Quantum Windbag
Gold Member
- May 9, 2010
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Tell me again that liberals are inherently more intelligent than conservatives and I will laugh my ass off.
The myth of American exceptionalism - The Washington Post
It turns out, however, that some of those most inclined to exalt American exceptionalism are simply using the imaginary past to defend their cultural tics conventional marriage or school prayer or, for some odd reason, a furious antipathy to the notion that mankind has contributed (just a bit) to global warming. Their enemy is what Gingrich calls the secular left people who not only approve of gay marriage but also apparently dont fly charter as he does. The huge role of religion in American politics is nothing new but always a matter for concern nonetheless. In the years preceding the Civil War, both sides of the slavery issue claimed the endorsement of God. The 1856 Republican convention concluded with a song that ended like this: Weve truth on our side/ Weve God for our guide. Within five years, Americans were slaughtering one another on the battlefield.
Therein lies the danger of American exceptionalism. It discourages compromise, for what God has made exceptional, man must not alter. And yet clearly America must change fundamentally or continue to decline. It could begin by junking a phase that reeks of arrogance and discourages compromise. American exceptionalism ought to be called American narcissism. We look perfect only to ourselves.
The myth of American exceptionalism - The Washington Post