I like a book that shows us how oversimplified our view of the past is, and it sounds as though America Before the Revolution does just that. I'd be interested in reading it, too.
An exceptionalist view of America will emphasize the uniqueness and non-indebtedness of the country, as if we're not beholden to other times and peoples for what we became. There's something in common there with Bible exceptionalism, according to which the Jews and then the Christians had a unique genesis.
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American Exceptionalism
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DWill
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Re: American Exceptionalism
Last edited by DWill on Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Saffron
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Re: American Exceptionalism
Very interesting connection. Did you come up with it?DWill wrote: An exceptionalist view of America will emphasize the uniqueness and non-indebtedness of the country, as if we're not beholden to other times and peoples for what we became. There's something in common there with Bible exceptionalism, according to which the Jews and then the Christians had a unique genesis.
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JulianTheApostate
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Re: American Exceptionalism
The recent Republican comments about American exceptionalism were a response to the following statement of Obama's:
American exceptionalism is difficult for me to accept because of areas in which other countries are superior to the United States. The world would be a much better place if the US had universal medical care, the way most developed nations do, and if the US were more reluctant to start wars. Though the US has been very good to me personally, it has strengths and weaknesses, just as other countries do.
Also, excessive arrogance is not a good thing. For example, if someone loudly proclaimed that their family was better than anyone else's, most people would see that person as a jerk. Claims that "my country is better than all others" seem inappropriate for similar reasons.
Finally, American exceptionalism and patriotism strike me as special cases of the general beliefs in nationalism and the superiority of certain societal groups. Those attitudes are responsible for many of the worst acts in history: wars, slavery, and oppression. Such associations make me shy away from the concept of American exceptionalism.
I agree with that sentiment completely, though Obama is vastly more eloquent than I could ever hope to be. Someone of my other opinions would be inappropriate for Obama to say, if he even agreed with them."I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. I'm enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world. If you think about the site of this summit and what it means, I don't think America should be embarrassed to see evidence of the sacrifices of our troops, the enormous amount of resources that were put into Europe postwar, and our leadership in crafting an Alliance that ultimately led to the unification of Europe. We should take great pride in that.
"And if you think of our current situation, the United States remains the largest economy in the world. We have unmatched military capability. And I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional.
"Now, the fact that I am very proud of my country and I think that we've got a whole lot to offer the world does not lessen my interest in recognizing the value and wonderful qualities of other countries, or recognizing that we're not always going to be right, or that other people may have good ideas, or that in order for us to work collectively, all parties have to compromise and that includes us.
"And so I see no contradiction between believing that America has a continued extraordinary role in leading the world towards peace and prosperity and recognizing that that leadership is incumbent, depends on, our ability to create partnerships because we create partnerships because we can't solve these problems alone."
American exceptionalism is difficult for me to accept because of areas in which other countries are superior to the United States. The world would be a much better place if the US had universal medical care, the way most developed nations do, and if the US were more reluctant to start wars. Though the US has been very good to me personally, it has strengths and weaknesses, just as other countries do.
Also, excessive arrogance is not a good thing. For example, if someone loudly proclaimed that their family was better than anyone else's, most people would see that person as a jerk. Claims that "my country is better than all others" seem inappropriate for similar reasons.
Finally, American exceptionalism and patriotism strike me as special cases of the general beliefs in nationalism and the superiority of certain societal groups. Those attitudes are responsible for many of the worst acts in history: wars, slavery, and oppression. Such associations make me shy away from the concept of American exceptionalism.
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DWill
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Re: American Exceptionalism
Well, who knows. You read so much of this 'n that, and forget where you read it, that it's often difficult to say what is original, if anything is. But I note that to you this sounds suspiciously above the level of my usual insights!Saffron wrote:Very interesting connection. Did you come up with it?DWill wrote: An exceptionalist view of America will emphasize the uniqueness and non-indebtedness of the country, as if we're not beholden to other times and peoples for what we became. There's something in common there with Bible exceptionalism, according to which the Jews and then the Christians had a unique genesis.
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DWill
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Re: American Exceptionalism
It was a theologian, of all people, who pointed out the "persistent sin of American exceptionalism." Reinhold Niebuhr had much of interest to say in The Irony of American History, a book that so strongly influenced Andrew Bacevich's writing in The Limits of Power.
The problem for me lies in the assumption by some that the United States has an inherent quality that sets it apart from all other nations. What the U.S. has, or has had, going for it can be discussed more or less objectively, but its accomplishments have been due to efforts all along the way to maintain a belief in a certain type of citizenship and role in the world. We can certainly lose whatever we've gained by losing track of what it took to get where we are. No power, certainly not God, will bless us just because we are America. A cause for worry is when we need to talk so much about how exceptional we are.
As JtA mentioned, we also need to confront our weaknesses, currently and in history. We persisted, for example, in the institution of chattel slavery long after other advanced nations had renounced it.
The problem for me lies in the assumption by some that the United States has an inherent quality that sets it apart from all other nations. What the U.S. has, or has had, going for it can be discussed more or less objectively, but its accomplishments have been due to efforts all along the way to maintain a belief in a certain type of citizenship and role in the world. We can certainly lose whatever we've gained by losing track of what it took to get where we are. No power, certainly not God, will bless us just because we are America. A cause for worry is when we need to talk so much about how exceptional we are.
As JtA mentioned, we also need to confront our weaknesses, currently and in history. We persisted, for example, in the institution of chattel slavery long after other advanced nations had renounced it.
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Re: American Exceptionalism
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