America became great through deliberate and determined
public investments in the common good, not hocus-pocus exceptionalism.
Absolutely, naturally,
and indisputably.
At least that’s the theocratic pronouncement of far-right-wing nativists who preach the dogma of American “exceptionalism.”
They use the concept as a not-to-be-questioned litmus test of our patriotism.
At least that’s the theocratic pronouncement of far-right-wing nativists who preach the dogma of American “exceptionalism.”
They use the concept as a not-to-be-questioned litmus test of our patriotism.
Never mind that on
many crucial measures of national achievements, our Good Ol’ U.S. of A has
slipped in recent years. A simple-minded assertion that we’re No. 1 doesn’t make
it so.
For example, the U.S. rate of
educational improvement — a bedrock indicator of a nation’s future ability to
thrive — has tumbled to 25th place among rich and newly
developing nations. (Say it Loud and Say it Proud: We’re No. 25!).
Not only does that
place us behind such education powerhouses as Germany. We’re lagging behind
Colombia, Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia too.
Yes, America remains
the world’s richest nation. Yet our wealth is more concentrated in the hands of
a rich elite than most other nations. Even China has a more democratic distribution of
riches than our society
does.
Health care? We’re in 37th place and ranked dead last among wealthy democracies. The quality of America’s infrastructure ranks a poor 25th. In a category that not long ago was a source of great national strength and pride, our middle class is being hollowed out.
In the past century,
America became great — not by merely believing in some hocus-pocus
exceptionalism, but by achieving greatness through deliberate and determined
public investments in the common good. That’s our true path back to being No.
1.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is
a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He's also editor of the
populist newsletter, The
Hightower Lowdown. OtherWords.org