American Exceptionalism In An Era Of Human Liberation

 

There is a democratic revolution sweeping the globe. People from Russia, Syria, and other countries have taken to the streets to protest the authoritarian regimes that rule their respective countries. Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya are transitioning to democracy after successfully ousting their ruling dictators. This wave of uprisings promises to liberate millions of people.

The opposite is true in the United States. Americans are once again flirting with electing an openly anti-democratic President. They were fatigued after eight years of authoritarian rule under the Bush administration. They sought, albeit momentarily, to re-establish rule of law and democratic principles that once defined their nation. 

The American people's illiberal tendencies quickly resurfaced, however, after electing Barack Obama in 2008. In 2010, voters ushered in one of the most reactionary Congresses in the nation's history. While apparently suffering from collective amnesia, they elected representatives who ran on platforms that promised to gut the very social policies and legal principles that are necessary to maintain a democracy. And polls show an increasingly tight race between President Obama and one of several frightening Republican presidential candidates. This isn't surprising. These are, after all, the same people who embraced an ideology of fear and re-elected George W. Bush despite his administration's war on civil liberties, human rights, and rule of law, i.e., the "War on Terror."

This is, in fact, the true nature of American Exceptionalism. The term is generally used to describe the U.S. as being fundamentally different, and ultimately superior, to other nations. Its recent political developments have shown the dark side to this idea. While people from other nations are demanding freedom, respect for human rights, democracy, equal distribution of resources, and social programs to ameliorate poverty, Americans are running in the opposite direction. In an era of human liberation, they buck the trend and clamor for oppression.