An American journalist on 'unlearning the myth of American innocence'

[Danny Bateman]

I agree with what that guy had to say about what makes America great. He loses me when he talks about what is currently wrong with it.

 

What measures has our military grown shrunk? The fact we haven't launched a war lately, or not enough boots on the ground? I don't get this sentiment from some on the right at all.

 

Or our civil liberties, for that matter? The only people I see trying to take away civil rights from people right now are Republicans!

I think it's arguable that quality of life in many different European nations is higher than it currently is in the U.S. It's subjective and depends on what each individual values.

 

Also I don't think people thinking they deserve a better shake than they're currently getting and the government can do better by people than it currently is equates to a culture of victimhood.

 

Still, good video. I enjoyed it. Like I said, had me at first, but just completely lost me on the back nine.

[zoogs]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/14/how-a-would-be-pigeon-killer-became-a-fox-news-pundit

 

There's a reason we consider Prager to be garbage.

[84HuskerLaw]

America is the greatest nation in the history of the world and frankly there really are no others that can even come close in comparison. That is the essence of what American exceptionalism is in a simple statement. It is not really debatable. I guess I don't understand the whole narrative about how 'evil' America is because we once had slavery. America and the United States did not invent slavery nor did we even choose to have slavery. In fact, slavery was here long before America became America. Rather it is quite the case that slavery was imposed upon Americans before they became Americans as inherited legacies of the worst of African and European societies.

 

American exceptionalism is not saying America is perfect but it is quite correctly stating what is frankly obvious to most clear thinking and informed people of the world. There are many good qualities to being British or Irish or Italian or French or Greek or Russian or Chinese or Japanese or Korean or Nigerian or South African or (you name it around the world). However, being American means you are from a nation which has led the world toward a much better, safer, freer, fairer, more open and caring society with equality of opportunity and without most of the ills that plague nearly all societies elsewhere. We set the example and do a dam good job of living up to our words and keeping our vows.

 

America is made up of humans and as such is imperfect and not infallable. Not always have we done the right thing, particularly when viewed in hindsight (often such a view is simply unreasonable of course). FDR was elected to President 4 times (hindsight quickly fixed that with an amendment ending more than two terms for anyone) and had he made better decisions in the 1930s, perhaps the country would not have suffgered for some many long years in the "Great" Depression and then through the madness of World War II. Sadly, our policies and reactions to world events are often slow and not as foresightful as they should be. But, in the end, America has responded more favorably and forcefully as a change agent for GOOD and the betterment of the lives of literally billions and billions of people. We cannot be the be all end all for everyone and everywhere but we need to try to do as much as reasonably possible to prevent depravity and brutality and inhumanity.

[RedDenver]

America is the greatest nation in the history of the world and frankly there really are no others that can even come close in comparison. That is the essence of what American exceptionalism is in a simple statement. It is not really debatable.

That made me laugh. You can debate what "greatest nation" means let alone which nation can claim the title.