.png)
 |
| Robert Gassman Class of 2018 |
One of the twenty-first century’s harshest debates among political scientists is about the concept of American Exceptionalism. The American exceptional viewpoint sees America as a nation uniquely qualified to lead the world. Opponents of this concept view it as a Neo-European superiority complex writ large, while proponents see it as a merely a distinguishing academic conceptualization for this nation: America’s unique history, founding, and international success both economically and militarily, forces it to stand out from traditional understandings of state formation and behavior. In 2009 President Barack Obama was asked if he subscribed to the belief in American exceptionalism, and he responded,
“I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. I’m enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world. If you think about the site of this summit and what it means, I don’t think America should be embarrassed to see evidence of the sacrifices of our troops, the enormous amount of resources that were put into Europe postwar, and our leadership in crafting an Alliance that ultimately led to the unification of Europe. We should take great pride in that.”
At first, this response seemed a watered-down, politician’s answer to complex question. The President was speaking at an economic summit in Europe, so it would make sense to say something neutral, while still promoting American economic and military supremacy. Once I began to research this idea of other nations having similar “exceptional” notions, the results astounded me. Particularly I found interest in the notion of Chinese exceptionalism. Being one of the oldest and richest cultures, Chinese exceptionalism runs abound in their country. One of the most fundamental examples of this is found in the Chinese language. 中国 (pinyin: Zhongguo) is the Chinese character for their nation. It translates as “Middle Land” or “Middle Kingdom”, and found its origin around 3000 years ago during the Chou Empire. This idea of a Middle Kingdom came out of the Chinese notion that they were the center of civilization, surrounded by barbarian semi-pastoralists. This merely exemplifies how each culture distinguishes themselves as exceptional. Citizens of the United States refer to themselves as “American”, a term technically referring to all inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere. Americans (there I go, using it again) view themselves as the crown jewel of the Western Hemisphere, just as the Chinese view their civilization as the center of earth’s culture. My response to this debate and these exceptional philosophies is simple: let everyone be the exception. The state is man writ large, and just as an individual carries special qualities, so do nations. We should not be arguing if America is unique, but rather arguing how to work together in a world of over 200 exceptional and unique nations. There you have it, folks, the debate is settled.
Robert Gassman is a sophomore McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He studies political science and is the Debate Series champion for 2015.