Quote:
Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
But do you believe in Canadian Exceptionalism? How about Chinese Exceptionalism? Texan Exceptionalism? And what about the all-important Vatican Exceptionalism?
What the fuck does exceptionalism even mean? It's either tautological (apples are special! they're not oranges! And oranges are special, too, they're not apples!) or xenophobic (apples are special! they're not icky oranges! Oranges, well, they're not special at all.), isn't it?
People throw around this term like it's the password to Aladdin's cave or something. Yet it seems to get used in endlessly stupid or meaningless ways. Come on, guys, we're better than that, aren't we?
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The term, as it is used by many, myself included, is a reference to the fact that we alone live in a democratically-run nation, with a government that is answerable to the people. We are the only nation that has had the same government for over 200 years, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that we are one of the youngest nations.
The biggest problem with the phrase is that people too often use it to mean that we as people are better. That's not true, The phrase is meaningful, and largely correct, when it is used to mean that our system, designed by us, based upon a common set of values and principles is better than any other.
I most definitely do not think it makes us better, though, if we are willing to throw those liberties away in order to provide the illusion of security. I also don't believe that we are better than any place else if we don't extend those same protections universally. Who fucking cares if nobody else does?
That would be truly exceptional.
