American Exceptionalism: A Double-edged Sword

"Americanvaluesarequitecomplex,"writesSeymourMartinLipset,"particularlybecauseofparadoxeswithinourculturethatpermitperniciousandbeneficialsocialphenomenatoarisesimultaneouslyfromthesamebasicbeliefs."Bornoutofrevolution,theUnitedStateshasalwaysconsidereditselfanexceptionalcountryofcitizensunifiedbyanallegiancetoacommonsetofideals,individualism,anti-statism,populism,andegalitarianism.Thisideology,ProfessorLipsetobserves,definesthelimitsofpoliticaldebateintheUnitedStatesandshapesoursociety.AmericanExceptionalismexplainswhysocialismhasnevertakenholdintheUnitedStates,whyAmericansareresistanttoabsolutequotasasawaytointegrateblacksandotherminorities,andwhyAmericanreligionandforeignpolicyhaveamoralistic,crusadingstreak.