Why Is The USA Exceptional Among First World Countries?

[adhay]

Compared with Europe and the rest of the world’s arms exporters, the USA is exceptional.

Unburdened of all that socialist bullshit that our allies abroad have to fund, healthcare, etc, we rock. Our 5% of the world’s population consumes 35% of the world’s resources and we have the SUVs to prove it. Envy of the world.

So. What is the American Way all about? What is the secret of our success?

Location, location, location. That’s my arguing point. Stay with it.

Once British Capital had colonized North America and their colonies had become sufficiently self-sufficient to consider revolution, the communication and transport travel time across the pond proved too much to prevent it.(bolding mine)

What were we left with? A huge virgin continent ripe for the picking. Five gold rushes at least.

Who’s left in charge?

Thirteen legally charted oligarchies owning vast lands and holding much of the populace as docile producers of wealth for their own use.

Of course, they realize that none is prepared to take on the world alone and that they must develop some cooperation among themselves. In the end they decided that only way to hold on to what they had was to centralize their military to deal with slave uprisings, tax resistors, Indians and possible foreign intrusions.

There were two major factions, Northern Capital and Southern Capital.

NC was banking, shipping and manufacturing. SC was slave-based agriculture.

NC profited transporting slaves to SC. SC prospered supplying cotton to NC’s slave wage industrial mills. Win/win.

But, how to preserve this amicable relationship with a “national” military? The Constitution of the USA was their feeble answer and by 1865, Calvinist Industry had proven itself superior to Foppish Horseman.

OK, so far?

[DeptfordX]

I for one welcome our new American overlords.

[adhay]

@DeptfordX

I for one welcome our new American overlords.

You have no choice. Just sayin’.

[Candyman74]

Size (3000 miles across), population (5 times a European country, combined with the size which also makes it very sparsely populated in comparison to a crowded European country), location (masive oceans on either side, and lots of natural resources), and convenient geographic distance from the two world wars, I’d guess. All of those factors are hugely beneficial individually, and all four together are marvellous. Together they create a non-bombed environement with vast resources and little competition for them, making those resources plentiful and cheap.

[qpw3141]

@adhay

Compared with Europe and the rest of the world’s arms exporters, the USA is exceptional.

Unburdened of all that socialist bullshit that our allies abroad have to fund, healthcare, etc, we rock. Our 5% of the world’s population consumes 35% of the world’s resources and we have the SUVs to prove it. Envy of the world.

So. What is the American Way all about? What is the secret of our success?

Location, location, location. That’s my arguing point. Stay with it.

Once British Capital had colonized North America and their colonies had become sufficiently self-sufficient to consider revolution, the communication and transport travel time across the pond proved too much to prevent it.(bolding mine)

What were we left with? A huge virgin continent ripe for the picking. Five gold rushes at least.

Who’s left in charge?

Thirteen legally charted oligarchies owning vast lands and holding much of the populace as docile producers of wealth for their own use.

Of course, they realize that none is prepared to take on the world alone and that they must develop some cooperation among themselves. In the end they decided that only way to hold on to what they had was to centralize their military to deal with slave uprisings, tax resistors, Indians and possible foreign intrusions.

There were two major factions, Northern Capital and Southern Capital.

NC was banking, shipping and manufacturing. SC was slave-based agriculture.

NC profited transporting slaves to SC. SC prospered supplying cotton to NC’s slave wage industrial mills. Win/win.

But, how to preserve this amicable relationship with a “national” military? The Constitution of the USA was their feeble answer and by 1865, Calvinist Industry had proven itself superior to Foppish Horseman.

OK, so far?

That depends.

You got rid of a British king some considerable time ago.

That made America a land of equal opportunity for all, right?

(Well, apart from anyone who had the misfortune to be black, of course).

So, maybe you’d like to do a quick piece of research.

What percentage of the population control 99% of the wealth?

How about 95%?

