American exceptionalism? We're number one in obesity. Is that the kind of "exceptionalism" they're talking about? Homicides, suicides, drug overdoses... how's America doing there? Not so good. US debt levels are certainly exceptional. How long before that house of cards comes crashing down you think? Heart disease and cancer kill how many Americans every year? An exceptional amount, I would imagine. Oh, yes... America is so exceptional. What's not to be proud of?
America is a country full of obese slobs, lost souls, and the mentally ill, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. If that's your idea of "exceptional", then you must have pretty low standards.
We went from George Washington to Joe Biden. From Thomas Jefferson to Donald Trump. Exceptional? Exceptionally stupid, perhaps.
I think you misunderstand the meaning of American exceptionalism. We are not a country of super-soldiers nor are we Nazis trying to create a nation of super beings. American exceptionalism is providing an environment where the majority of people can excel if they choose to put the effort into it. If you compare America to an adversary like Russia the differences are obvious. Look at our production output differences. The US economy is about 14 times that of Russia. We have states with higher GDPs than Russia. Compare our technologies. We lead the way with American companies like Intel, Microsoft, Google, AMD, Nvidia, Apple, Tesla. Think about what operating systems are used in mobile phones around the worlds, and they are created by Google (Android) and Apple (IOS). Look at the operating system run on the majority of computers and it is Windows. Sure there are a lot of Unix and Linux based machines with its roots in Finland but those are open source and American engineers have contributed greatly to both. Ask yourself what phones do Russian's used? What computer processors and chips? Why do they not use Russian made equivalents? The US leads the worlds in the number of billionaires. We have close to 1000 and Russia has less than 100. Russia is behind in paying it conscripted soldiers a measly average of around $20 a day. Again we have a lot of poverty in the US but our exceptionalism is about giving the opportunities if they take it. We have some of the best Universities in the world, producing top notch graduates in their field. We have minimum barriers for individuals to open a business. I can take a few hours and design a web page and start selling products or services. We have online market places that are easy to sell on and purchase from. The opportunities are there if people wish to take them. As for the obesity problem which directly correlates to the heart disease and diabetes, I agree that it is a problem, but we are a county of freedoms. If people choose to eat unhealthy foods and not exercise they have every right to do so. We provide education and doctors that can advise them to behave differently but the final choice is theirs. The same is true about education. We have tons of Universities, colleges and trade schools. Combine that with the business opportunities I mentioned earlier there are lots of opportunities to acquire wealth. If you choose not to develop your marketable skills then you risk the consequences of a lower income. American exceptionalism is linked to opportunities. If you turn your back on those opportunities you only have yourself to blame.
There was a time when America truly was exceptional, when the average American paid almost nothing in taxes, and when the federal government had virtually no involvement in people's daily lives. But that ended a long time ago. Now the US is just another unexceptional big government society populated by tax slaves. And the symptoms of this decline are everywhere you look.
It is obvious that you are adverse to any intelligent discussion on this topic. You appear to like to rant and rave without any serious discussion. While I would probably agree with our spending is out of control and taxation could definitely need reform I don't see how your limited statement challenges American exceptionalism. I have already given you my view of American exceptionalism and a few examples where US is amongst the world leader in technology and business. Instead of showing me examples of countries that are doing it better you employ and rant and run discussion technique. Is your only goal to troll or do you have a real opinion on this subject? Which countries in your opinion embody "exceptionalism"?
Well please enlighten us all then, if we had this freedom you say we do not how would it manifest itself, what would be different, and how would you propose to get there?
I'm sure there were Romans who still thought everything was okay, even as Alaric was waiting outside the city walls to sack it.
You DO have a choice. You can build a cabin in a remote area and live off the land. You could also move to a country where there are no taxes and no govt involved in anyone's life. But good luck finding such a place.
It is exceptional that they can get fat enough to need a scooter at walmart and still have the same rights. I agree, America is EXCEPTIONAL
