This disquisition pertains to an article in the New York Times July 7, 2024 titled "Is America No Longer Exceptional?" This article addressed comments made by US Presidents over the years. My stand is very different in how I approach the term exceptional. Exceptional is defined as unusual; not typical with synonyms of uncommon ,abnormal ,freakish ,extraordinary ,weird, aberrant and so forth. In other words, exceptional can be used in a variety of ways with somewhat oppositional meanings .
The 2024 Olympics provided examples of exceptional. Has the US Olympic team been exceptional in their accumulation of medals? It would be important to operationally define the number of medals accumulated. For example, the US team has accumulated an exceptional number of gold medals when compared to Iran, Russia but not China. However, the US team has statistically accumulated an exceptional number of total medals compared to China. Some might say the Silver Medal signifies the first loser. Therefore, depending upon and according to the operational definition, whether or not the US Olympic team is superior and more dominant than China's Olympic team is questionable.
In sports, the operational definition of exceptional or number 1 can be easily defined irrespective of opinion or consensus. For example, college football teams are ranked according to being number 1 prior to the beginning of the season. These rankings are based on opinion without an operational definition, and therefore are irrational. However, with all the division championships and playoffs., the team that wins the final game that season is considered number 1, The University of Michigan beat their opponent in the final college football championship game and as a result finished the 2023 season as number 1. Furthermore, the greatest three point shooter in basketball is Steph Curry based upon his number made . Lebron James has scored the most overall points and therefore is number one in that category. Who is the greatest basketball player of all time depends upon the operational definition . And there can be different operational definitions which depend upon the individual who defines it..
Political figures express talking points , opinions, and predictions , often ,without an operational definition of the terms. For example, Trump fits perfectly . On one occasion he stated "America is the greatest and most exceptional nation in the history of the world" and years later stated, when Biden was president, "We ‘ve become like a 3rd world nation and it's a shame." Notice, no operational definition, just irrational nonsensical opinions designed to suit or bring favor to him politically.
In the New York Times article, Ronald Reagan,in the 1980s ,talked about the exceptional United States by being " shining city on a hill." Reagan plagiarized that term from a sermon by Puritan Winthrop’ . Winthrop was referring to the English settlement of Jamestown . He compared that to the arrivals of the Dutch, French and Spanish . Winthrop's theme pertained to the goodness and godliness of the pilgrims stressing their exceptionalism and self-confidence. Apparently it's been “forgotten “that the Puritan towns with their own hierarchies demanded submission to the faith and harshly policed their members and potential intruders alike? Again, one can argue that Reagan didn't define exceptionalism operationally. Not only that, a number of individuals in his administration were indicted for their Iran- Contra , HUD rigging, EPA and Saving and Loans misdeeds. Realistically , Regan’ was not comparing his administration to the goodness and godliness of the Puritans but to the actual realities of submission , greed ,exploitation and the hypocrisy of following Christian values .Some members of his administration were exceptionally aberrant, bizarre , inconsistent , deviant, abnormal and criminal as was Nixon and his law breakers . Bush’s weapons of mass destruction lies was also an example of exceptionally poor judgment with aberrant consequences . So much for that city on a hill for these fraudulent and deceitful Republicans.
The shining city on a hill has witnessed and is associated with the massive slaughtering of native peoples, slavery, expulsions of Catholics, Mormons and abolitionists, Jim Crow laws, lynchings, segregation, Ku Klux Klan terrorism, prohibition , fascist pulses , political assassinations, depression , and currently the 2025 Republican playbook. Too many people in this country's history are associated with lies, violence, prejudice and blood .
When using the term exceptional, one can operationally define the term in order to better statistically differentiate. To generalize about 330 million Americans is simply irrational as people make up the country. How can 330 million Americans, or the country. be easily homogenized or generalized? Not everyone owns a gun in this country. Yet ,we lead the world in accumulation of guns and gun deaths .Therefore, is the United States an exceptional killer? Or, should just the people that have guns be included in the definition? Further, our military, judicial, and electoral system ranks lowest among the world's richest nations . Furthermore, satisfaction with the way our democracy is working is the weakest it has been in decades according to Gallup.
Gallup provides questions based on their criteria and receives responses from their selection of individuals . Perhaps their sample in question comes from individuals living in the United States . Their sample or selection of respondents are supposed to represent our entire country . However, they are generalizing the respondents' responses with their sample. Statistically, It is not a true representation of information from all the individuals in our country because to do so requires the implementation of a universal sample. Gallup does not employ a universal sample because it's just too time consuming and costly. In other words, only samples of people’ responses from countries are compared to each other. And the samples,the answers collected from the US did not fare well against the samples, the answers collected from the other countries.
It's clear there are and have been a number of exceptional , but not perfect , people such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Lincoln ,Schweitzer, Oppenheimer ,Teller, Russell , Marx , Freud , Einstein and Chomsky . Further, the athletes in "It Has Nothing to Do With Age" and " Bo's Warriors " also illustrate exceptionalism . On the other hand, Hitler, Stalin, Putin and Trump can be operationally defined as exceptionally bizarre ,deviant and criminal . People can be operationally defined as exceptional based on their moral, intellectual and humanistic attitudes and behaviors. Simply stating opinions , lies and beliefs are often false, irrational, nonsensical and prejudicial.
PS
Dave H., my buddy, is visiting his mom in Michigan and she is an exceptional 99. Also, Linda ,turning 91 ,in a few days,has accomplished so much in her life span. As a teenager. Linda golfed with professional Babe Didrikson on one outing. After 18 holes, Babe ,impressed, invited Linda to join her on tour.Instead, Linda went hunting with Ray, her father. Linda initiated a kids tile project with Mike H .’s assistance . She also started the H2O exercise program in the ALT pool ; was the president of the Silver Spurs equestrian club and began pickleball . She was an accomplished swimmer, diver, Whitewater guide ,kayaker, skier , mountain biker and fly fisher woman. She was a talented watercolor painter and worked with clay and stained glass. Linda is exceptional !
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