Tuesday 24 September 2013

American Exceptionalism Myth

Just when you think Obama has sunk as low as he can go, he finds another level only this time he is trying to play up what he calls 'American Exceptionalism' and the rest of us call plain 'Arrogance'.
In a display of outrageous smugness as he spoke at the United Nations, Obama defended the idea of American exceptionalism and its role in international affairs and even went as far to say that U.S. military power was a necessary good in the world.
He attempted to put forward the obnoxious view that despite more than a decade of war which has left hundreds of thousands dead in Iraq, Pakistan, Libya and Afghanistan,the U.S. should continue to use its military strength to defend its interests around the globe.
In his speech, Obama said: 'The danger for the world is not an America that is too eager to immerse itself in the affairs of other countries, The danger is the US may disengage creating a vacuum of leadership that no other nation is ready to fill. I believe such disengagement would be a mistake. I believe America must remain engaged for our own security, but I also believe the world is better for it. Some may disagree. But I believe America is exceptional'.
As one of the most hated countries in the World, second only to Israel who America sponsors, you do wonder if Obama doesn't know, doesn't care or has no shame that he is putting his country above everyone else so if the US really is exceptional, how did the rest of us not see that?
We do sometimes see its exceptional arrogance and then wonders stand bemused when Americans wonder why they foster such resentment as a meddler in other countries' affairs and are not worshipped as the saviour that it's perception of itself is.
If Obama, or anyone, wants to obnoxiously claim the prize for the Greatest Country on Earth, they had better make sure they don't have a long list of reasons why nobody agrees with them...such as Iraq, Spying, Torture, Afghanistan, Worlds biggest polluters, nuclear bombs dropped, drones, Guantanamo Bay, highest world incarceration rate, depleted uranium, high school shootings, extraordinary rendition, over 1000 foreign military bases, history of destabilising governments, capital punishment...etc etc until the penny drops.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha,

And you now feel like most of the folks in the USA that vote against the Democrats every election cycle.

1. The democrats and the left in america consider people on the right (actually anybody that disagrees with them) to be uneducated and unenlightened.

2. They say they we need more government and social programs to protect people from the various isms of the right.

3. They also tell us folks on the right that what they are doing is for our own good… since we don’t know.

Welcome to the American Democratic party, here to help you damn it!

q

Lucy said...

It's a bit different your Government doing what it considers is right for its citizens to a country deciding what is best for the World.

Anonymous said...

An imposition is an imposition to me

Q

Cheezy said...

I've just been to the States and couldn't believe what a big fuss the media made over Vladimir Putin's comment that the American people aren't so special. This is what he actually said:

"It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."

Now, notwithstanding the 'God creating us' bit (unsupported by any evidence), and the fact that Putin is a bit of a tool in general (true, but not relevant to his point here), exactly what is so controversial about saying this? Well, according to Fox News, CNN, ABC (etc), quite a lot!

Anonymous said...

yeah, the entertainment industry (disguised as the free press) are always trying to stir up emotions to sell their wares...

you can get a typical american to act nationalistically, but i say the typical american didn't care what putin said, or what obama said, or what the "press" said.

to me, if you are exceptional you don't have to say it... Pele didn't have to say he was the best footballer, everyone knew.

q

ps - we could have met maybe... give me a heads up next time

Cheezy said...

Pele was pretty damn great... :)

Anyhoo, the idea that exceptional excellence (or exceptional whateveritis) is somehow distributed among humanity in any particular way is a bit strange to me. In my experience is that the vast majority of people of all nationalities are pretty damn average... So crowing about the occasional exception to this rule who happens to share your general geographical origins is lame in the extreme.

Sounds good, Q... This time I was in Chicago, and it was all a bit sudden... You're living in Texas, no? I'd love to visit one day... well, the whole of the south actually. I'll give you a nod if it's happening!

Anonymous said...

Yep texas. The south is pretty. Texas is everything - coast forrest mountains desert swamp

I dont dare say exceptional...

Q

Cheezy said...

Cool... I used to know someone who lived in Austin and that sounded good to me... good music & arts scene, and I like that whole 'Keep Austin Weird' thing...

Anonymous said...

Austin is special. Maybe my favorite Texas city because of the food, music, and terrian - hilly and very green. We live 60 miles from Austin and visit often.

My home is San Antonio which is another 60 miles away and is where I grew up.

q