American exceptionalism/exceptionally stupid

American exceptionalism/exceptionally stupid

American exceptionalism is a saying and a term propagated over the decades with pride and bull headedness. Unfortunately for America that ship has long ago sailed. It is a false narrative possibly built on the backs of former generations, for periods of time that has long ago passed, or deeds perceived as exceptional in the purview of the world (think WW2). However, in the face of it all we have never fulfilled the American dream for blacks, other minorities, women, the poor, and the vanishing middle class, despite our rhetoric to the contrary. We have a dysfunctional and racist judicial system led by a corporatist oriented, vote suppressing right wing Supreme Court. This country is a fraud, with a significant portion of the population that is forever mired in racism, stupidity, and an authoritarian bent. I want to be clear there are exceptional people in America, but to call the country exceptional as a whole is both ignorant of reality, and flies in the face of the facts. This has become exponentially worse during the Trump years, and post Trump election weeks.

Despite the adoration heaped on the Constitution, there are many pitfalls, and loopholes in this document that have been exploited for centuries, with the current occupant of the White House leading the charge. He and his administration, as well as his supporters that have aided, and abetted treason, contempt of the law, racism, and every political norm this country has taken for granted, but not codified in the law. As I write this the Republican Party is actively engaged in sedition with virtually the entire party captive in the cult of Trump. There is no low that this party won’t go to undermine democracy, and the will of the people. The Republican Party is an abject failure as a democratic entity.

This is the party that brought you McCarthyism. The party is detached from reality, and the rule of law.

There are three branches of government at the federal level. Historically, none have failed us more than the Supreme Court. Along with this abject failure of this branch of government is the Senate, called the greatest deliberative body in the world. Really? I think this needs to be re-categorized as the as the most incompetent, and corrupt, non-deliberative body in the world. A group of old white men owned by the corporative world, and any other entity that puts money in their coffers, like Russia. Face it - we are a banana republic masquerading as the shining light of the democratic world. We are not the world’s greatest democracy except in our own minds. This is a country that thrives on race baiting, lies, (primarily the Republicans), voter suppression (again the Republicans), fake patriotism, led by the Republicans, as they pillage, and plunder the country at the expense of the average man (and woman) who are too stupid to see it. Yeah, we’re exceptional all right. A large group of senior citizens perpetually vote for a party that has incessantly tried to take away, or significantly decrease both Medicare, and Social Security.

When were we so exceptional? Was it when we attempted to perform genocide on the indigenous

peoples of this country, then lie, and deceive them when treaties were negotiated? Was it when we built the backbone of the country on slavery then “freed” them only to perform thousands of lynching’s, and subject them to Jim Crow laws for well over a century even after they went abroad to fight for Europe’s freedom, and the freedom of the Jewish people, as well as the people under the cruel, murderous rule of the Japanese Empire.

Now we are the world’s most undemocratic democracy. A country where 18% of the country nominate 52 senators. A country where the popular vote is overridden by the Electoral College which is a vestige of slavery. A Supreme Court primarily appointed by the minority party that has lost 7 of the last 8 popular votes, and does not reflect the opinions of the majority of Americans. A country still steeped in voter suppression, racism, conspiracy theories, a dwindling middle class, and corporatism that supersedes the rights of people.

This is a country that elects a sociopath, who is a narcissistic, autocratic, a pathological liar, who doesn’t read his PDB’s, doesn’t work, believes in conspiracy theories, is totally incompetent, knows nothing of the Constitution, and is in the pocket of Putin, and the Russians. What is even scarier is that 35-40% of this nation worships him despite the fact that he despises them. In a once in a 100 year pandemic that is savaging the country, these fact free, alternative fact people think he is doing a good job despite every metric to the contrary.

This is consistent with literature that says 40% of this country would have made good Nazi’s. As I write this Trump supporters are storming the Capitol. Biden talks about healing the country, and that this isn’t America - like hell it isn’t! These are the same words uttered by innumerable left leaning pundits on MSNBC, and CNN, etc.  Other clichés include; we’ve got to listen to our better angels, and on and on. We live in denial, and are persistently held in the sway of the myth of America. America is an ungovernable collection of gun toting, mass murdering, hypocritical, non-science believing morons. If a country was writing a constitution today nobody would model it after ours.

I’m glad it wasn’t BLM supporters who stormed the Capitol because they would have been shot.  Why did virtually nobody fire a weapon in the presence of a riotous insurrection? What a global embarrassment. My wife’s Swedish family and friends are texting us calling us a banana republic.

They’re not wrong. Our politicians are bought and paid for. We are pretty exceptional aren’t we??? Exceptionally stupid!!