APP - 'Is the United States Exceptional?'

midcan5

Member
Interesting article, long, but browse it if your attention span is that of most Americans in my personal American critical opinion. A few excerpts.

'Economics Knowledge Culture Power'

"The United States is already an uncommonly blended country (as discussed in the link above) and only becoming more so. And despite – or perhaps because of – the difficulties that often come with such a diverse population, the United States is also arguably the world’s oldest functioning democracy and likewise arguably has the world’s oldest still-used constitution. All of which is clearly exceptional, even accounting for recent polarization and turmoil."

"The United States makes up 4.25% of the world’s population but around half of its top research universities. Ranking universities is to a degree subjective but one may take an average of the rankings (I’ll use this one) to get at least a rough sense of the state of things; a merely rough sense will do because the disparity is so massive nothing more precise is required. Eight of the top ten universities worldwide are American; 13 of the top 20; 23 of the top 50; 38 of the top 100."

"Despite the heterogeneity of the United States’ population, American culture is distinctive. In particular, by at least some measurements, the United States is above and away the most individualist country in the world, an outlier even compared to other English-speaking countries (which also tend towards a strong individualist bent). The United States is also effectively alone as a high-income country which is also very religious, both in terms of saying that religion is important but also in actual religious observance like daily prayer. Of course not all exceptions are good; the United States is unusually violent for a high income country."

"The United States today is the most powerful country to have ever existed, by functionally every metric. Even as the diplomatic and security environment the United States faces becomes more challenging (in part by our own making), the position the United States occupies today is one no other country has ever occupied."

"The interesting question then is not if the United States is a great country but if it will be a good country, if all of that vastness in wealth, technology, influence and power will be put towards some worthy aim, both judged against our ideals and against the historical behavior of other great powers. It’s a question that only Americans can really answer, in our doing. I strive and hope that we answer well."


https://acoup.blog/2022/07/08/collections-is-the-united-states-exceptional/
 
This author doesn't know what he is talking about.

1) Canada - for example - is far more cultural diverse than America. Yet they have only a tiny, fraction of the cultural troubles America does. And most Americans won't shut up about race.

2) He says America is the most individualist country on Earth? What a load of nonsense. America is one of the LEAST, individual countries and one of the more xenophobic countries of all wealthy nations (especially outside of East Asia).

3) Yes, America is very religious. But that is bad. The more intelligent and wealthy a nation is. Generally, the less religious it is. The poorer a country - the more religious. The reason is obvious: religion is for morons. Only a moron would base their entire, moral existence on a few books written thousands of years ago. Where almost everything in them are TOTALLY unproven by science. Smart people are - generally - NOT religious.
Religion is for he weak and/or the ignorant (read stupid) and/or the desperate. No exceptions.
Religion does virtually NOTHING but cause violence and destruction.

4) Yes, America is powerful. But not for long. China has already passed America on GDP (PPP). And within 15 years will pass us in GDP (nominal). And, within about 40-50 years? In GDP per capita. And India is not that far behind.
These are not guesses.
These are hard facts based on the present rates of relative GDP growth.

America's economy is a MESS.
We have had NO GDP growth FY's over 3% since the Great Recession (2021 does not count since a- that was just recovering from a GIANT depression. And the government/Fed poured GIGANTIC amounts of debt on the economy).
That is ridiculous.
https://www.thebalancemoney.com/u-s-gdp-growth-3306008
The economy is COMPLETELY dependent on the Fed for stimulus.
The national debt is out of control.

The political scene is a joke. Partisanship is destroying Washington.
Gun violence is getting far worse - not better.
The MIC is more nuts than it has ever been.

America is falling apart.
And if drastic changes do not take place politically and economically?
America's world hegemony WILL end.
 
The US as a major power has never had much of an Imperialist streak. Had the US wanted empire, it could have taken far, far more land by force, coercion, and purchase than it historically did.
For example, the US invaded Mexico twice and took control of the country on one of those occasions (Mexican American war 1845 and the Pershing expedition). But the US didn't annex Mexico even though it could have. The US could have taken control of most of the islands in the Caribbean too, along with Central America. Hell, the US probably could have taken South America if it really had wanted to.
If the US was a militaristic imperialist power, the War of 1812 would have likely seen much of Canada end up in American hands.

