Is America Exceptional?
- Joseph E. Royce
- Nov 8, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 23, 2020
Over the course of American history, the concept that the United States and its people are exceptional has been a recurring theme. From the founding fathers, the expansion and settlement of the West through Manifest Destiny, the saving of the Union during the Civil War, our victories in World War I and II, the successful postwar rebuilding of Western Europe and Japan and the winning of the Cold War were examples of the ideals of American exceptionalism.
President Ronald Reagan referenced numerous times in his speeches about the “shining city on a hill” and the belief that the United States is different from other countries and was chosen by God for a special purpose. As President Reagan morphed into the mythical leader of the Republican Party, the concept of American exceptionalism has been the core element of Republican beliefs, so much so, that it is impossible to separate myth from reality. Has today’s battle between perception and reality started to create cracks in the foundation of the “shining city”? Is the belief in the myth distorting our sense of truth thereby creating a long term danger to our ideals of freedom and way of life that is playing out before our eyes? Something has gone terribly wrong and the American people sense it but too many of our politicians are blinded by partisan politics, corruption and misplaced ideology to care. Is the idea of American exceptionalism valid? Let’s review some of the challenges facing modern America.
“The United States has a serious drug problem and the rest of the world pays a heavy price for this addiction.”
Our attempts to come to grips with the impact of the drug crisis on our society has been limited even though we passed harsher laws, incarcerated more of our citizens especially minorities through an overwhelmed and broken legal system and increased funding to government agencies to fight the War on Drugs. Violence and corruption, as a result of our dependence on drugs, has had a devastating effects on countries and societies throughout the world. The impact on our southern neighbors has been brutal thereby creating a refugee crisis and a narco state directly on our boarder. We are an addicted nation without a clear path to recovery.
One of the main challenges is our inability to address the root causes of our problem. Poverty, inequality and mental illness are some of the reasons behind increased levels of hopelessness, depression and despair within families, towns and cities. Today’s opioid epidemics has overwhelmed local municipalities’ ability to react. We are a depressed nation that relies more and more on illegal and legal drugs to get through the day. We must ask ourselves harder questions and explore newer options around treatment, criminality and legality. Our success would be the world’s success.
“In modern America, inequality has become the norm as opposed to the exception.”
It has been reported the richest one percent of Americans own more additional income than the bottom 90 percent. This is a staggering figure especially as the vast majority struggle to survive while the iconic American middle class fades into the past. The answer to the question “Will our children’s life be better than their parents?” Is a resounding NO. Wages are stagnant and people have to work longer and harder just to stay in place. As the American dream becomes more of a myth, there is a growing belief that our political system is rigged in favor of the wealthy and big corporations.
Economics is not the only place where inequality impacts our daily life. Inequality has a negative impact on health care, housing, politics and an education. Family health issues should not threaten the financial stability of a family, cities and neighborhoods should be safe and affordable, politicians should work for the people not special interests and certain levels of education should not be restricted to the elite. A more equal system benefits all Americans while making us a stronger country.
“If a government’s fundamental purpose is to care for the safety of its citizens then why is the United States the only modern industrial country without universal health care for everyone?”
Why does our government treat American citizens different from how the English, French and Japanese treat their citizens? For a country blessed with so much, why do we fail when it comes to our citizen’s health and well-being? The stark reality is people needlessly die every day for lack of health care. These people are family, friends, neighbors and associates. Why? I think the simple answer is politics and greed. The basic truth is indifference by those that have to those that have not.
Healthcare is a solvable issue especially if there is a will. Americans should insist our politicians do something and if not, vote them out of office regardless of their party. Blue state or red state governments or their ideology should not decide if a person lives or dies. At one time, we had pride in solving big problems by overlooking party affiliations and working together for the good of all Americans and not for the demands of special interests. The clock is ticking and people are dying.
“By most domestic and international standards, the American education system has deteriorated within the last twenty years. “
Sadly, this time frame coincided with the advent of globalization that require higher education standards to compete in the global marketplace. Without the necessary tools to compete, too many Americans are being left behind. Our schools are not doing the job though we spend more on our students than any other country. We must reset our priorities and promote a culture of support for education.
A continuous sign of deterioration within our school system is the issue of student safety especially in high schools. In today’s America, a call or a text from the school is a chilling moment for parents. Is the school on lock down or has there been a shooting? Is my child safe or worse? School shootings have become so commonplace that student safety has exceeded academics as the number one issue for parents. Education should not be about the number of metal detectors, armed security guards or lock down drills. Are our high schools starting to mirror our society where mental illness, guns and violence is slowly becoming an acceptable way of life?
There are many other issues that impact life in America but the above are only a few and they are all pointing in the wrong direction. We place more importance on limited victories for party or tribe then victories for our country and its citizens. Today, too many people label themselves Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives or Liberals, but very few consider themselves Americans first. This creates division and tribalism which closes one’s mind to discussion and facts, a trend which gets worse every day. Add to this the sanctimonious belief of exceptionalism espoused within the Republican Party and you have an explosive mix of myth and ideology that poses a real danger to our freedom and democracy. We will not solve our problems by being Republicans or Democrats, but Americans working for the common good and a better future for all of our children. President Reagan in his famous speech, “A Time for Choosing” said: “We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope for man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness”.
Is today’s America exceptional?As the kids say, “Not so much”.
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