American Exceptionalism
Today was my last day of classes for this semester. One of my professors (who is quite famous, has done TV spots, is asked to lecture at schools all over the world, is insanely smart, and not originally from America) spoke in our lecture about various things to conclude the class, including the idea of “American Exceptionalism.” (By the way, exceptionalism is a word.)
According to him, we Americans feel that we are above all/most others. America is the one best country. It has opportunities that most other countries do not have. Moreover, our policies with other countries, especially our humanitarian efforts, are related in large part to our view of American Exceptionalism. Our policies are therefore invaded by the bipartisan moral toned view derived from American Exceptionalism.
I was thinking, do I really buy that idea of “exceptionalism”? And, my answer is in two parts, internal and external. Internally, I do believe that America is exceptional, despite its (many) faults, the reality is that you can get more done here than most anywhere else. … continue reading: American Exceptionalism