American Exceptionalism

The entire concept of American exceptionalism is asinine.  I came across another quotable moment in The Origins of Totalitarianism, which reminded me of how ridiculous the idea is:

"Whenever peoples have been separated from action and achievements, when these natural ties with the common world have broken or do not exist for one reason or another, they have been inclined to turn upon themselves in their naked natural givenness and to claim divinity and a mission to redeem the whole world."

Claims to excellence that are divorced from actual accomplishments are always useless, and hubris in the best of times.  The quote is an excerpt from a discussion of Pan-Germanism and Pan-Slavism as foundations for totalitarianism in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, which gives you an idea of the consequences of exceptionalist claims in the worst of times.  


I doubt very much that America is on the verge of spiraling into totalitarianism, but it is by no means in a position to rest upon its laurels.  Its middle class is eroding with the increasingly rapid departure of manufacturing jobs, its infrastructure has seen better days, the public education system is patchy at best, public discourse is increasingly polarized, investment in sustainable infrastructure and green technology is sorely lacking, and dependence on fossil fuels is still unacceptably high.  


Consider the trend in our human development index.  In 1980, we had the highest human development index in the world.  In 2010, the fourth highest.  We are ranked 65th in HDI improvement, vice China's second place ranking.  Our HDI in 1990 was 105.8% of our HDI in 1980.  our HDI in 2000 was 104.2% of our HDI in 1990.  Our HDI in 2010 was 101.6% of our HDI in 2000.  Our rate of improvement is slowing rapidly in an index that evaluates life expectancy, educational achievement, and income.  We are blunting our competitive edge on our own self-congratulation.  


And this is occurring at an important transitional time in America's history.  Having emerged from WWII as an unabashed superpower, having pumped our military might full of steroids for the Cold War, and having emerged from the Cold War successfully, we find ourself in a world in which the use of conventional military force against another great power is unlikely due to economic interdependence, in which developing countries like China, India, and Brazil have become international powers in their own right.  The greatest threat to our security is asymmetrical warfare and terrorism by ideologues in failed or failing states, the reactionary restlessness of unemployed and hopeless youth, and the violent narrow-mindedness of the undereducated.  


The real tragedy of American exceptionalism lies in the decision to praise our own real or fictitious merits instead of taking the preventative measures against poverty, ignorance, and violence in the world at large that are in our best interests, both as political actors in a realpolitik sense and as ethical actors in a human sense.