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American exceptionallism is the problem,

By: Cactus Flower in ALEA | Recommend this post (0)
Mon, 17 Dec 18 6:42 PM | 34 view(s)
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Msg. 28073 of 52679
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not the solution.

Just have the humility to be like everyone else. That's the starting point from which fewer problems occur. You don't act in an arrogant fashion if you think you share a common humanity, for instance. A country might have compassion for others' problems if it thinks it is unexceptional. It might learn from others' experience if it is similar to them.

It is a sign of weakness and immaturity to need to feel different. Drop the notion of exceptionallism. It's the single least admirable thing about America's sense of itself. Drop it, and maybe America will be exceptional - for its humility. Drop it and let others compliment America, rather than boasting in a charmless way about your own virtues.

We all face the same issues. America is more populous, wealthier and so militarily more powerful than other developed democracies. This is why it has led them. That's all it is.

"We allowed an important idea—American exceptionalism—­to be hijacked and misused. Now we need to rescue that idea and let it guide America at home and abroad."




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