Exceptionalism laid bare is essentially a ploy religious and political leaders as well as nations have always used to amass power and to justify otherwise unjustifiable and immoral actions.
Under Hitler, a belief in the "superiority of the so-called Aryan, master-race" justified the invasion neighboring countries to start a world war. Earlier in America, it was called "manifest destiny" and used to justify a policy of genocide against the indigenous people and the forced relocation of the survivors onto reservations.
More recently, George W. Bush used it to grant cover for the ill-conceived and illegal invasion of Iraq. When it became clear that there were no WMDs, American exceptionalism served as his ace in the hole. A gullible American public swallowed his amended claim that we really invaded Iraq to rid the world of a cruel tyrant and to free the Iraqi people - because that's what America is all about.
Bullshit!
Today, so many Americans believe Christianity to be an "exceptional" faith that evangelical preachers can condone homophobia, racism, and murder in the name of the Prince of Peace with no fear of backlash or censure.
Anyone with a knowledge of history and a brain capable of questioning the cherished myths of his or her culture can come up with a host of additional examples where exceptionalisn served to justify inflicting harm on a supposed enemy while claiming the moral high-ground.
Politically, it is a powerful tool for those who wish to seize control of an issue. Don the cloak of exceptionalism for your group as if it were an unquestionable truth, and you force your opponents to disprove the negative.
In the 1950s, Joe McCarthy used it as a trap to outflank opponents of his extreme right-wing ideology by claiming that they were anti-American and Communist sympathizers.
Now the disinformation machine that serves the political right-wing in today's America is setting that same trap, and President Obama appears to be walking right into it.
Shame on anyone, including the President, who publicly promotes or accepts the myth of "American Exceptionalism" in the hope of avoiding the hard work of telling the truth to a a citizenry which is unwilling to listen to anything but feel-good, populist bullshit.
The article below illustrates how this dangerous charade is playing out in America today.
===
from the November 30, 2010 Columbus Dispatch:
Obama's vision of America is not exceptional, foes say
By Karen Tumulty THE WASHINGTON POST
Is this a great country or what?
American exceptionalism is a phrase that, until recently, was rarely heard outside the confines of research groups, opinion journals and university history departments.
But with Republicans and tea party activists accusing President Barack Obama and the Democrats of turning the country toward socialism, the idea that the United States is inherently superior to the world's other nations seems to be on the lips of just about every Republican who is giving any thought to running for president in 2012.
For former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the concept is a frequent theme in her speeches, Facebook postings, tweets and appearances on Fox News Channel. Her just-published book, America by Heart, has a chapter titled "America the Exceptional."
An argument over American exceptionalism "is a respectable way of raising the question of whether Obama is one of us," said William Galston, a former policy adviser to President Bill Clinton who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Much of this issue hearkens back to a single comment that Obama made a year and a half ago in Strasbourg, France, during his first trip overseas as president.
Obama was asked by Financial Times correspondent Ed Luce whether he subscribes, as his predecessors did, "to the school of American exceptionalism that sees America as uniquely qualified to lead the world."
The president's answer began: "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."
That may have been a nod to the fact that many abroad hear talk of American exceptionalism as worrisome jingoism. But it provided ammunition for Palin and other Republican critics.
"Maybe President Obama grew up around coaches who insisted that all the players receive participation 'trophies' at the end of the season and where no score was kept in youth soccer games for fear of offending someone," she wrote in her book. " . . . when President Obama insists that all countries are exceptional, he's saying that none is, least of all the country he leads."
But the president's full statement was indeed an affirmation of American exceptionalism.
In addition to the world's largest economy and its mightiest military, Obama said, "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."
He added: "I see no contradiction between believing that America has a continued extraordinary role in leading the world toward peace and prosperity and recognizing that leadership is incumbent, depends on, our ability to create partnerships because we can't solve these problems alone."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Obama fails to understand that "American exceptionalism refers directly to the grant of rights asserted in the Declaration of Independence," and that it is a term "which relates directly to our unique assertion of an unprecedented set of rights granted by God."
But White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Obama has declared exactly that on many occasions.
No comments:
Post a Comment