Exceptional Exceptionalism
American “exceptionalism” is a topic that has gotten a fair amount of ink over the past few years. We Americans often do believe that we are somehow special; blessed by God in ways that no other country ever was. The fact that we are the “last super power” might be seen by some as evidence of that. Those who take a longer view might see the United States as the latest empire to have emerged from the currents of history.
“I am a citizen of Rome” once was the magic incantation that unlocked doors and thwarted potential foes. “I am an American” for a brief time in the world acted with similar magic. The incantation in this case was short-lived, however.
Perceptions, though, often lag behind the facts. We often do still feel “special”. Tragedies that befall us are, well, more tragic. Three thousand lives lost here are somehow different than the one hundred thousand lives lost there. The lives lost here mattered more appears to be the unspoken sub-text. Not uttered because were it to be, then the offensiveness of such an assertion would be unavoidable.
And then there are the very special among the merely special. They are beyond elite such that their status is also unuttered, lest it be then acknowledged to be so. Many of these beyond elites are wealthy, but not all. What they do share is the ownership of power, and the ability to exempt themselves from much that is onerous in everyday life.
Full disclosure here before I offer an example - I am on the progressive side of the liberal spectrum. And while I see much of this exceptional exceptionalism operating within the current conservative enclaves across the country, it is by no means exclusive of them.
I first began thinking about this exceptional squared phenomenon a number of years ago while walking through Chinatown in San Francisco. The light turned green. I was about to cross California Street when a motorcycle policeman with lights flashing pulled up to stop all cross traffic. I asked him what the emergency was. He said that Senator Ted Kennedy’s limousine was headed up to the top of Nob Hill. I asked the officer why the senator’s car couldn’t stop at the light like everyone else. He did not respond.
While I like the senator’s position on a number of issues, he does not represent me in Congress. He has no standing in the state of California, and ought to wait at a light from time to time like the rest of us. The thought occurred to me that, if more people in power actually had to wait in traffic, instead of tying up traffic with their motorcades, then perhaps there would be substantial improvement in public transportation. Just a thought.
Examples of this kind of special treatment are too numerous to delineate. Who does not have some story about being inconvenienced because some powerful figure needs some “VIP treatment”? I am not talking about legitimate security concerns. Obviously, there are times when it is necessary to inconvenience the many to secure the few. There are other times, however, when there is no legitimate concern. These times are just another entitlement program.
So, this takes us to some more current matters, specifically these latest absurd restrictions on carry-on items for air travel. Is there anyone who actually believes that such restrictions like not bringing deodorant or toothpaste into the aircraft cabin would have been introduced, if they were also applied to those making the rules. Imagine Air Force One devoid of hair gel and mouthwash. Or the wealthy who lease “flex jets” on occasion having to toss their perfume in a plastic container before they board. And why not? Such restrictions would have the same impact on safety as they do on commercial flights. Besides couldn’t they have terrorists on board? Couldn’t terrorists carry lethal liquids on leased planes and enhance an explosion as they fly them into commercial airliners? We cannot be too careful. We cannot be too vigilant.
Actually, we can. When it actually inconveniences the truly exceptional, that is.