hi clo,
i think it's an often seen characteristic of international hegemony.
it isn't an american thing. the british also did it once calling it the white man's burden (kipling's phrase). the romans divided the world between citizens and others. absurdly, the byzantine empire continued this distinction, calling themselves romaioi once the switch was made to greek from latin.
for some reason, humans like to lord it over one another. i have no idea why. we just need reminding that we are no better than our neighbours. policies which forget this do damage not just to others but also to ourselves.
the criticism of hubris only belongs to the usa because currently it is the most powerful country. therefore it has a unique relationship with inequality.
ponder this. would there be a united states of america if the colonists had felt they were treated with equality by the crown?
| 