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Do you believe in American Exceptionalism?

Do you believe in American Exceptionalism?

  • Total voters
    61
US Conservative said:
Agreed that resting on ones laurels is not enough, and we should constantly strive to improve. But to this point, the US has and is absolutely exceptional.
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Not so much lately. We're unhealthier, behind on gay rights, behind on treatment of women... we the only industrialized country that has a major population that thinks that climate change and evolution aren't real. We start a lot of wars and bomb a lot of people. We're better about free speech and rights for the accused. We're better about religious liberty on paper, but still not better enough in practice.

Right now, I don't think we are better. But if we lived up to our ideals, we would be.

Lastly, being more powerful militarily does not and will not ever make a national exceptional. It is the nation that avoids war, not that wins it, that is exceptional.
 
radcen said:
No poll option for me. I am an American, yet neither left or right.

Anyway, yes I do believe in American exceptionalism, and it has a lot to do with why we are where we are in the world, though I think we have been losing our sense of purpose slowly but surely for several decades now. The gap is closing, which means we are regressing, and personally I blame our own over-regulation. One of the reasons we did excel is that people were left alone so they could excel, and now we keep putting roadblocks and arbitrary and artificial limits on what people can do, and it's not serving us well at all.
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Do you mean that in your own personal self-assessment you sit precisely in the middle?
I agree that govt has seen to it to stifle progress with over regulation-but thats what govt's do-power takes care of itself, even to the detriment of its people.
 
US Conservative said:
Agreed that resting on ones laurels is not enough, and we should constantly strive to improve. But to this point, the US has and is absolutely exceptional.
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Exceptional in what regard
 
Paschendale said:
Not so much lately. We're unhealthier, behind on gay rights, behind on treatment of women... we the only industrialized country that has a major population that thinks that climate change and evolution aren't real. We start a lot of wars and bomb a lot of people. We're better about free speech and rights for the accused. We're better about religious liberty on paper, but still not better enough in practice.

Right now, I don't think we are better. But if we lived up to our ideals, we would be.

Lastly, being more powerful militarily does not and will not ever make a national exceptional. It is the nation that avoids war, not that wins it, that is exceptional.
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You used the word "better". Lets try to avoid value judgements in the context of this discussion. I disagree about a powerful military not being exceptional. Human history suggests that generally states with a powerful military have more influence. Can you name a historically exceptional nation without a significant military?
 
US Conservative said:
Statue%20of%20Liberty%20Crown%20with%20American%20Flag.jpg
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You don't have a box for my choice. American. I believe in American exceptionalism.

"American exceptionalism is about the exception to the rule or the exception to the norm, not that we're better people, not that we have better DNA, not that we're smarter. We've had more freedom. We've had more liberty." Rush Limbaugh.
Rugged individualism is the belief that all individuals, or nearly all individuals, can succeed on their own and that government help for people should be minimal.
 
US Conservative said:
You used the word "better". Lets try to avoid value judgements in the context of this discussion. I disagree about a powerful military not being exceptional. Human history suggests that generally states with a powerful military have more influence. Can you name a historically exceptional nation without a significant military?
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Influence does not equate to exception. Wars not make one great.

And this discussion is entirely about value judgments. Exceptional compared to other nations means exactly "better". Or "worse", I suppose. But I doubt that's your intent with this thread.

The US has exceptional ideals and is an exceptional nation when we follow them. We are not, unfortunately, exceptional at doing that.
 
PirateMk1 said:
You don't have a box for my choice. American. I believe in American exceptionalism.

"American exceptionalism is about the exception to the rule or the exception to the norm, not that we're better people, not that we have better DNA, not that we're smarter. We've had more freedom. We've had more liberty." Rush Limbaugh.
Rugged individualism is the belief that all individuals, or nearly all individuals, can succeed on their own and that government help for people should be minimal.
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Are you saying you are precisely in the middle, with no lean whatsoever? The reason I split up the poll choices like this was for comparison.
 
