Is America Exceptional?

The US of A. Taste the awesome.

Kick-ass military. ‘Cuz freedom.

Tons of cash. Yeah, we don’t even know what to do with all of it.

Killer bears — why not? We always take it to 11.

And huge trucks? Hell yeah, there’s huge trucks!

[Slows down, VO returns to normal]

OK, we can go a little over the top sometimes. No one ever accused us of being understated.

But here’s the thing: There’s more than a little truth to the idea that America is different than the rest of the world.

In a lot of ways that should make us proud…

…and a few that probably shouldn’t.

[OPENING SEQUENCE]

Say what you will about the United States, but one area where we’re definitely number one … is self-esteem. A 2016 poll found that over 40 percent of Americans think they live in the best country in the world, the highest rate of any nation.ⁱ

(Also, side note: maybe someone should check on the French?)

You’ve probably heard this kind of national pride described as “American Exceptionalism.”

Except, one hitch: That’s not what that phrase means. At least, not necessarily.

When social scientists talk about “American Exceptionalism” what they mean isn’t that America is better or worse than any other country, it’s that we’re … different. Like really, oddly different.

Perhaps the single clearest example of this comes from a decades-long survey of world cultures that found that the U.S. is the most individualistic country on the planet.ⁱⁱ And that tracks with polls showing Americans are among the most likely people to say that “hard work” is the key to getting ahead in life or that people are in control of their own fates.ⁱⁱⁱ

Now, why does this matter? Because it shapes our culture … and our public policy. We don’t just think differently than the rest of the world, we act differently. And there’s a clear pattern at work: When Americans are given a choice, they tend to opt for more freedom than other countries. And there’s a good chance that that’s just as responsible for the things you like best about America as for the things you like least.

Start with our economy. Take a look at the OECD — the group of industrialized nations most similar to the U.S. — and you’ll immediately see that … we’re kind of a freakshow.

Americans make more money than any of those other countries^iv … and we also work longer hours than most of them.^v That might also be part of the reason we’ve got nearly 60% of the world’s largest companies^vi , own the biggest homes^vii, and have the highest disposable incomes.^viii

And, of course, that comes with tradeoffs. We’re also the only OECD country that doesn’t require paid leave for workers.^ix And the one where it’s the easiest to fire employees.^x

We’re an outlier on taxes too, with only about half as much going to the government as a country like Denmark^xi — but then we also spend significantly less on social welfare programs.^xii

Which doesn’t mean we’re indifferent to people who’ve fallen on hard times. Because another way we’re exceptional is that the U.S. leads the world in charitable giving, with the highest contributions of time and money to those in need.^xiii

In fact, while a country like France dedicates nearly double as much of its national wealth to social spending as the U.S. … Americans give more than double as much of their wealth to charity as the French do.^xiv

Now, lest our heads get too big, it’s worth knowing that we’re also exceptional on some fronts where … you don’t want to be. The U.S. has a higher percentage of its population in prison than any country in the world.^xv But that’s at least in part because we also have a murder rate seven times higher than other wealthy nations.^xvi

And while it’s tempting to blame that on guns — which, by the way, we own way, way more of than any other country in the world^xvii — that’s not the full story. Because when it comes to murders that don’t involve a gun, the rates in the U.S. are still more than double those in other industrialized nations.^xviii We’re just a uniquely violent country. I mean, c’mon, you don’t get Quentin Tarantino from Sweden.

Although if you did … we’d have snatched him up by now. Because another way we’re unique is that America is home to more immigrants than any country in the world: over 50 million.^xix And our long history of welcoming newcomers has led to some eye-popping statistics…

…like the fact that there are about 80% as many Norwegian-Americans as there are people living in Norway^xx; more than 80% as many Jews as there are in Israel^xxi; and six times as many Irish-Americans as there are citizens of Ireland.^xxii That’s right: For all intents and purposes, Boston is a colony.

Check the data and time and again, you’ll find that America is a distinctive and unusual country.

We’re simultaneously the only nation in the industrialized world without universal healthcare^xxiii and the world’s leader in new drugs and medical devices.^xxiv

We simultaneously have the world’s oldest constitution and some of its lowest voting rates.^xxv

We simultaneously have more Nobel Prizes than the next five countries combined^xxvi and more … animal-themed dating shows.

Bottom line: we’re a little weird. The good kind of weird, but weird nonetheless. And whether we want to boast about what’s best about our country or complain about what’s worst, we should keep in mind that … they’re probably two sides of the same coin. And whether or not we’re #1, we can all at least agree that we’re kinda special…

…except for this guy. This guy we can assure you is not special.