{"id":27386,"date":"2026-03-26T18:23:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=27386"},"modified":"2026-04-05T20:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T03:14:20","slug":"what-is-american-exceptionalism-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/03\/26\/what-is-american-exceptionalism-really\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is American Exceptionalism, Really?"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Lydia Polgreen on how the problem isn&#8217;t Trump, it&#8217;s America;<\/li>\n<li>David French wonders if America is so rich, why are Americans so miserable?<\/li>\n<li>Faith that climate change isn&#8217;t real;<\/li>\n<li>Short items: that classic poll against Arabic numerals; how people who lose elections don&#8217;t trust elections; yet another Jewish plot; a bloodthirsty prayer; another conservative convicted of what conservatives rail against; Biblical worldview;<\/li>\n<li>Radiohead&#8217;s &#8220;How to Disappear Completely&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s not just Trump. It&#8217;s some deep undercurrent in American culture.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/26\/multimedia\/26polgreen-vpmc\/26polgreen-vpmc-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>NY Times, opinion by Lydia Polgreen, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/26\/opinion\/trump-america-iran-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WFA.3pSv.oW2IcN3ScWuv&amp;smid=url-share\">It\u2019s Not Trump. It\u2019s America.<\/a> [gift link]<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Like a lot of other Americans, I\u2019ve oscillated in these dark times between two emotional poles. At points, I tell myself that Donald Trump is a uniquely malevolent figure who has seized levers of power that no previous president had ever dared to grasp. The story doesn\u2019t stop state violence in the streets or illegal military operations abroad. Yet it has its comforts. Once Trump passes from the scene \u2014 as the laws of nature, if not politics, require \u2014 some kind of restoration of the American democratic and constitutional project can take place.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>On darker days, I find myself turning to a more thoroughgoing narrative: that Trump is the fulfillment of what America has always been \u2014 a self-satisfied nation, granted license by its myths about providence and exceptionalism to do whatever it wants. Trump didn\u2019t come from nowhere, after all. His two victories were forged by choices made by Americans and the leaders they elected. If he had not existed, history would have invented someone like him. This explanation offers its own consolation. At least it is something a rational mind can grasp.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is what I&#8217;m coming to think: &#8220;a self-satisfied nation, granted license by its myths about providence and exceptionalism to do whatever it wants.&#8221; It&#8217;s exceptionalism to the point of arrogance.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Is Trump a freak of history or its fulfillment, an aberration or a culmination? The answer, surely, is both. But in the course of his presidency, Trump has revealed a much older malady: America\u2019s unshakable faith in its ability to shape the world to its liking, indifferent to what others might want and supremely confident that its plan is the right one. Beyond Trump, it\u2019s this disfiguring mentality we Americans must face.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Remember, key figures in the founding of America were religious zealots. Fortunately, the country has grown so big that there are plenty of rational people living here too. The nation is *big*. That&#8217;s why America has been so successful, technologically and scientifically, despite that core of irrationality. That book by Kurt Andersen that I just mentioned may have some answers&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Is this related? Perhaps. Americans who think we&#8217;re the bestest nation in the world don&#8217;t understand why everything isn&#8217;t perfect. But this is psychology, more than American exceptionalism.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/03\/26\/opinion\/26french\/26french-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>NY Times, opinion by David French<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/26\/opinion\/economy-attitudes-republicans-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.5rPs.KnBNdfthTVEJ&amp;smid=url-share\">How Can America Be So Miserable When It\u2019s So Rich?<\/a> [another gift link, I still have a few to use before the end of the month]<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The American economy is the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/special-report\/2024-10-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">envy of the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-ac37hb evys1bk0\">Actual Americans, however, are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2026\/02\/04\/a-year-into-trumps-second-term-americans-views-of-the-economy-remain-negative\/pp_2026-02-04_trump-economy_0-01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">not happy<\/a> about their economy, and they\u2019ve been unhappy about it for a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/1609\/consumer-views-economy.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">long time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-ac37hb evys1bk0\">Both of those statements are true, and until recently, frankly, they stumped me. How could it possibly be rational to feel such prolonged pessimism in the face of such extraordinary economic growth?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-ac37hb evys1bk0\">Over the last quarter-century, G.D.P. growth in the United States has far outpaced growth in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/econofact.org\/factbrief\/fact-check-has-the-economic-gap-between-europe-and-the-united-states-increased-in-the-past-decade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Europe<\/a> and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/alcottglobal.com\/infographic\/gdp-shifts-for-japan-china-the-european-union-and-the-united-states-2000-vs-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Japan<\/a>, two of our primary economic competitors (outside of India and China), to such an extent that many of Europe\u2019s most powerful nations have economies only as prosperous as those of our poorest states. British and French living standards, as measured by disposable income, for example, are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/mises.org\/mises-wire\/britain-france-and-spain-poorer-mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">more comparable<\/a> to that of Mississippi, still the poorest state, than to America\u2019s as a whole.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I find that last claim hard to believe, but he does cite a reference.<\/p>\n<p>This is about how people compare themselves to each other, rather than to some absolute scale or even historical standard, and about the fallacy that the past was better than the present, the result of selective memory and biased thinking.