Here is the problem I have: everyone thinks they are a fucking genius. that first video, the guy talks about how the first step is realizing there is a problem but like hell if HBO has a step 2-20 to start talking about. damn it you hear dramatic music and you get inspired but that video does NOTHING except address the people who are SO FAR BEHIND in this nation's affairs they will never be able to catch up and help, and the question is what do we do? answer me that (NOT RHETORICAL) because there are smart people on this site from a lot of different backgrounds so how do we get the USA running again? i understand some parts of the recession but what might we need to address to move forward? let's legit start discussing ideas for improving this country, whether or not youre even from here! it is 2:49 at night where i am but i honestly hate waiting until i can vote, reading articles online about how this nation is messing up and not knowing the level of truth behind it all.

I would say Europe shares the great opportunities, at least in some countries. The Scandinavian countries and Canada have much more social mobility than the US. Germany and the UK are also better.

The US is exceptional because they are still the only true superpower remaining.

i understand we need to become more self reliant, and rely less on foreign markets, but as far as foreign affairs goes, im a little absolutist but i really hate paying literally tens of billions of dollars every year just to maintain 'healthy relations' with allies. if you have a friend at school you dont pay him to be your friend, you just agree on stuff and be bros. also, whos to say they wont betray you for the economically more prosperous option as soon as they can in a war? bleh im ranting

trprado needs to wake up he is funny yet insightful

France has nuclear power beyond any other, germany is carrying the EU, England has the Pound.

From what I've seen Japan isn't so hot right now, their top companies have actually been in decline in many stock rates, and they seem to be on the edge of a giant failure along with china and especially russia. I believe that soon the balkans will fall, the middle east will recess beyond what they have ever known truly humbling them, (i believe that their oil will carry them only so far for so long) The USA is getting by via technology and natural resources. In the next century or two we shall see dozens of nations fall if we don't find a reliable, efficient, energy source

I think it's the American spirit that defines us. We're (generally) self-reliant, proud, individualistic to a fault, and stubborn.

It's not just that though. Americans also seem to be relatively generous and friendly on an individual level. Really nice people, when taken alone. As a group, we're a lot worse, I'm afraid.

@ phil_a_s

I think you can say that about almost every nation.

@phil and @chaqa
2/3 of the world thinks we're fat, lazy, arrogant white slut-gluttons

Far and arrogant, I think we could be guilty of at least.

All people are shaped by the country they live in. Naturally the best all round people come from island nations, but America benefits from having people shaped by every environment imaginable. Desert people, mountain people, wilderness people, metropolis people, island people... For every eventuality there is a part of America that has produced the sort of person ideally suited to lead the country. There are even some Americans who resemble civilised Europeans!

Such a shame that they keep electing the wrong people...

@Chaqa
"I think it's the American spirit that defines us. We're (generally) self-reliant, proud, individualistic to a fault, and stubborn."

Sounds like the French!

Honestly, I think the US has suffered a lot from the myth of exceptionalism. When the US makes any law or policy, it usually does so in utter disregard of lessons elsewhere. Where the US sees its states as laboratories for democracy, it rarely sees that in *other* states. This results in some policy discussion being truly amusing from an outsider perspective. Healthcare is a great example. The US is the only developed nation spending a staggering amount for below-par healthcare. But the discussion on it is seen in complete isolation of what European countries - and even Canada - have been doing for years.

So no, there is no exceptionalism, except for being the world's only superpower. But that'll change quick. China actually *is* learning a lot from outsiders rather quickly.

Why should America be "exceptional"? Sound like jingoism to me.

Right now, maybe; historically, no.

You can talk about things like the center of economic OR scientific development (like the arab world ~1000 years ago, or Rome ~2000 years ago) but the US is neither of those - in a sense the globe is the new centre of learning and economics; so much globalization...

So i would say no; except that the US's trade empire is built on a new system which has allowed globalization to flourish in ways it jever really has before - though i suspect the Soviet Union would also have done this had they won the cold war...

Oh, and China has exceeded the US in one measure of economic size, afaik. While the US can't even protect Sony's freedom of speech...

why do we want to be exceptional? I never understood this.

Better than wanting mediocrity, surely?

I don't think there should be any doubt that the US is still exceptional. Now is just the first time since the 1940's that the US isn't totally dominant over one half of the world. When the Soviet Union fell, there was no other country even close to having the power of the US. Just because the rest of the world is catching up, and in some cases surpassing the US doesn't mean that the US isn't exceptional.
On China, yes their export capacity does surpass that of the US, but one, who buys most of their goods? The US. Without American support, the Chinese economy wouldn't be anything close to what it is. Also, a huge number of Chinese people still live without electricity or pluming, and they only figured out how to use an aircraft carrier what, three years ago?
People can talk about how one thing is better in this country or that, but to me there is no other place in the world where so many different types of people have so many opportunities, and I think that that alone makes us exceptional, not to mention that we are still the most influential country in the world

The whole notion of exceptionalism implies that (1) there is some sort of standard or norm and (2) that this norm is ordinal in the sense that countries can be put alongside this measure of being 'more' or 'less' exceptional.

Neither of these is correct.

For some more 3 - analysis of this question, people should read The Rise And Fall of Great Powers by Paul Kennedy. That book really puts it into perspective, one of my favorites.

3-dimensional, not 3 point value :-P

Mediocrity could be quite beneficial. Surely if we hadn't tried to police the world for the last 30 years the country would be in much better shape.

I don't understand Americans who treat international politics as if there is some giant scoreboard that we need to rack up points on. How many dollars have China and Russia made by being the free rider on our expensive wars of the last decade and a half?

Obviously not exceptional. What do we lead the world in anymore? Nothing good.

Being American.

Nothing good besides the GDP of a single nation.

Not for nothing, but if there is anyone that treats america as exceptional, it's the snotty British Islanders on this board

I don't follow you, Santa. Russia is just as fond of meddling in foreign affairs as the US, and judging by the current shape of its economy has done considerably worse for itself. I'm not sure how China has benefited from the US wars, or what it has been freely riding on.

Russia fights lightning wars that demolishes its opponents, China has been reaping all sorts of contracts in former US warzones without spending a cent on the wars, Russia as well.

I think America isn't exceptional I think America's strength is how average we are in everything. That's why people come here, we are a safe individual investment. Simply put you can go to any of the other first world nations, but America does provide oddly enough more job opportunities for immigrants (american's don't work field or other dirty jobs), more education opportunities for immigrants (Free high school and elementary education is more than many third world countries), significantly less racial/ethnic/or religious tension. (sure we have our faults, looking at racism but generally speaking our judicial system and culture support the idea of freedom of religion and overall choice. that is better than being an ethnic Shia or Kurd in a predominantly Sunni middle east. Or not being a member of the cartels in central america.) overall America provides job security, safety and a generally better future for incoming immigrants. To go further; for america citizens we are offered SS, Welfare, food stamps, housing assistance, education waivers, and various other social programs that work to benefit the poor.... so looking at it from an impoverished perspective (which most american's are) America is pretty grand. Of course I see that from a more wealthy perspective (and i'm not talking rich, maybe upper middle class) america seems bad, because we waste money on social programs, hurt our companies, choked business and manufacturing, and ultimately have become a debt producing monstrosity. I agree with both perceptions.

"Russia fights lightning wars that demolishes its opponents"

Nope, must have missed that one...

oh you missed the war in Georgia and Eastern Ukraine?