How about 90% ?

I suspect that you’ll find that, for the vast majority of Americans, you’ve simply replaced a British king with a few super rich Americans who wallow in their inherited wealth.

Of course, you probably find that a lot more palatable.

[foolsguinea]

I was going to say the USA today is exceptional among First World countries for not actually having a First World economy. First World countries are social-democratic. Social democracy in the USA reached an apex mid-20th-century & has since slowly given way to utopian libertarianism.

[adhay]

@qpw3141

I suspect that you’ll find that, for the vast majority of Americans, you’ve simply replaced a British king with a few super rich Americans who wallow in their inherited wealth.

That’s true for most everyone here but, I will say in theirs and my mutual defense that we were the first to be raised in a technological forest of distraction. We’ve had it all our way since our wimpy cousins turned us loose.

Of course, you probably find that a lot more palatable.

Sweetener? For me, personally? Cut me in. I am sooo Anglophile.

[Richard_Parker]

Thirteen legally charted oligarchies owning vast lands and holding much of the populace as docile producers of wealth for their own use. Of course, they realize that none is prepared to take on the world alone and that they must develop some cooperation among themselves. In the end they decided that only way to hold on to what they had was to centralize their military to deal with slave uprisings, tax resistors, Indians and possible foreign intrusions.

It is true that one of, and perhaps the main impetus for forming the United States 1789 version was the recognition of a need for mutual defense. New York would have been a fine little country without South Carolina, but much less stable and harder to defend. There is evidence for that historical theory from the writings of the time, throughout the notes of the constitutional convention, and in the document itself. And it is also true that the United States geography is a chief reason for her role in the world.

But your theory that the creation of the United States was a way for wealthy landowners to consolidate their control is much harder to reconcile with the historical evidence. For one, they put the thing to the most democratic popular vote the world had ever known. In many ratifying states, women were allowed to vote, as well as non-property-holders including freemen. Why do that, if it is just a power grab? For another, very little in the Constitution protects their interests as apart from the general welfare. They didn’t protect slavery explicitly in the Constitution precisely because they were already divided over the issue. They set no property requirements for federal office, or as a federal requirement for voting. If they were trying to solidify their oligarchic positions, they did a terrible job of it.

Which really gets to the fatal flaw of your theory: that it is simply anachronistic. You basically assert a Marxist theory of the founding when capitalism was not yet born. The disparity in wealth between the richest and median American at the time was several factors smaller than even Marx’s day. There was no unified oligarchic class “owning vast lands” with monolithic interests. There were a bunch of disparate interests based on varying geographies, economic interests, and ideas about government, that resulted in the compromise document we know today.

[adhay]

@foolsguinea

I was going to say the USA today is exceptional among First World countries for not actually having a First World economy. First World countries are social-democratic. Social democracy in the USA reached an apex mid-20th-century & has since slowly given way to utopian libertarianism.

Quite so.

After the War In Which We Saved Democracy , N*s and Women (along with Marshall Plan Europe) were target markets. Keep 'em hungry often but let 'em catch the whiff of meeting on a level playing field. Franchises and Presidents for all. Hoooray!

Call me cynical. I answer to truth.

I could go on.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@adhay

@foolsguinea

I was going to say the USA today is exceptional among First World countries for not actually having a First World economy. First World countries are social-democratic. Social democracy in the USA reached an apex mid-20th-century & has since slowly given way to utopian libertarianism.

Quite so.

After the War In Which We Saved Democracy , N*s and Women (along with Marshall Plan Europe) were target markets. Keep 'em hungry often but let 'em catch the whiff of meeting on a level playing field. Franchises and Presidents for all. Hoooray!

Call me cynical. I answer to truth.

Cynicism is almost as true as truth, and a lot easier to know.

America has prevailed because we know we must violate our own ideals to preserve them, and we’re comfortable with that.