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The result is that immense numbers of Americans live lives that would look extraordinarily prosperous compared with previous generations. For all their justified complaints about housing affordability, Americans on average live in larger and more luxurious homes than Americans in generations past.<\/p>\n<p>Previous luxuries \u2014 things like central air, big-screen televisions, home computers and multiple cars \u2014 are now common staples of American life across most, although of course not all, of our social classes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>French then cites <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/28\/opinion\/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html\">this NYT essay<\/a> from last August that clarified his thinking.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8230;and once my perspective changed, I saw a reality that I couldn\u2019t unsee \u2014 we are miserable in part <em>because<\/em> we are wealthy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And he goes on with examples about Disney World, travel sports, flying, cars, health care, and so on. This is the hedonic treadmill:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Wealth always tempts us to be discontent. We\u2019re cursed with that insatiable desire for more. We\u2019re prone to envy. There is a reason we talk about keeping up with the Joneses.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ending:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It\u2019s these choices, made millions of times by millions of Americans, that are both spurring our growth and \u2014 perversely enough \u2014 increasing our misery. We can\u2019t have what we can\u2019t afford, and we can\u2019t have what we used to afford, and that combination can make even a middle-class American who may be well-off by historical standards feel very poor indeed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Faith is a commitment to something that is not true. If it were true, there would be evidence for it and it wouldn&#8217;t require faith.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fatheist26mar26.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/fatheist26mar26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendlyatheist.com\/p\/my-faith-is-not-in-climate-change\">&#8220;My faith is not in climate change\u201d: Minnesota GOP lawmaker doubles down on denial<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;Minnesota Rep. Mary Franson dismissed scientists\u2019 warnings because her Christian faith taught her the crisis is irrelevant&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>During a House Capital Investment Committee hearing on Tuesday, a Republican lawmaker argued that Minnesotans didn\u2019t need to worry about the impact of climate change because the Bible taught her it\u2019s irrelevant.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>She said:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But what doesn\u2019t change, my friends, and that\u2019s why, when you talk about climate change, I don\u2019t get upset about it, I don\u2019t get worked up about it, it\u2019s because my faith is not in climate change. It\u2019s not in scientists dictating what we should and should not do to save the environment. Because my faith is in Jesus Christ, right? He\u2019s the same today, tomorrow, and forever. Yesterday. And so, um, you know, if you\u2019ve read the Good Book, you know how it ends. It\u2019s not with climate change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If it&#8217;s not in the bible, it can&#8217;t be real? Dimwit. And dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Briefly noted.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dakotafreepress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-11-at-16.18.36.jpg\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dakota Free Press, from 2019<\/strong> (a classic MAGA survey): <a href=\"https:\/\/dakotafreepress.com\/2019\/05\/11\/arabic-numerals-in-school-draw-strong-opposition-in-brookings-register-poll\/\">Arabic Numerals in School Draw Strong Opposition in Brookings Register Poll<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>LA Times, 25 Mar 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-03-25\/la-me-election-skeptic-trump-shasta-county-california\">He\u2019s telling Californians they can\u2019t trust elections \u2014 and it\u2019s catching on with the GOP<\/a>. | He&#8217;s only says this because his party doesn&#8217;t win every election.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Right Wing Watch, Kyle Mantyla, 25 Mar 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplefor.org\/rightwingwatch\/joel-webbon-says-gender-equality-jewish-plot-eradicate-white-people\">Joel Webbon Says Gender Equality Is A Jewish Plot To &#8216;Eradicate White People&#8217;<\/a>. | No, it isn&#8217;t. Paranoid dimwit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/03\/hegseth-delivers-bloodthirsty-prayer-against-iran-break-the-teeth-of-the-ungodly-kill-the-wicked\/\">Hegseth Delivers Bloodthirsty Prayer Against Iran: \u201cBreak The Teeth Of The Ungodly, Kill The Wicked\u201d<\/a> | A dangerous, bigoted dimwit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Boing Boing<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/boingboing.net\/2026\/03\/26\/conservative-election-fraud-activist-convicted-of-election-fraud.html\">Conservative election fraud activist convicted of election fraud<\/a> | Funny how often this happens. Like those conservatives obsessed with the gays and the transgenders who turn out&#8230;<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/03\/frc-wails-only-4-of-us-holds-biblical-worldview\/\">FRC Wails: Only 4% Of US Holds \u201cBiblical Worldview\u201d<\/a> | And what is this Biblical worldview? Leviticus? Good thing then!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Up to <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kid_A\">Kid A<\/a>. I read that this song is about the stress of being on stage and exposed every day&#8230; Dissociate yourself from the moment, to get through it.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Disappear  Completely - Radiohead lyrics\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uP1Klk7fNTo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/How_to_Disappear_Completely\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lydia Polgreen on how the problem isn&#8217;t Trump, it&#8217;s America; David French wonders if America is so rich, why are Americans so miserable? Faith that climate change isn&#8217;t real; Short items: that classic poll against Arabic numerals; how people who &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/03\/26\/what-is-american-exceptionalism-really\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,17,54,20,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lunacy","category-music","category-politics","category-psychology","category-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27386"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27530,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27386\/revisions\/27530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}