The Doctrine of American Exceptionalism is the Root Cause of Most of our Problems

[Atlantis]

Illegal immigration - liberals say that America is different from other countries and that we're a nation of immigrants, so we should tolerate mass illegal immigration.

Voting Laws - liberals think that people shouldn't have to show their ID to vote because it would violate voting rights

Healthcare - conservatives say that healthcare is not a right to be guaranteed to all citizens

Guns - conservatives are against gun control and believe that individual gun ownership should be a constitutionally guaranteed right.

Prisons - conservatives think that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the fact that the US has one of the highest per capita incarceration rates.

On each issue, the doctrine of American exceptionalism justifies policies that make no sense. One has to resort to mental gymnastics to justify the status quo on illegal immigration, to suggest that requiring voters to show ID threatens voting rights, or that the American healthcare system is an effective and just one, or that the easy availability of firearms is good for society, or that it's normal and ok for so many American citizens to be imprisoned.

If we just threw out this doctrine and said to ourselves that we should live as other people do, nearly all of our problems would be solved...but that would bruise the egos of both liberals and conservatives who want to cling to an outdated notion of American exceptionalism so we just keep on going with these insane policies.

The fact is, America WAS exceptional at one time. We were the only representative democracy with a written constitution in a world of monarchies. We were the only independent nation in the Western hemisphere for a few decades. We led the world in industrial production and economic productivity. But gradually, other nations started to learn from us and they became more like us. Representative democracy spread around the world. Our Constitution served as the model for other nations. Industrial capitalism was adopted by many other developing nations.

But these other countries didn't just copy our institutions and way of life to the letter. They borrowed what made sense and what was universal and left out what they thought didn't make sense or didn't suit them.

But we never cut out the excess baggage in our own system, the parts that don't make sense. These obsolete and antiquated ways of seeing the world are preventing us from solving the problems that we face.

American Exceptionalism is the root cause of 90% of our problems.

If we just adopt the average policy that other Western European nations adopt, 90% of our problems will be solved.

But we won't do it because we want to feel special.

[JohnFreeman]

Guns - conservatives are against gun control and believe that individual gun ownership should be a constitutionally guaranteed right.



It is?

[west_tip]

Illegal immigration - liberals say that America is different from other countries and that we're a nation of immigrants, so we should tolerate mass illegal immigration.

Voting Laws - liberals think that people shouldn't have to show their ID to vote because it would violate voting rights

Healthcare - conservatives say that healthcare is not a right to be guaranteed to all citizens

Guns - conservatives are against gun control and believe that individual gun ownership should be a constitutionally guaranteed right.

Prisons - conservatives think that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the fact that the US has one of the highest per capita incarceration rates.



Great points but aren't you arguing that polarisation (people holding steadfastly to partisan political points of view by party affiliation) is the problem?

In that regard I would suggest that the lack of a major third political force in American politics to rival the democrats and republicans is the problem. A third party that rejected extreme partisanship and just proposed common sense legislation that helped the majority of American people would, in my opinion solve most of the countries problems.

[Joey Turnbuckle]

People should absolutely be allowed to own guns.


I swear big city people and coast people don't realize that most of the country in between have tons of people that live out in the country, woods, mountains etc. where there are no cops or cops would take a guaranteed 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes just to get out to your place because of lack of cops and living however many miles from town. If someone decides to come rob them or kill them, it will be over long before the cops get there. Take away their guns and you just left millions of Americans defenseless and stranded like ducks. City people and coast people should butt the hell out of country life and mind they business. Go back to their daycare college with puppies and coloring books because somebody used the wrong pronoun.

[JohnnySic]

Liberals want immigration (legal and illegal) because its how they maintain their voting pool. Immigrants generally vote Democrat. Once they get established and assimilated after a couple of generations, many start to lean more conservative. Constant immigration is therefore necessary for them. Just in case you ever wondered what the reason was.

[FultzNationRISE]

Great points but aren't you arguing that polarisation (people holding steadfastly to partisan political points of view by party affiliation) is the problem?

In that regard I would suggest that the lack of a major third political force in American politics to rival the democrats and republicans is the problem. A third party that rejected extreme partisanship and just proposed common sense legislation that helped the majority of American people would, in my opinion solve most of the countries problems.

Not really.

There's only one "best way" to do something. We can disagree on the best way to do it, which is why states rights were valued by the founding fathers, so that anything that doesnt REQUIRE federal dictation can be left to people in their own areas. Anything that CAN be decided locally, should be.

But at the federal level, you cant "divide" an approach. If there's an economic or military issue America needs to address, the solution cant be "33% democrat, 33% republican, 33% other." The solution has to just be whatever the best solution is. And that is essentially what we do. The partisan bickering in Congress is just for show. Political authorities are going to do whatever has to be done (as they see it), and just pretend to be upset with each other about partisan bullshit.

