For some reason, I’ve been dwelling recently on the idea of
American Exceptionalism (AE) and how ridiculous and repugnant a concept it
really is. At some point during one of Obama’s presidential campaigns, a
questioner asked if he believed in American Exceptionalism and he said he did.
I’m sure no presidential candidate would be foolish enough to criticize our
status as a super duper world power, but I’m guessing that Obama the man is
smart enough to understand how wrong it is.
AE is one of those things that a lot of Americans instinctively
agree with, but that few have actually thought about. It’s like the words to
the Pledge of Allegiance or the Star Spangled Banner, we hear them all the
time, but not many people look at them closely.
Is America special? Are we inherently superior to other
countries? Has God chosen us over other peoples of the world? It sounds crass
and incredibly self-centered when stated this way, but that’s what AE is all
about. If you accept AE, you accept the idea that we are better than the people
of other countries. Let’s bring this down to a personal level. Do you think
that any one individual is superior to another? How do we feel about people who
think they are better than everyone else? We generally don’t like them.
And let’s not forget that countries with a serious
superiority complex, like, oh, I don’t know, Nazi Germany, have not fared well
historically.
As long as we believe in AE, it makes things like destroying
an indigenous population, dropping bombs all over the Middle East or starting
wars with countries that have not threatened us seem acceptable, even
patriotic. If we do something in the name of America, it must be okay.
AE means never having to say you’re sorry.
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