American Exceptionalism, the key idea behind so much of conservative ideology today, has been turned into an excuse, a complete and total excuse for any and all change.
Those that invoke American Exceptionalism use it as an ideal, preaching that through some quantitative means, they can guarantee America is better then anywhere else in the world. This is a normal philosophy for most nations, to believe in their own importance, and not necessarily a bad thing.
It is the second message: that any change to America makes it somehow less exceptional or unique is becoming the cement shoes that prevent America from staying the nation that can feel special. Because it isn't the past or our history that makes us exceptional, it is and has always been, the people who are American Citizens who have moved to change the future that make it so.
When Alexis de Tocqueville originally put forward the idea of American Exceptionalism, he offered it as an idea that was full of both positives and negatives. de Tocqueville viewed Americans as explorers only, the kind of people who would tame the new world, without a devotion to science or the arts.
http://www.tobreatheyourfreeair.com/...
But the standing testament of what made America exceptional was the fact that we as a country grew, changed and set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. What made America so unique was that unlike nations of Monarchs or corrupt shell governments, America was a country that could admit failure or mistakes without a complete overthrow of the government.
When the US fought for slavery and re-unified. Allowed women to vote. Every major and fundamental change to our country that occurred without a violent revolution is a testament to the sign that there was something exceptional about America.
Which is why the current move amongst the right to use American Exceptionalism to prevent change is such an open betrayal of what it is that makes America special.
If we become a country that refuses to change we forget what makes our nation unique. Ever forward, and never back.
This is an idea that supersedes political parties and office holders. It is the idea that is in many ways the soul of our nation - what defines us. We may not always like change. We may want different change. But we are a nation built on the idea that we accept change and move on.
What is most troubling about the current Republican movement isn't so much that they want change that is different then others, it is that they are rejecting the very concept of change at all; and demand past changes be reversed. This rise of demand for a return to a 18th century government is a complete rejection of what our founders and those behind us fought and believed for. It is as though we reject the thing that has always made America special.
The moment we decide that America can be rigidly defined by never growing past it's humble roots then we tell all of those who believed forever that America was special and different that it never was. That what we started at the beginning was as good as it would ever get.
Instead, many of us here chose to honor the vision, that kernel of an idea that our founding fathers had and realize a nation must grow.
The recent thread that has circulated through Facebook and elsewhere contends that the Founding Fathers would be unwelcome in many places and how "sad it is" that they would be viewed as "politically incorrect".
I believe most Americans would want to meet our founding fathers, but they would largely be put off by things like slavery ownership, thoughts on American Indians and so on.
While those on the right tell us this is everything that is wrong with America, in their cute posts, I believe it is everything that is right with America. Our founding fathers set up a nation that is not a cult of personality.. it was an idea that could grow and change.
The next time I see the post "our founding fathers would be politically incorrect", I will say 'yes, yes they would.. and isn't that the best sign that the government they created is a testament to change and unique in the world." Because it is.