Would You Support War Against Russia?

[The Dharma Bum]

Well it is difficult for America to justify it's interventionism without the doctrine of exceptionalism.

Without it we are just attacking people, you know?

[The Dharma Bum]

"What makes America different, what makes us exceptional, with humility, but with resolve, when we detect violations somewhere. For nearly seven decades the United States has been the anchor of global security, has meant more than forging international agreements; it has meant enforcing them."
Barack Obama

[eynon81]

I love that we're so proud of our humble we are.

[Spider]

America can be exceptional at something, or unexceptional at something, just as can every other country.

American Exceptionalism, on the other hand, is the belief that Americans themselves are exceptional, simply as a consequence of being born within this set of imaginary lines as opposed to whatever other set. Its a belief in magic, basically. That being spawned within this polity means a person is born with pixie dust in their hair or something.

Its the belief that people in one country are just a little bit better than people in another country.

And so yes...its completely idiotic. People are just people...everywhere. There are no better or worse people.

I guess if we could go down all the lists of social achievements and find ourselves ranked first in everything with a margin before the next population, it could be claimed that we generally exceptional. But we can't. We, just like everyone else in the developed world, are more or less in the same statistical ballpark. We come out ahead here and there, and come out behind here and there. Middle of the road.

Its just a matter of which measures you happen to think are most important, I suppose. Its a subjective judgement.

[The Dharma Bum]

You simply don't have any idea how any of this stuff fits together do you?

Well, just so you know, you can choose to accept the concept of American exceptionalism, which you kind of half heartedly just did, or you can choose isolationism....

[Spider]

[The Dharma Bum]

[Spider]

You literally didn't know what it even meant!

*settles in for morning time-kill*

[The Dharma Bum]

[The Dharma Bum]