Many people find it
easy to say that America is the best country in the world because of our democracy, great freedoms and wealth of opportunities. Although one might
not directly state that America is superior to other countries, there are many different ways which support this notion of American
Exceptionalism. For example, during our class discussion on Thursday, we
analyzed several different history textbooks including Fonner's "The
American Nation". Although a very simple title, it connotes the uniqueness
and immensity of our country. As a result, I began thinking about whether it was
fair to assume this American Exceptionalism.
Recently,
Romney put some pressure on Obama after the President said that American Exceptionalism is no
different than Greek Exceptionalism, British Exceptionalism, or any other country's
patriotism. Although maybe not the smartest thing to say when running for reelection,
I agree with Obama. It makes little sense to call us the best country when
looking at the facts.
For
example, America's educational system is consistently outside the top ten on
every list, when comparing it to the rest of the
world. Additionally, the U.S was ranked number one on the list comparing countries with the highest
reported crime rates. America is also responsible for lots of international
violence around the world. One example is how the U.S backed contra-war in
Nicaragua killed some 30,000 Nicaraguans. Also, America has killed over 250,000
Muslims over the past three decades. Although all countries are guilty of some international or internal violence, America has certainly been a militaristic power that has
a history of a heavy international presence. Finally, the notion that the U.S
has unique responsibilities is false. Several different nations have believed
this exact same thing; yet have no good examples of why. For example, the British
thought they held unique responsibilities with the white mans burden. Every
country at some point may think this way, but there is no basis for their claim. Every country holds responsibilities that are essential for the world to continue functioning.
No
single country is perfect, and there is certainly no way to tell which country
is the "best". Obviously, certain countries excel in fields in which other country's struggle, but ultimately there is no factor that determines
"Exceptionalism". It is great to be patriotic and support your
country, which I believe I do, but I do not think it is fair to go as far as to
believe in American Exceptionalism. For further information on this topic please click
here.
Obama saying that American Exceptionalism is no different than other countries, to me, can be heard in two ways. Saying that we are no different can be talking about the now, how as a nation we have been struggling and need to get back to being the model of "Exceptionalism". Or Obama is trying to level the playing field, so to speak, by saying we are the same as other countries. I believe our country was once the model nation of others, but over the last five years we have slipped.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting to consider Maxx. Good points. I agree with you that Obama's comments might have actually been something that was supposed to motivate the country to get back to the time when we were exceptional, compared to the rest of the world. Currently, there seems to be a lot of talk about China, and how they are going to become the largest world power within a short amount of time. Therefore, I think it would be interesting to follow how our country deals with foreign relations to China (and watch what the candidates say in the debates about that). Is it possible for us to become an example for the rest of the world, and lead the rankings in areas such as the economy to academics?
ReplyDeleteNice interaction in the comments.
ReplyDeleteTom -- I really appreciate you took the time to respond to your commenter, Maxxxx. So often, most people let the comments just fly without an acknowledgement of the readership.
I think this post is fairly strong in that it includes some great examples of other countries perceptions that might be surprising to remember. The Romney/Obama interaction makes this very timely.
But there's almost too much here to digest. For example, I like your decision to analyze Foner's title, but you didn't take it far enough -- what makes that title indicate to you that Foner was echoing the them of exceptionalism?
And we need more on WHY Americans feel so exceptional.