Paschendale said:
Influence does not equate to exception. Wars not make one great.

And this discussion is entirely about value judgments. Exceptional compared to other nations means exactly "better". Or "worse", I suppose. But I doubt that's your intent with this thread.

The US has exceptional ideals and is an exceptional nation when we follow them. We are not, unfortunately, exceptional at doing that.
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Agreed, influence is not the same as exceptional-but that was not my point. Im saying that exceptional nations typically have a large military. Historically if they did not-they were taken over by someone who did have that military.

Exceptional means something counter to the rule. The communist regimes of the last century were exceptional in their massacres and genocides, for example. That does not mean they are "good".

Im talking about objective criteria here. We lead the world in most of these parameters. We are exceptional-that does not mean we are better or good-theres a difference.
 
You make a poll asking a question then proceed to make the largest fraction of the replies in this thread thus far US Conservative.(I counted) 19 replies out of 44. Almost half. And all of them in the purpose of ego masturbation.

I guess if there is something like american exceptionalism, it's the exceptional ability of americans to masturbate their egos if this thread is anything to go by. Cheers.

Here's a hint dude. Exceptionalism, quality... these sort things, are worth more, carry more nobility and weight, if they aren't bragged about. The moment you brag about it, it becomes less so. It cheapens it. It's like bragging you have a big dick. If you really have a big dick, then there's no surprise when you whip it out because people already know what to expect. If it turns out you don't have a bick dick, you'll be laughed at.
 
US Conservative said:
Agreed, influence is not the same as exceptional-but that was not my point. Im saying that exceptional nations typically have a large military. Historically if they did not-they were taken over by someone who did have that military.

Exceptional means something counter to the rule. The communist regimes of the last century were exceptional in their massacres and genocides, for example. That does not mean they are "good".

Im talking about objective criteria here. We lead the world in most of these parameters. We are exceptional-that does not mean we are better or good-theres a difference.
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Alright, let's talk about your criteria. "Historically, militarily, culturally, socially, scientifically, agriculturally, and industrially."

Historically... what does that even mean? Our history is better than other country's history? It's the same history. And, as we said before, we can't rest on our laurels. Militarily doesn't matter, but the most exceptional nation isn't the one that wins wars, it's the one that prevents them. Culturally... again very vague. We're the country whose culture involves mass shootings and denial of science. There's plenty we have to be ashamed of. Socially? Our people aren't ranked happiest in the world. We're also not the healthiest. Scientifically used to be true. It might still be. But it's waning. If keep up this science denial and religious bluster, we'll lose it. It's already begun. Agriculturally? How is this even a criterion? And how exactly are you quantifying it? We produce a lot of food, but we also use up a whole lot more resources than equivalent populations in other countries. Same for industry.

Justify us as superior in any of those criteria. Though you have to first justify why half of them matter as criteria in the first place.
 
I'm an American, not an hyphenated-American but an American and I believe in both Manifest Destiny and American Exceptionalism.

"And if you disagree with me, you're a racist, homophobic, taurophobe."
 
Rainman05 said:
You make a poll asking a question then proceed to make the largest fraction of the replies in this thread thus far US Conservative.(I counted) 19 replies out of 44. Almost half. And all of them in the purpose of ego masturbation.

I guess if there is something like american exceptionalism, it's the exceptional ability of americans to masturbate their egos if this thread is anything to go by. Cheers.

Here's a hint dude. Exceptionalism, quality... these sort things, are worth more, carry more nobility and weight, if they aren't bragged about. The moment you brag about it, it becomes less so. It cheapens it. It's like bragging you have a big dick. If you really have a big dick, then there's no surprise when you whip it out because people already know what to expect. If it turns out you don't have a bick dick, you'll be laughed at.
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So much emoting. Heres a thought-I started the thread to discuss the topic with forumites. Now do your best fonzie impression-what is fonzie?
 
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