[Der_Trihs]

@adhay

Unburdened of all that socialist bullshit that our allies abroad have to fund, healthcare, etc, we rock. Our 5% of the world’s population consumes 35% of the world’s resources and we have the SUVs to prove it. Envy of the world.

What makes you think that we ARE the “envy of the world”? The whole reason other countries have that “socialist bullshit” is because people want it, you know. I think I’ve heard more people express horror than admiration about how life in America is like - people actually go bankrupt over healthcare here, after all.

[Richard_Parker]

Der Whoosh

[adhay]

@Der_Trihs

@adhay

Unburdened of all that socialist bullshit that our allies abroad have to fund, healthcare, etc, we rock. Our 5% of the world’s population consumes 35% of the world’s resources and we have the SUVs to prove it. Envy of the world.

What makes you think that we ARE the “envy of the world”? The whole reason other countries have that “socialist bullshit” is because people want it, you know. I think I’ve heard more people express horror than admiration about how life in America is like - people actually go bankrupt over healthcare here, after all.

Get a job. I don’t recommend PR. (smiley for the metaphorically challenged)

[DanBlather]

Let’s see, if I lived in Europe I’d have six weeks of vacation, not have to worry about losing my healthcare if I lose my job, have better food, and think the Tea Party is funny rather than scary.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@DanBlather

Let’s see, if I lived in Europe I’d have six weeks of vacation, not have to worry about losing my healthcare if I lose my job, have better food, and think the Tea Party is funny rather than scary.

Get a better job. I don’t recommend, well, anything, considering you’re a commie rat who ought to be shot in the back. (smiley for the satire-challenged)

[Ryan_Liam]

@DanBlather

Let’s see, if I lived in Europe I’d have six weeks of vacation, not have to worry about losing my healthcare if I lose my job, have better food, and think the Tea Party is funny rather than scary.

6 weeks of vacation? 4 weeks more like.

[adhay]

@DanBlather

Let’s see, if I lived in Europe I’d have six weeks of vacation, not have to worry about losing my healthcare if I lose my job, have better food, and think the Tea Party is funny rather than scary.

Is that realy the best you can do? I call it un-American.

[Beware_of_Doug]

Gold-plated cynic that I am, I think I’ll try the OP’s question one more time:

The USA is exceptional among First World countries because we understand that our well-being as a nation, a political power, and an economy does not have jack shit to do with our well-being as a society. In fact, it often comes into direct conflict with our well-being as a society.

[New_Deal_Democrat]

@adhay

Compared with Europe and the rest of the world’s arms exporters, the USA is exceptional.

Unburdened of all that socialist bullshit that our allies abroad have to fund, healthcare, etc, we rock. Our 5% of the world’s population consumes 35% of the world’s resources and we have the SUVs to prove it. Envy of the world.

We are not the envy of Western Europe or the British Commonwealth. Nearly everyone who migrates here comes from the Third World.

The United States is a great country to be rich in. Otherwise, I cannot think of anything that is exceptionally desirable about this country. In many respects people in other first world countries live better than we do. They have less poverty, lower crime rates, and better health. Communist China out competes us economically while buying up our national debt.

In the nineteenth century and early twentieth century the United States took the lead in extending public education to everyone and in extending voting rights to populations that could not yet vote in Europe. Since the end of the Second World War we have lagged behind in public health care, guaranteed vacations, pensions, and so on.

[adhay]

@Beware_of_Doug

Gold-plated cynic that I am, I think I’ll try the OP’s question one more time:

The USA is exceptional among First World countries because we understand that our well-being as a nation, a political power, and an economy does not have jack shit to do with our well-being as a society. In fact, it often comes into direct conflict with our well-being as a society.

Thread Winner!

Now then, what to do about it?

After all, I’m a Native Amerikan born in Brooklyn, NY in 1941. I’ve surfed life the past 70 years on cheap oil, my good name and somewhat limited credit.

Doing the best that I can. Promise.