What interested me about the piece is that President Obama said
something like: "I think the USA is exceptional in the same way
that others view their countries as excemtional", but the same
people praising President Trump skewered President Obama.
Context (and tribalism) is key. Best, Peter
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date sent: Sun, 28 Oct 2018 15:49:26 -0400
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Exceptionalism Is a Good Thing
First of all, Trump said what he said at the rallies. He then
did, what he
generally does when called on his statements, he liked about what
he said
and what he meant. Then, he gave a speech, written by someone
else to the U
N, in which what he said was changed and sanitized. His history
as a
landlord in New York and the history of what he's said in
speeches over the
years, makes it very clear that he's a white racist.
Second: The US is not a country of one people with one history
and one
culture. It's a country of people who emigrated here from many
different
places and who have different traditions, cultures, and
religions. They
didn't come here because the US is better than any other country.
They came
here because there is economic inequality throughout the world
and this was,
and still is, the place where they believed that they could find
a place to
live and work and not starve to death. The same thing happens
within this
country. We have economic inequality. Therefore, people move
from poorer
areas to more affluent areas, hoping to find work so they won't
starve to
death.
This country isn't rich and powerful because it's better than
other
countries. It has had the land and resources, and the bodies and
brains of
all those immigrants who came here so they could work. It had a
legal
system which allowed the growth of corporations which were able
to emasse
wealth by exploiting people and avoiding taxes. It conquered a
number of
surrounding countries, and it was lucky enough to be
geographically removed
from the wars fought among the European powers.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of peter
altschul
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2018 10:55 PM
To: Blind Democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Exceptionalism Is a Good Thing
Exceptionalism Is a Good Thing
Jackie Gingrich Cushman Oct 25, 2018 12:01 AM Townhall.com
This week, at a rally for Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in
Houston,
President Donald Trump told an audience of thousands of
supporters that he
is a nationalist:
"You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned.
It's called a 'nationalist.' And I say, 'Really? We're not
supposed to use
that word.' You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, OK? I'm a
nationalist.
Nationalist. Use that word.
Use that word."
The crowd cheered.
On Tuesday, during an interview in the Oval Office, CNN's Jim
Acosta asked
Trump about his use of the word. "There's concern that you are
sending
coded language, or a dog whistle, to some Americans out there
that what you
really mean is that you're a white nationalist."
Trump responded: "I never even heard that. I can't imagine
that ... I've
never heard that theory about being a nationalist.
"I've heard them all."
Trump continued, explaining what he meant by using the word
"nationalist"
in terms of our relationships with other countries.
"When Germany is paying 1 percent of GDP for NATO and we are
paying 4.3
percent, I don't like that. ... I am very proud of our
country... and I am
a nationalist ... I want to help other countries of the world,
but we have
to take care of our country."
Trump also provided his perspective on trade: "We lost $151
billion on
trade ... I want it to be fair... for our farmers, our
companies, our
medical companies ... all I want our country is to be treated
well, to be
treated with respect (by other counties)."
So what is one to make of Trump's comments regarding nationalism?
Merriam-Webster defines nationalism as "loyalty and devotion to
a nation,
especially a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation
above all
others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture
and
interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational
groups."
Trump's September speech at the United Nations provides some
context: "Each of us here today is the emissary of a distinct
culture, a
rich history and a people bound together by ties of memory,
tradition and
the values that make our homelands like nowhere else on Earth,"
he said.
"I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its
own customs,
beliefs and traditions," he continued. "The United States will
not tell you
how to live or work or worship. We only ask that you honor our
sovereignty
in return."
This is not the statement of a nationalist who wants to conquer
other
nations, nor does it touch on anything even vaguely related to
racism.
Later in the speech, Trump expressed his belief about how to
solve the
immigration crisis: not by conquering countries or accepting all
migrants,
but by "helpgging) people build more hopeful futures in their
home
countries. Make their countries great again."
Trump understands the core of American exceptionalism. This is
an
opportunity to have a national discussion about whether we
believe our
country is exceptional - not in the meaning that our citizens are
better
than people in the rest of the world, but whether our form of
government is
exceptional.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims that life and liberty
are
unalienable gifts from God, which no person or government can
rightfully
take away. It affirms that the purpose of government is to
protect these
God-given rights and that government is subservient to the
people. Our
structure of government is different from those of other nations.
Our
structure is our strength.
However, many of us feel as though our nation is no better than
any other;
that we are not exceptional; that to be proud of our nation is to
be
bigoted; and that we don't have to respect all other countries'
cultures,
but we must embrace all cultures within our own country.
It all boils down to this: What as a nation do we believe? Do
we have a
different structure and a different culture, or are we just like
the rest of
the world? And if we are not different, why does our country have
more
immigrants coming to our shores than to any other country? They
must think
our country is exceptional.
While we should not be blind to our own shortcomings as a
country, we must
also understand that if we feel guilty for everything, we will
lose the
energy, courage and conviction we need to continue to prosper.