BF2S Forums American Exceptionalism: Truth or Bullshit?

JohnG@lt wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

His answer was 'Well in that case it's no more bs then any other country', so the US is hardly exceptional.

At the time the phrase was coined, America was indeed exceptional. A Republic where the people had a voice rather than monarchial Europe. Nowadays? We've been copied so much that we're the rule rather than the exception. Instead, the despot monarchial types are the exception.

Uzique wrote:

come on, galt. not you, too?

here's the ONE paragraph

The position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one. Their strictly Puritanical origin, their exclusively commercial habits, even the country they inhabit, which seems to divert their minds from the pursuit of science, literature, and the arts, the proximity of Europe, which allows them to neglect these pursuits without relapsing into barbarism, a thousand special causes, of which I have only been able to point out the most important, have singularly concurred to fix the mind of the American upon purely practical objects. His passions, his wants, his education, and everything about him seem to unite in drawing the native of the United States earthward; his religion alone bids him turn, from time to time, a transient and distracted glance to heaven. Let us cease, then, to view all democratic nations under the example of the American people.[4]

brinson, i made an especially relevant part BOLD for you. is that ok? clearer now?

it's to do with puritan beliefs, specifically calvinist pre-destination and the idea of a 'chosen' nation, a covenant of god's people being guided by an unseen and determinist hand towards a privileged fate. it's to do with those puritans setting a moral and social example to the rest of the world, as far as democratic and liberal values go - 'the city on the hill'. it's not so much about concrete systems of republicanism. it's definitely not to do with the achievements of american citizens in terms of engineering and philanthropy.

7 pages now and maybe we'll finally get to a point where people know what the fucking dead-basic fundamental principle is

I bet I could even outshoot dil -with his own pistols... Because I a Merican'.

heh heh....  Or because I'm a hell of a shot with a pistol.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2010-11-15 17:56:27)

That's a bit misleading. In any discussion about American exceptionalism, comparisons of the US to other powers always surface. European morality isn't so much boasted of as implied by lopsided stabs at US history.

Dilbert_X wrote:

heh heh....  Or because I'm a hell of a shot with a pistol.

OK, I've shot for England, was on the team which beat the British Army, I'm currently club champion across six matches and I was state champion last year - in the process I beat the Australian #1.

Your belief in your personal exceptionalism is based on .... ?

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2010-11-15 20:51:06)

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

many of the measures we are talking about has lagged Europe.

Are you talking about social issues or the resolution of either (or both) of the world wars?

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2010-11-15 23:24:45)

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

Shahter wrote:

nobody has any moral supperriority in this regard, certrainly not those whos nation was the only one to actaully use nuclear weapons - and on cities full of civilians.

Which opens up a completely different can of worms: that of how many Japanese would have died under continued low-altitude firebombing and a land invasion...