By Alexander Green My friend Hal is a Harvard graduate, an author and holds a doctorate.
While we share a lot of interests – books, music and wine, among others – we inhabit opposite ends of the political spectrum.
That means we argue a lot when we get together, although it’s generally good-natured.
When he and I are not exchanging views over a bottle of Sangiovese, we often trade barbs by email. Earlier this year, he sent me an essay by Mark Manson called “10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America.”
Hal called it “one of my favorite essays of all time.” And I can see why. It is a near-perfect encapsulation of our differences.
Manson claims that he loves America, the same way he would love a family member who is also a drunk. Here are his 10 points:
Our culture is built around achievement, production and exceptionalism. (He sees this as a sickness.)
The quality of life for the average American is not that great.
Few people in other countries are impressed with us.
In fact, most people in the world don’t even think about us or care about us.
We are paranoid about terrorism and national security.
We are fat, complacent and unhealthy.
As human beings, we are poor at expressing gratitude and affection. (He asserts this – like pretty much everything else – without citing any evidence.)
Our healthcare system is horrible.
We falsely believe the rest of the world is slum-ridden compared to us.
In fact, Americans are almost entirely ignorant of other nations and cultures.
Got that? Americans believe their country is pretty special, but it’s really not.
I agree that America has much that needs to be corrected, dispensed with or improved. But Manson’s pessimistic attitude and cynical tone reveal a grossly distorted point of view.
Here’s my own somewhat different perspective…
The founding of this country was revolutionary. Not in the sense of replacing one set of rulers with another, but in placing political authority in the hands of the people.
No, we didn’t invent democracy. You’d have to go all the way back to ancient Athens for that. But never before had there been a government instituted on the consent of the governed.
Our nation is the only one founded on the equality of men, individual freedom and the rule of law. Our Declaration of Independence is a timeless statement of natural rights, the proper purposes of government and the limits of political authority.
Our core beliefs are enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the longest-serving foundation of liberty in history.
Love of homeland is universal, of course. Yet the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville observed something distinctly different about us as far back as the 1830s. He noted that Americans pursue their economic interests passionately, but that we also form associations to take up public affairs and tend to the needs of our communities.
As social scientist Charles Murray wrote…
Historically, Americans have been different as a people, even peculiar, and everyone around the world has recognized it. I’m thinking of qualities such as American optimism even when there …read more
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