With each passing event — the latest being an insurrection on our Capitol, hate crimes against Asian Americans, voter suppression efforts by the Trumplican party with 253 bills in 43 states and the continuation via police brutality of 400 years of oppression of African Americans — we are left to wonder what it will take for far too many of our leaders and our countrywomen and men to realize we are not exceptional — unless we change it to mean exceptionally troubled as a country.
It is essential that we understand the sources of the destructive belief in our country’s exceptionalism. None of this is to say that our country lacks the capacity to be better than we’ve been or that there haven’t been moments in history where we rose to the challenge. No, the two big points are that for reasons that undermine efforts to do better by our citizens, as a nation we have:
1. Left out or distorted core elements of our history.
2. Convinced ourselves and sought to do the same with other nations that we are far better — exceptional — and therefore have given ourselves the right to call out other nations and sing our own praises undeservedly.
We shall address the resulting problems of these points both domestically and internationally. Since its inception, our country stole land, broke treaties, committed genocide against Indigenous people (even slaughtering the bison many depended upon) and asserted its authority in the name of Manifest Destiny.
Tragically — for the citizens of the lands we have made part of our empire or fought wars to thwart their efforts at freedom — this has never been true. Starting with the Monroe Doctrine (1823), giving ourselves permission to intervene in the affairs of our hemisphere neighbors if we felt our interests were threatened, we subsequently replaced the European powers.
Starting with the Mexican American War (1846) and proceeding forward through our conquests in 1898 of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines and into the 20th century with our efforts to change regimes starting, for example, in Iran (1953) and moving through Korea, Vietnam, Chile, Iraq and Afghanistan, our government has consistently put its own economic and political interests ahead of other nations.
How do we undertake these abhorrent actions? Let’s start with our having 180 military bases in 70 countries, more than one third of the world’s countries. What would be our reaction to China or Russia having such influence? Then, take our beyond bloated and destructive military budget of $934 billion for 2020-2021 — three times more than our nearest competitor, China, half our total discretionary budget and more than the next 10 countries spending combined! Imagine what could be done with even a fraction of those funds.
Until and unless we the people stop this runaway train from wreaking even more horror, adding more nuclear weapons to an arsenal that needs complete dismantling and interfering in other countries with the ostensible purpose of “spreading democracy,” our future and the planet’s are bleak indeed.
Meanwhile the cost of all of this “exceptionalism” on the domestic front is incalculable. The truth is the best way to destroy myths and lies. Take a deep breath and ponder these facts about America’s unexceptionalism, despite its being the “wealthiest” country in the world:
1. We spend more money on health care per capita than any other high income country. Yet, we have the lowest life expectancy, the highest rate of uninsured people, the highest obesity rate, and rank 33rd out of 36 peer countries in infant mortality.
2. We are 33rd in child poverty, behind Poland, Estonia, and Latvia, for example.
3. We are 13th out of 37 OECD countries in voting in presidential elections.
4. We have the highest level of gun ownership in the world, with an estimated 400 million guns in the hands of our fellow citizens.
5. We have the highest percentage of people incarcerated of any of our peer countries.
What is truly exceptional is that too many Americans still hold onto the delusion that we are exceptional. That needs to change so we can align our nation’s history and our current status with reality. The cost of maintaining the delusion is far too great. As James Baldwin said: “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
Allen J. Davis lives in Dublin, New Hampshire. Tom Weiner lives in Northampton.