I'm poor with articulation but I'm gonna give it the old college try:
The concept of American exceptionalism, in its most ostensible form, can be see as deep patriotic pride by its loyal contingent, or silly, almost adolescent egotism to foreigners or the more cynical of the American populous. However I think that the idea of American exceptionalism is beginning to take on an unintentionally nefarious form. While Americans can see the nation and its populous as exceptional in many ways, I fear that this sense of exceptionalism is allowing people to omit from their minds the possibility of the nation succumbing to the plagues that have infected nations the world over.
For instance, people are becoming increasingly indifferent towards the slow erosion of freedoms in the county. They have an inordinate amount of faith in the government and its vast institutions, thinking that there's no way that any of the could be ill intentioned at worst or misleading at best. All one has to do is look at how slanted the media has become, turning merely from a source of information into the political weapon of those it serves. Pointing this out, however, is met with "tin foil hat" accusations. They see these tactics as something out of a history book from high school discussing the USSR, not as something that could happen in the USA, because, hey we're great fuck you. The first man to go against the entrenched establishment is forcing the establishment to show its hand, its willingness to use such tactics to maintain control and the illusions of freedom. Yet, people don't think "it could happen here" because they're free to watch football on sundays and complain about some millionaire not standing during the pledge.
While the idea of American exceptionalism is vast and far beyond the scope of which I wish to write, I fear it very well carry within it the seed to the demise of the American Dream.
The concept of American exceptionalism, in its most ostensible form, can be see as deep patriotic pride by its loyal contingent, or silly, almost adolescent egotism to foreigners or the more cynical of the American populous. However I think that the idea of American exceptionalism is beginning to take on an unintentionally nefarious form. While Americans can see the nation and its populous as exceptional in many ways, I fear that this sense of exceptionalism is allowing people to omit from their minds the possibility of the nation succumbing to the plagues that have infected nations the world over.
For instance, people are becoming increasingly indifferent towards the slow erosion of freedoms in the county. They have an inordinate amount of faith in the government and its vast institutions, thinking that there's no way that any of the could be ill intentioned at worst or misleading at best. All one has to do is look at how slanted the media has become, turning merely from a source of information into the political weapon of those it serves. Pointing this out, however, is met with "tin foil hat" accusations. They see these tactics as something out of a history book from high school discussing the USSR, not as something that could happen in the USA, because, hey we're great fuck you. The first man to go against the entrenched establishment is forcing the establishment to show its hand, its willingness to use such tactics to maintain control and the illusions of freedom. Yet, people don't think "it could happen here" because they're free to watch football on sundays and complain about some millionaire not standing during the pledge.
While the idea of American exceptionalism is vast and far beyond the scope of which I wish to write, I fear it very well carry within it the seed to the demise of the American Dream.
Civilize the mind but make savage the body.
