The 'Murrican 'Xcepshunal' Crowd is Going to Hate This

[Minimalist]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/here-...the-world/

Here are 9 things many Americans just don’t understand — compared to the rest of the world

3. American Exceptionalism Is Absolute Nonsense in 2015

No matter how severe the U.S.’ decline becomes, neocons and the Tea Party continue to espouse their belief in “American exceptionalism.” But in many respects, the U.S. of 2015 is far from exceptional. The U.S. is not exceptional when it comes to civil liberties (no country in the world incarcerates, per capita, more of its people than the U.S.) or healthcare (WHO ranks the U.S. #37 in terms of healthcare). Nor is the U.S. a leader in terms of life expectancy: according to the WHO, overall life expectancy in the U.S. in 2013 was 79 compared to 83 in Switzerland and Japan, 82 in Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and Canada and 81 in the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Austria and Finland.

Are we still a first-world country?

[Exian]

(no country in the world incarcerates, per capita, more of its people than the U.S.)

Like it says- American Exceptionalism.

[Crossless2.0]

In answer to the OP, yes, we are still a first world country, but that sense of momentum so many mistake for forward motion is really us swirling the drain. The Right in this country has done such a 'good' job of framing the so-called debate on issue after issue that a majority (or at least substantial minority) of citizens will gladly vote against their own interests in election after election, all the while thinking they are casting rational, freely-chosen votes in the name of God, freedom, and mom's apple pie. It's mind-boggling to me, since the Right is so transparently full of shit. Then again, a long tradition of populist anti-intellectualism (including religious nuttery) combined with dismal across-the-board educational outcomes that only seem to get worse with time will lead to such sheepish behavior. Sadly, "keep 'em dumb and fearful" seems to work.

But this isn't only about right wing villainy. The left (that overused and meaningless phrase that, in the U.S. really means the moderate center) has utterly abdicated their responsibility to lay out for voters a meaningful alternative and plan of action to counteract this drift to the right and the downward spiral. The differences between the Democrats and the Republicans, though real, are insignificant since they are both fundamentally on board with what business interests and big money donors want. If there was a real Left in this country, there might be enough political push-back on some issues to force things toward the center and some semblance of sanity, but alas . . .

This will only get worse. I don't know if I'll live to see it, but I believe that the U.S. will reach a point at which the disparity between the oligarchs and their political pets on the one hand and the unwashed, manipulated, and ultimately fed-up masses on the other will become so extreme that blood will flow in the streets.

We stumbled into the role of superpower almost by accident. It took the devastation of two world wars and a worldwide depression to allow us (virtually unscathed by the carnage) to assume such leadership. To think that we squandered it within a few generations is almost too depressing to think about. I would love to get a sneak preview of the historical judgement that will be leveled against late-20th and 21st Century America. We have only ourselves to blame.

Fuck.

[IATIA]

Are we still a first-world country?

That depends on the definition. I do see the downward spiral, but I do not expect to see the result.

[Ravenshire]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/here-...the-world/

Here are 9 things many Americans just don’t understand — compared to the rest of the world

3. American Exceptionalism Is Absolute Nonsense in 2015

No matter how severe the U.S.’ decline becomes, neocons and the Tea Party continue to espouse their belief in “American exceptionalism.” But in many respects, the U.S. of 2015 is far from exceptional. The U.S. is not exceptional when it comes to civil liberties (no country in the world incarcerates, per capita, more of its people than the U.S.) or healthcare (WHO ranks the U.S. #37 in terms of healthcare). Nor is the U.S. a leader in terms of life expectancy: according to the WHO, overall life expectancy in the U.S. in 2013 was 79 compared to 83 in Switzerland and Japan, 82 in Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and Canada and 81 in the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Austria and Finland.

Are we still a first-world country?

I firmly believe in American Exceptionalism! We are the exception to the good in the developed world.