I’m not really interested in splitting hairs about who won and who lost. I think Palin did surprisingly well simply by not fumbling and Biden maintained the status quo — of retatining the lead — simply by not saying anything inappropriate or flying off the handle.
I did find a quote by Palin very interesting if not disturbing.
“That world view that says that America is a nation of exceptionalism. And we are to be that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said, that we are a beacon of hope and that we are unapologetic here. We are not perfect as a nation. But together, we represent a perfect ideal. And that is democracy and tolerance and freedom and equal rights. Those things that we stand for that can be put to good use as a force for good in this world.”
I can’t underscore how dangerous this line of thinking is. American exceptionalism is one of the greatest lies perpetrated by our government since this nation’s inception. It is a myth that fuels nationalism and xenophobia and allows loose cannons like our current leadership to expand American imperialism under the guise of “spreading freedom and democracy.” It is one of our biggest and most compelling fictions and it is present on both sides of the political spectrum. More than a year ago, Barack Obama stated that “America is the last best hope for Earth.” That sort thinking can — and has — justified some of the worst things imaginable.
American exceptionalism is false monomyth, indeed a false metanarrative, that can only be remedied by being destroyed.
I’d like to think the choices in the election will lead to that, but I wonder.
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Americans are going to be really pissed when they find out that outside of their little houses and SUVs there are other countries that are governed by humans and not some lower beings we should feel sorry for. Of course we’ll find that out waaay too late when we’re not the superpower we thought we were and don’t have the means to push everyone else around. I wonder if at that time God will move on to the new self named ruler of the earth or if he’ll stick by the good ol’ U.S. of A.
In terms of this debate. I was surprised that Palin didn’t fall over herself, but I can’t say she answered many questions. I had a fear that Biden was told to calm down so that he doesn’t come off boorish and that made him miss many opportunities to turn Palin around on all of her non sequitur. But I did learn something tonight, and that’s that man has no hand in global warming and that not knowing the cause of something is alright.
The incident poorly detailed in these two articles is the clearest argument I can think of against the basic concept of American Exceptionalism.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/09/27/ddn092708islamicweb.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/09/30/ddn093008mosquecopsweb.html
That’s right, folks! A proud American, a citizen of the new Zion and example of freedom and tolerance to the world, sprayed chemical irritants into a room full of children at a mosque at the end of Ramadan. In Dayton fucking Ohio.
Sometimes we’re the bad guys.
for some reason i didn’t get an email notification about your comment. i apologize for the 4-day delay in posting.
There has come winter
It became cold and cloudy!
Mood very bad
Depression Begins