Much of what the US gained in the Spanish-American war was short-lived as colonial holdings. The Philippines was held for just 50 years then given independence. Cuba, likewise, got independence.

This is in contrast to the European powers of the 19th Century and earlier. They took land, they held onto it.

The US economically, for most of its history, had the unique position of having a very high percentage of landowners versus tenants and renters. Land ownership was a major reason many people immigrated to the US.

The US has always been very religious, and that certainly hasn't proven a bad thing. Secular nations are more likely to be militaristic and totalitarian. Religion has been a major player in the generosity of the US to other nations in time of need. For example, the Marshall Plan after WW 2 was virtually unique in all of history. Never before had a nation victorious in war, given massive amounts of aid and money to those they had just vanquished.
The US, even today, has one of the highest rates of individual charitable giving in the world. It's much higher than Europe / the EU.

One thing is certain. As America moves Left politically, its uniqueness in the world will wain and then vanish. It too will become another greedy, totalitarian, oppressive state with too much government and high taxes always teetering on the brink of insolvency.
 
If the US was a militaristic imperialist power, the War of 1812 would have likely seen much of Canada end up in American hands.

It wasn’t for want of trying. After the US declared war on Britain in 1812, it launched a three-pronged invasion of Canada. Many Americans expected to meet little resistance. “The acquisition of Canada,” Jefferson predicted, “will be a mere matter of marching.” So what happened?

William Hull’s invasion across the Detroit River ended with the American general surrendering his entire army and the town of Detroit. Stephen Van Rensselaer’s force crossed the Niagara and was thrashed at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Henry Dearborn’s plan to capture Montreal fizzled out before he even crossed the border.

The Americans did however succeed in burning the provincial capital of York (present day Toronto) in 1813. The British returned the compliment at Washington D.C. the following year.

Secular nations are more likely to be militaristic and totalitarian.

Ah yes, godless nations like Tsarist Russia.
 
It wasn’t for want of trying. After the US declared war on Britain in 1812, it launched a three-pronged invasion of Canada. Many Americans expected to meet little resistance. “The acquisition of Canada,” Jefferson predicted, “will be a mere matter of marching.” So what happened?

William Hull’s invasion across the Detroit River ended with the American general surrendering his entire army and the town of Detroit. Stephen Van Rensselaer’s force crossed the Niagara and was thrashed at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Henry Dearborn’s plan to capture Montreal fizzled out before he even crossed the border.

The Americans did however succeed in burning the provincial capital of York (present day Toronto) in 1813. The British returned the compliment at Washington D.C. the following year.

Two things pretty much put the kibosh on that plan: The US was relying almost totally on militia units that didn't have the motivation to go far from home, and there was no supply train to support them. It was one of Jefferson's biggest failures in office was thinking that the military could be made up of nothing but militia units and that little gunboats manned by volunteers could defend the US coast. It all proved--as variants have too--nearly worthless in war.

The second thing, was in the Great Lakes region the British deployed the one regular regiment of infantry they had in Canada, the 49th Regiment more often known as the "Green Tigers" (their uniforms had cuffs, and trim in green on them). This regiment got a reputation among the Americans very quickly for being a competent and ferocious opponent. That reputation caused militia more than once to simply run seeing that they were facing this unit.

Ah yes, godless nations like Tsarist Russia.

More likely...
 
Interesting I gotta disagree with several above points. Having traveled Canada lots, it is not more diverse cultural or otherwise.

"Canada: 38,654,738 (Q2 2022) Ethnic origins: 72.9% European 17.7% Asian 4.9% Indigenous 3.1% African 1.3% Latin American 0.2% Oceanian"

French speaking Quebec is different but it is language not culture.

And America is not moving 'left' whatever that even means, America is moving far right in rural areas and Southern states. Religion and racism are the dividing factors.

Another POV.

https://www.heritage.org/american-f...nalism-different-other-countries-nationalisms


PS I don't agree with above commentary, it is an example of the so called conservative fight with progress and inclusion.
 
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