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Being Exceptional

Another day, another theory - this one posits that the lack of universal healthcare in the US is responsible for how badly we have been impacted. A counter-argument for that is not too hard to come by. 

The lack of a national, publicly-funded universal health system is a critical deficiency. But our persistent inability to set one up is itself the result of other dysfunctional aspects of American society, including the corruption of our political system by powerful commercial and class interests and the American "exceptionalism" that blinds us to what we can learn from other countries. 

Healthcare in America is completely broken - there is no doubt about that. But corruption of the political system is hardly unique to us and neither are commercial and class interests. We have been slow to learn from others because sometimes the framework goes against the grain. 

However, time has indeed come to think of "exceptionalism" differently. There are three parts to this concept - that the history of the United States is inherently different from those of other nations, that we have a unique mission to transform the world and that our history and mission give us superiority over other nations. 

The first of the three is a constant as the facts of how America came to be cannot be altered. What is problematic is the second part about transforming the world - it seems to make us incapable of transforming ourselves constantly to be able to claim such a role.

And given our lack on introspection and inner growth there is no merit to the third part. It would be great if we could revisit why this country came to exist in the first place and in that context ask ourselves what we should no now or next to remain true to our raison d'etre. The way we are handling the crisis today begs a reset in every way possible.

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