The new American Exceptionalism

The concept of American exceptionalism is hard to grasp if you were not born here. In its essence it all comes down to that America is a special place in this universe, and in the end, America is worth fighting for. Of course, the same can be said for many countries, or for that matter many places, on earth. But American exceptionalism is actually much more than that. It is a dogma that all Americans are supposed to believe in, on par with motherhood, apple pie and religion. It is nationalism on public display.

Republicans carry American exceptionalism on their sleeves. If you were ever to be challenged make sure you pass the test. It is not up to you to love the country you live in, you have to be ready at all times to publicly say that America is and forever will be the best place on earth. Bar none. I would add the words 'chosen by God' just to be safe. Believe me, although it may not sound like it, I am not cynical. I actually love this country. Really!

I came to this public display of my love for country after reading a recent post from Fareed Zakaria in which he quotes Tom Friedman and Richard Mendelbaum in their new book "That used to be US":

"30 years ago, 10% of California's general revenue went to higher education—and the result was the crown jewel of American public education, the University of California system. Just 3% went to prisons. Today, 11% goes to prisons and 8% to higher education, a number that is dropping fast. There are now about as many Americans who work in the prison business as in auto manufacturing."

Of course, this is not the end to American exceptionalism.

As this American exceptionalist will tell you, it is only a new beginning where we prove who we are and what we are made from. The best, the brightest, the chosen.