""One of the great
attractions to patriotism - it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person
of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and
cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous."- Aldous Huxley
As a child growing up in America, all I ever heard was how great America was. How our country was the defender of freedom, how people were fleeing in mass numbers to come here due to our economic prosperity, our almost limitless freedoms and our endless opportunities. Now all this being said, America is a great nation with so much to offer. Our economic size is virtually unmatched to this day, our military might decimates the next 27 countries combined (26 of them being allies) and our social liberties and freedoms are still unheard of in many places around the world. With all this being said, America is a great nation with much to offer and has done much in its history to combat tyranny and injustice.
So as you're reading this you're probably saying, so what's the problem? The problem here is our pride. Our ignorant, blind, narcissistic pride. We believe no other nation on this planet has what we have, that our greatness is unmatched and that we, and only we are the sole defenders of justice. Hence, this gives us the right to do what we want, take what we want, and act any way we want because we are 'God's chosen people'. We only do things out of the interest of the greater good, I mean hey, if God is behind us, we can't be wrong, right?
This blind American Exceptionalism has been espoused by presidents, politicians, philosophers, and theologians alike since the founding of our country. This, along with its roots in religious dogma of a nation chosen by God, we have grown into an arrogant, explosive and impulsive country, doing as we wish and please with almost nobody stopping us. Even stating that we've done something wrong, or unjust in the eyes of conservatives makes you an 'American hating liberal'. Just because you recognize and understand history and its consequences does not make you an American hating liberal, rather it makes you a pragmatic, understanding and sympathizing human being.
This American Exceptionalism, as terrible as it is, was alright considering the world only had one super power after World War II due to the decimation of Europe. It was easy for us to slip into the pompous snob like attitude and condescending view towards the rest of the world. Of course, I mean, if it wasn't for us, Europe would be in shambles, and that's when we became the world's standard. Everything from currency, to culture, to technology, to trends, America was the forefront of the world's progress. The world in a sense became Americanized, and as this began to happen, so did something else. Globalization, with an American touch, of course. Our culture has penetrated the furthest reaches of the globe, of course any change would portray a distinctly American tint. But here's where the problem came in- when people started realizing that America isn't infallible, nor is it the greatest nation on earth.
The collapse of the financial market in 2008 originated in what is the heart of global capitalism; America. People around the world before this collapse viewed America as having the most advanced and intricate economy in the world to the point where if America collapsed, we'd all collapse. But once the rug was pulled out from under America in the form of a financial collapse, America's fallible nature came into clear view. America's dominance over the global market came to a screeching halt, as insecurity swept through every other nation as whether or not to invest in American capital and business. Suddenly, America's legitimacy as the world's greatest power was tarnished. As Fareed Zakaria says in his book "Post-American World", "If the Iraq War and George W. Bush's foreign policy had the effect of delegitimizing America's military-political power in the eyes of the world, the financial crisis has had the same effect of delegitimizing America's economic power".Everywhere from military power, to political power, to economic power we have truly been undermined. The rest of the world blames us for its problems, and sees America as the country that is perpetuating the problems around the world. Our irresponsible and erratic nature have left many countries disenchanted with America and this is being reflected in America's lowest rate of tourism from other countries in decades. This is leading the world's leaders to follow suit, and they have begun molding and shaping their own identities, without America's approval.
Today, countries around the world are calling the shots without us. Peace treaties are signed and made without even the thought of what America thinks about it. Economic deals and trade agreements are produced and America's signature is nowhere on the contract. Governments around the world are less likely to depend on America for their capital or ideas, but are looking to countries like China and India as a place to invest or find new innovation. Basically, America is that celebrity that was just ousted for going bankrupt because of its scandalous behavior and bad habits; now nobody is calling America to play the starring role in the next Hollywood hit.
Just because America isn't the main star in the film doesn't mean they can't play a role. They are still directing the script in some ways, and do edit the final shot. After all, we still have legitimate power around the world and are still well respected, with a large portion of the world having a positive image of America. The difference here is that America is no longer alone in directing, editing, producing and starring in the movie; there are a few new actors in town with completely new styles that audiences apparently love.
One of these actors is China. In a period of almost 30 years after coming out of a harsh oppressive dictatorship under Mao Zedong, China's economic growth has increased 10% every year since the death of Mao. Their city of Shanghai alone has nearly the same GDP and economic output as America. Not only this, they are investing in the developing countries of the world that will definitely be big players in the future- Africa, Latin America, the Middle East. They are setting their stakes in the ground in places that will one day have the capacity to stand on their own, and will become more prosperous than we could fathom. China's quick and smart investments around the world have given the rest of the world a positive outlook on China, lending China credibility and legitimacy. China's winning the race in globalization, because they are much more humble than we are. They understand that there is a whole other world out there worth investing in, and they know exactly where to invest.
America has become too lazy, arrogant and fickle to be bothered with the rest of the world. I want to say we've become isolationist in a sense, but the only way we've retracted from the world is mentally, while we still maintain physical intervention in everybody's affairs. Instead of making use of our soft, diplomatic power, we are still 50 years behind everyone and still running around thinking the way of gaining respect is by showing them the might of our armies. Respect out of fear is what is warranted, not respect out of admiration. We do not want to be admired, we want to be feared, and in this global age, that's not going to help. It's respect, admiration and humility that we need to give to other nations before we expect them to do the same for us.
Compromise is not weakness; rather it is strength.
This is why American Exceptionalism and Globalization are at war with each other. We hear those on the right saying we shouldn't talk to our enemies, this is America and what we do is right. After all, everybody wants to be just like us right? On the contrary. The rest of the world is coming in and filling up the void we've left in the wake of the financial crisis. Where a country needs something, other countries around the world are coming in and providing it. We are no longer the sole care taker of this world, and we must comes to terms with it. We can't tackle everybody's problems and we are no longer the savior nor were we ever. We were the world's one and only super power and in many respects we still are. This time around though, we're not the only super power and we have to learn to accept that. We have to step aside and let somebody else come in and save the day. Let another country bear the burdens of impoverished lands, war torn nations and economic downturns. Only through the use of multi-lateral negotiations, agreements and missions we can not only advance ourselves, but the world. America can not only do it on her own. Of course, America will always be there to help, but America is no longer alone, and until American Exceptionalists can come to terms with such a reality, we'll be living in this America Only fantasy.
Signing Out- John Thomas
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