American Exceptionalism

[Intensity guru]

interested in your reasoning as well if you'd care to share it.

[TobusRex]

Only an imbecile would vote yes.

[Ray Brinzer]

Absolutely.

Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"!

[ctc]

Voted "yes"; but, it is fading quickly due to over reaching government and deplorable schools since the tumble in 1963.

[buck]

 What is it, exactly, that we are an exception to?

[ocianain]

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it. George Bernard Shaw

[Cougar1]

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it. George Bernard Shaw

Not at all oc. The Declaration of Indepenence, Constitution and Bill of Rights are some of the most unique documents in human history and they represent the foundation that this nation was built on. We have a lot to do to get back to the basics but our beginnings were nothing but exceptional.

[ocianain]

The idea of American Exceptionalism came from the Pilgrims, they came to America (after getting kicked out of Endland and the Neatherlands), to pefect the Church in the wilderness, when this was accomplished they would then go forth into Cannan (anywhere people didn't think like them), and convert them. As Puritan religious fervor faded this doctrine morphed into a political one. The founding documents you mentioned were really attempts at constraining the totalitarian religious impulse of the Yankees. They have failed; but you're correct Cougar, if we returned to those constraints we'd all be better off.

[ocianain]

Should be Puritans, not Pilgrims.

[brycemus]

hey I think we do some exceptional things...like Ice Cream Sundays and um...Kate Upton....

[ViseGrip]

One good indication of our exceptionalism is the vast number of people willing to break our laws to get in here. And as far as I know, there has been no other nation to have so many want to come here as evidenced by the mass migration from 1850 to 1930. What other nation is so generous with it's charity? In fact, one of the best things another nation can do for itself is to declare war against us, lose, and wait for the financial windfall. Is this to say we havent made mistakes, of course not, but to weigh the pros and cons and not come up with a significant, and yes exceptional, positive balance is to go into the endeavor with blinders.

[mspart]

Where is the breadbasket of the world?  Where do most all the major ideas and innovation come from?  America is exceptional.  I might be an idiot but there's a reason we have the Statue of Liberty among the founding documents that we have. 

mspart

[heelpick]

I am sure there are other pretty cool places to live as well.

[ViseGrip]

I am sure there are other pretty cool places to live as well.

Which one(s) would you rather live in than the US?

[heelpick]

Hard to say.  If family wasn't the limiting factor I would look into the Bahamas or perhaps Cayman Islands.