LONDON -- As I write this I'm flying back to America, specifically New Orleans, to celebrate July 4 by watching fireworks over the Mississippi River. I say that right up here at the top to establish my Yank bonafides. In addition, my parents sought out this country as a refuge (one denied, it should be noted, to many of their equally desperate compatriots), so I've never stopped being grateful that, at least for them, for that special moment, the golden door was open.
But we're three trillion dollars down, the latest reports say, in trying to -- to what? Protect ourselves? Export freedom? Make the world safe for our oil interests? It's hard to know. This America 2.0 would be impossible for the Founders to recognize, even with folks running around with the banner of the Tea Party. After all, the Founders, slave-owners mostly, wouldn't see themselves in Michele Bachmann's characterization. Nor would they recognize a country that thinks nation-building in the graveyard of empires is the spunky little republic they established.
On this Independence Day, though, I just want to mull over for a moment the latest meme from the conservative meme factory (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newt Gingrich's third marriage): American exceptionalism. This phrase has just recently crawled out of the poli-sci books and into our semblance of a national discussion. And it fascinates me. It's so important for so many Americans to believe that we're... special, and not in the special-ed sense.
So let's look at the record for a moment. Yes, we've had a civil war. Yes, we attempted genocide of the indigenous population. Yes, we've had slavery. That list certainly sets us apart from the run of nation-states. The riposte will come, "but we don't seek territory." Meaning that Puerto Rico and Guam, for God's sake, and, for a long time, the Philippines, just attached themselves to us like so many little charming barnacles?
So what makes us exceptional? Most Tea Partiers will tell you it's the existence of a written Constitution. So that puts us in the category of... most of the nations in the world, with the exceptions of New Zealand, the UK, and Israel. Morocco has a written Constitution. So does Myanmar, apparently. That's almost as amiable a set of companions as the countries that agree with us about the death penalty. Google that.
Yet we clearly need to see ourselves as exceptional, as freer than, say, the Scandinavians, or the Australians, or -- happy Canada Day, everybody! -- the Canadians.
Here's my guess as to why we need to see ourselves as not only swell, but different: if we weren't somehow unique, the Good Lord would have had no reason to shine and focus, like a divine laser beam, His blessings upon us. He'd have said, let's give plenty of arable land to the Brazilians and the Africans, and let's give spectacular scenery to the Aussies, and let's give mineral resources to the Chinese, and -- oh, wait.
Sarah Palin, leading the parade, has learned to emphasize "American exceptionalism" in her speeches, and those who scoff at the notion are supposed to be regarded as the modern equivalent of Communists, or witches. Well, this is a remarkable country, and it was even more remarkable before the financial sector bought every available politician. I revel in the freedom to say what I want here, although I did choose to come to London to do a TV pilot so I could be far freer to do the show I wanted to do than I ever could be in LA.
As we slide into the coming multi-polar world, pols will increasingly be chest-beating about reclaiming the time when America ruled the earth. I'm sure that the more presentable triceratops made similar speeches as the curtain was coming down on their hegemony. I frankly think a world where the Chinese do the nation-building in the backwaters will usher in a better America, a USA 3.0 that may actually be, in a certain way, exceptional.
If that's not the way to bet, it's the way to hope.
Follow Harry Shearer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/theharryshearer
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Then there's so many people who have confused Freedom with license, being free to do whatever-the-hell they want. In our secualr and materialistic culture nationally and here in Hawaii as well, there's a common disregard and not a clue about the spiritual underpinnings of the founding of our American Experiment. They don't pay attn to elections, don't bother to get informed about issues or which candidates are more qualified and just love to bitch.
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It would be a huge tragedy if history will say that the American Experiment failed because the people stopped caring about keeping it strong by being good citizens, keeping informed and being so distracted that the country and system died.
With luck and hard work, will America continue to prevail. Or not?
First of all Harry's musings on the topic were exceptional, as we desperately need to quit beating our patriotic chests, and start looking for examples (yes, even if those examples (health care, policing terrorism) are from those heathen foreigners) of how to right this sinking ship, the USS America.
And there were many exceptional comments from posters who get what Harry's saying here.
Then, of course, there were those who took typical "exception" with what Harry had to say. In far too many of those cases, the thing most exceptional about their comments, was their unexceptional reading comprehension.
Harry is doing the most patriotic thing one can do on the 4th of July (or anytime of the year). He took a pause to refect on how this nation might be heading in the wrong direction, amid all the fireworks and chest-thumping. Pondered our place in an ever-changing world, where we may not long be the "exceptional" people, but rather the used-to-bes.
As for being free, you can't compare the US to Europe or to Canada. They have different traditions and history -- and different politicians. US politicos are financed by lobbyists, and power is near absolute. In Canada, US-style lobbying is illegal, and Federal government's power is still limited. Starting in the 30s, US Federal power is based on celebrity and "progress." Germans finance cards for 30 years and homes for 100. The French lack non-government retirement resources. Resources politicians keep trying to reduce or delay. The US government is talks about bringing heavy industry back to the Ohio River Valley.
