Quote:
Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
May I just say that if anyone else wants to really slam me, comparing me to a legendary MIT Professor is definitely the way to go. If anyone wants to one-up Not Bob, might I suggest comparing my intellectual acumen to that of Larry Lessig or Eva Silverstein?
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I'm not insulting your intelligence (or Noam's, either), my good man. I just think that you are wrong and the idea that each country's values are beautiful and special in their own way like a snowflake is a facile dodge to avoid hard truths. Sure, other cultures and nations have their own reasons why one would call them "exceptional" (using quotes to note only that there a a variety of meanings to this word, not to minimize the glories of the thousands of years of Egyptian or Chinese civilizations), but our Enlightenment inspired system combined with our immigrant heritage is, indeed, exceptional.
Do we now, or have we historically, lived up to our ideals? Pshaw, as the kids say. Does Canada or Australia have the same basis for claiming to be apples like us? Yes and no, to a certain extent (I have a perhaps irrational view that parliamentary democracies can be problematic).
Anyway, Not Bob rant over. Carry on.