The public is soft and weak and protected and often forgets life is not easy or perfect. Sometimes the solutions suck. Yet we still have to do them. But in a democracy, with as many dummies as there are out there, you often have to disguise the solution, because people are short sighted and emotional, and might vote you out for doing something necessary, if it hurts the feelings quivering somewhere in a safe space within their tiny little brains.

Just the way it goes.

[Im Still Ballin]

Not really.

There's only one "best way" to do something. We can disagree on the best way to do it, which is why states rights were valued by the founding fathers, so that anything that doesnt REQUIRE federal dictation can be left to people in their own areas. Anything that CAN be decided locally, should be.

But at the federal level, you cant "divide" an approach. If there's an economic or military issue America needs to address, the solution cant be "33% democrat, 33% republican, 33% other." The solution has to just be whatever the best solution is. And that is essentially what we do. The partisan bickering in Congress is just for show. Political authorities are going to do whatever has to be done (as they see it), and just pretend to be upset with each other about partisan bullshit.

The public is soft and weak and protected and often forgets life is not easy or perfect. Sometimes the solutions suck. Yet we still have to do them. But in a democracy, with as many dummies as there are out there, you often have to disguise the solution, because people are short sighted and emotional, and might vote you out for doing something necessary, if it hurts the feelings quivering somewhere in a safe space within their tiny little brains.

Just the way it goes.

Yeah, I totally agree.

All the bullshit is smoke and mirrors. Underneath, the right decisions are being made. Shit is being done, simply because it has to.

Perfect example: defunding the police

Law enforcement is an essential component to a functioning society. Decreasing budget, to the extent some of these radicals want, is simply unfeasible. Nonsensical.

Like Bernie Sanders' whole platform, it's one big scam to increase political engagement and round up donations. A rort. He knows none of what he's proposed is actually applicable.

[Charlie Sheen]

Liberals want immigration (legal and illegal) because its how they maintain their voting pool. Immigrants generally vote Democrat. Once they get established and assimilated after a couple of generations, many start to lean more conservative. Constant immigration is therefore necessary for them. Just in case you ever wondered what the reason was.

Liberals definitely do not want immigration... they have to live with. Blue California is controlling this by legislating where affordable housing can be built.

[west_tip]

Not really.

There's only one "best way" to do something. We can disagree on the best way to do it, which is why states rights were valued by the founding fathers, so that anything that doesnt REQUIRE federal dictation can be left to people in their own areas. Anything that CAN be decided locally, should be.

But at the federal level, you cant "divide" an approach. If there's an economic or military issue America needs to address, the solution cant be "33% democrat, 33% republican, 33% other." The solution has to just be whatever the best solution is. And that is essentially what we do. The partisan bickering in Congress is just for show. Political authorities are going to do whatever has to be done (as they see it), and just pretend to be upset with each other about partisan bullshit.

The public is soft and weak and protected and often forgets life is not easy or perfect. Sometimes the solutions suck. Yet we still have to do them. But in a democracy, with as many dummies as there are out there, you often have to disguise the solution, because people are short sighted and emotional, and might vote you out for doing something necessary, if it hurts the feelings quivering somewhere in a safe space within their tiny little brains.

Just the way it goes.

But this system is incredibly inefficient and yields mediocre results. Only the barest minimum gets done and the country has gone to shit in the past two to three decades during this era of hyper partisanship.

An example is that Americans spend more money per capita on healthcare than any other country on earth yet by comparison have terrible health and many people lack any type of health coverage at all. For a democratic system to not be able to come up with a way of delivering health care to all its citizens in the year 2021 is a monumental failure.

[Chick Stern]

Liberals want immigration (legal and illegal) because its how they maintain their voting pool. Immigrants generally vote Democrat. Once they get established and assimilated after a couple of generations, many start to lean more conservative. Constant immigration is therefore necessary for them. Just in case you ever wondered what the reason was.
The reality is, when the border was open, very few Mexicans wanted to stay permanently.

one of the longest running and most detailed immigration studies in the United States shows that before the U.S. Mexican border began tightening up under the control of General Leonard Chapman, there were less long term, illegal immigrants staying in the United States.

Mexican immigrants would cross the border and work seasonally, returning to home to be with their families and bring the “fruits” of their labor. The easy crossing made it logical for them not to move to the United States, but just walk across to work and then return home.

Once the border was tightened, Mexican immigrants could no longer risk crossing to go home. Instead, they stayed and eventually called for their families to join them. The influx of illegal Mexican immigrants increased and less were returning home.

https://www.pushkin.fm/episode/general-chapmans-last-stand/

[west_tip]

The reality is, when the border was open, very few Mexicans wanted to stay permanently.


If the US did not manage its borders at every port of entry and just let people come in I'm sure a lot more people from throughout the world would come and go as they pleased and not stay permanently. The problem is that it does not sound very much like a sustainable system. Nations have to be able to monitor who is coming into and out of the country and should reserve the right to let in only those they see fit.

[Rocket]

Gun ownership is a Connotationally guaranteed right.

The 2nd Amendment if the Constitution, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.