The subject of debt and war. What do you think WWII was if not economic stimulus and nation building? High and mighty notions of Democracy were total b.s. We picked a winner and sold weapons to the winners.
The Constitution was unique in that it was the first document of its kind since the end of the Middle Ages.
Yes, much to your dismay, US citizens are happy and proud to be US citizens. Even stranger to you, we're actually happy living here. Maybe in 20 or 30 years we'll adopt your dour, European outlook on our nation.
Obama's presidency has given more global credence to "American Exceptionalism" than anything Sarah Palin's twisted high school verbiage could ever suggest.
That said, my problem with some conservatives (and others) who toss the term "american exceptionalism" out so casually is that they seem to believe that simply BEING american makes one exceptional. It doesn't. Neither does riding on past accomplishments. What are we doing NOW that makes us exceptionally better than other countries that we were not doing before? What do we offer in this country that NO OTHER COUNTRY offers?
The concept of liberty enshrined in the US Constitution is the very thing that makes America exceptional because liberty is an exceptional idea when you look at world history. It doesn't mean America has been perfect. When you look at the bad that America is responsible for it can not be blamed on the Constitution or the concept of natural rights and liberty. It is typically the result of monopolists and tyrants in our society. George Bush and Barack Obama are not Constitutionalists. They both have contempt for individual liberty and the rule of law. That is why Obama thinks he can engage in an assault on a foreign nation without a declaration of war from Congress.
"So what makes us exceptional? Most Tea Partiers will tell you it's the existence of a written Constitution. So that puts us in the category of... most of the nations in the world, with the exceptions of New Zealand, the UK, and Israel. Morocco has a written Constitution. So does Myanmar, apparently. That's almost as amiable a set of companions as the countries that agree with us about the death penalty. Google that."
Perhaps you didn't directly attack the US Constitution but you did make a sweeping generalization about a vast group of people of loosely coupled opinions (tea partiers) and claim they believe the mere existence of a constitution is what makes the US exceptional. In doing so you indirectly belittle the importance of the US Constitution and create a straw man argument to discredit anyone who affiliates themselves with the tea party and/or has high regard for the US Constitution.
The Wright brothers were bike builders. What in the world did they know about flight? Samuel Pierpont Langley was a scientist with the Smithsonian with government funding to develop an airplane. Langley failed miserably time after time and the Wright brothers were successful. All of them kept trying.
In every instance where the U.S. government has failed the people have given the government a chance to redeem itself. This is the case with every "unexceptional" act the U.S. government has committed or been involved with.
America = Redemption. There are few places in the world where this is true. America is the best place to find redemption.
Jon
I guess those presidents had contempt for individual liberty and the rule of law too?
Loved the bumper copyrighted "Apologies of the Week" this week.
"democracy" is just a trojan horse
for capitalism.
these wars meant to "free" people
were really just about opening more
franchizes for the business thugs.
their goal is to turn the world into
clusters of corporate pill boxes -
like the american model. create
a global slave class of "free men."
the more "free market" the more
enslaved men.
fewer and fewer with more and more,
while the rest have the freedom to live
hand to mouth.
the founding fathers would be sickened by the greed machine that is: americorp.
How about the Soviet Union enslaving half of Europe after WWII? How humane were they when they murdered the Kulaks or killed some 50 Million in order to steal the property of the middle&upper classes and bring about what was to be a failed Communist socialist state? Our strongest allies & most vehement anti socialists are the former imprisoned soviet satellites who know full well the meaning of evil big government socialist states.
Silly left wing socialist comedians must learn to be more realistic if they expect to be taken seriously by anyone other than these new Democrats who form their opinions based on the latest slogans engendered by their sly manipulative leaders! Shame on
We ain't so bad, eh?
Are you like Michael Jackson? "Sha-mon, hoooooooo!"
Too your point - yeah, lots of people killed lots of people over time. Heaps. Even the 6000-year-old cavemen probably did. But did they call themselves 'exceptional.'? By listing all of this, aren't you proving the author of this post's point that we are in the long list of empires that isn't really all that exceptional?
What is this supposed to mean, Shearer? Not all Constitutions are created equally. It is the recognition of liberty and natural rights that makes the US Constitution so important and it is what makes America exceptional. Just because it has been abused and ignored so often by misinformed or criminal government functionaries doesn't make it any less important.
Yes, other countries have constitutions too but the poor examples you present are countries that either completely ignore their constitutions or have constitutions that don't recognize the rights of individuals.
But that should be obvious to anybody. This is a very sophomoric article you've presented. Stick to the comedy, Mr Funny Guy.
Lawmakers here must be made more accountable to the electorate than they have been recently.
Germany had a constitution before Hitler came along and subverted it too. If we don't understand, appreciate and defend our constitution we will lose all of the natural rights it has defined which are vital to restrain the control freaks and monopolists that flock to government.