacts, friends and acquaintances. Their feedback to me was that the Democratic Convention gave them hope. The GOP Convention horrified them.
For a great many people around the world, America represents hope for a better world. It’s hard to be humble carrying that yoke. It’s also hard to live up to that expectation.