A Pew research poll taken back in November revealed that when Americans were asked if they agreed with the statement “Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others”, only 49 percent agreed. In 2002 60 percent agreed with the same statement, and the decline seems most pronounced among young people age 18 to 29, who have no memory of better times.
Some would call it arrogance that we ever believed that our country was somehow better than any other country on earth, but I’m reminded of the old adage, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true”. What is troubling about this research poll is that it raises the question, “What if it ain’t true anymore?”
There was a time, and not so long ago, that America was a blessing in the earth. Our wealth, our kindness and charity, and the blood of our soldiers were readily shared, and gladly welcomed. One has only to look to the headlines to wonder if this is any longer true. The sickening waste of the GSA in Vegas, the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia, our troops posing for photos with body parts of Afghan insurgents… does anyone look forward to the Americans coming to their country anymore? Do we possess the wealth or the virtue to continue to bless those in need across the globe?
The adage often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville that “America is great because she is good, and if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great”, reflects that the greatness of America lies not only in her vast resources, but in the goodness of her people, and by extension, her government and armies. The question is then, is America’s goodness and her greatness a thing of the past?
Empires fall in two ways; they are conquered, or they decay. We have long had enemies who have tried to conquer us, but the greatest threat to the exceptionalism of America remains the enemy within, decay. The same shortcomings that are fatal to individuals are fatal to societies, which are after all just collections of individuals; and those shortcomings can be effectively viewed through the ancient Christian construct of the Seven Deadly Sins.
IMHO: There is such a thing as superiority, and the exceptionalism of America, whatever the reason, has always been self-evident. An exceptional child upon reaching adolescence will sometimes stumble as they find their way into adulthood. Hopefully their excellence is regained as maturity overtakes error and selfishness, though some will remain adolescent for life. Our nation has come to the place where we suppose vice to be equivalent to sophistication, freedom, or pragmatism. We have stumbled into decay, but hopefully we are not fallen beyond recovery, and can regain our status of being a beacon and a blessing for the rest of the world.
Next blog will investigate the relevance of the Seven Deadly Sins to the politics and economy of our present society. In a free country the identity of the nation reflects the hearts and souls of the individuals it is comprised of. If the greatness of a nation fails, it is because its citizens have stumbled. It is only in the hearts and souls of those individual citizens that the salvaging of exceptionalism can begin.
Well spoken. As you likely know, I am a bit optimistic. I believe as you the decay you speak of is indeed a reality. Power, greed, and entitlement ideology seems to have overtaken enthusiasm, hard work, and the will to succeed. The word “fair” has been embedded into today’s society and even deeper in re-election campaigns but it could be dug out with a strong shovel of ethics, morals, and common sense.
This is still a great nation. We have simply stumbled on an obstacle that was not just hard to see but nearly completely covered by what seemed harmless by many, so called “change”.
Let’s all just brush off those dirty knees shall we and get right back up to being the proud country we once were. The country proud of our accomplishments instead of apologizing for our successes. Perhaps if we go back to leading by example our youth will see the simplicity of their choices and make the right decisions.
Good comment! I decided to split this one up to avoid being too lengthy, but now you’ve beaten me to some of my points!
“…the exceptionalism of America, whatever the reason, has always been self-evident.”
Not to me and apparently not to 51 percent of the people polled last November. Could you explain to us in which aspects this country is, or ever has been, superior to others?
I realize the term “American exceptionalism” is a controversial one that means many things to many people. First coined by Joseph Stalin, he referred to it as a heresy that the Communist Party of America had espoused to explain that our country was peculiarly immune to Marxist influences. To me, it means the combination of our system of government, freedom, charity, military dominance, economic influence, and global standing combine in a unique way that have helped us to do much good in the world (and unfortunately occasional damage as well). There is a reason America has been called the Land of Opportunity, and been the immigration destination for so many. In the words of our President, Barack Obama,
“I think we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional.”
Nowhere are those “core set of values” more eloquently expressed than in the document that founded our nation:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
Am I saying there are no other exceptional nations on earth? Certainly not, but a nation based on freedom, equality, and self-governance is hardly the norm. Add to that the wealth and power we have been blessed with and for me “exceptionalism” does not seem a remarkable term to use. I hope I can clarify this in the continuation of this blog!