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American Exceptionalism
Nov. 9th, 2010 09:19 amSo, Rand Simberg posted some thoughts on American Exceptionalism. My reply at his site was long enough that I decided to recycle it here.
Having spent five years in the military defending America, I believe in American exceptionalism. Speaking strictly for myself, exceptionalism isn't inherent - it's earned. It's like saying that "my football team is the best." Win-loss records matter, but the final arbiter is who wins this week's game. This leads to two observations:
1) A team can start the season with the best record ever, but if the team has spent the off-season sitting on their couches eating Cheetos, they probably won't win many games. Preparation and effort matter. It's not how hard you play (or fight) it's how hard you prepare to play. It doesn't matter how well motivated I am - if I had to run a marathon tomorrow I couldn't.
2) Exceptionalism is relative. Being the best football team means beating other teams. Those other teams may be improving over time. Last year's victory by four touchdowns may be this year's victory by a last-second field goal. Having seen data that suggest Europe has higher upward mobility than the US, I'm concerned that the other side is catching up.
In short, results matter. Saying "America is exceptional" is true but trivial. The real question is "how do we stay exceptional?"
Having spent five years in the military defending America, I believe in American exceptionalism. Speaking strictly for myself, exceptionalism isn't inherent - it's earned. It's like saying that "my football team is the best." Win-loss records matter, but the final arbiter is who wins this week's game. This leads to two observations:
1) A team can start the season with the best record ever, but if the team has spent the off-season sitting on their couches eating Cheetos, they probably won't win many games. Preparation and effort matter. It's not how hard you play (or fight) it's how hard you prepare to play. It doesn't matter how well motivated I am - if I had to run a marathon tomorrow I couldn't.
2) Exceptionalism is relative. Being the best football team means beating other teams. Those other teams may be improving over time. Last year's victory by four touchdowns may be this year's victory by a last-second field goal. Having seen data that suggest Europe has higher upward mobility than the US, I'm concerned that the other side is catching up.
In short, results matter. Saying "America is exceptional" is true but trivial. The real question is "how do we stay exceptional?"
