I've never been a big fan of American exceptionalism.
That being said, it's a fact that the U.S. economy remains the largest and most resilient in the world. The U.S. military is awesome and light years ahead of any other (we spend way too much on the military IMO). U.S. culture is also pervasive--for example, over 90 percent of all box office receipts worldwide go to Hollywood. As for all the angst expressed about how the U.S. is "dying", I don't especially buy it. Our society is far stronger than it was just a few decades ago, when de facto segregation was still being practiced, when women were still treated as second class citizens, and gays were openly denigrated. If there is something wrong, it's that the polarization of wealth has dramatically increased due to the weakening of the labor movement.
People have been anticipating America's downfall for decades, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.
Right now, thanks to the idiot in the White House and his Republican lackies, U.S. prestige and influence is at a historic ebb. It probably will not remain so. What nation would take its place? Is the West ready for leadership from the dictators in China?
I doubt it.
Is the E.U. solid enough to propose and stick to a unitary foreign policy?
No.
I agree. There seems to be this "they don't build em like they used to", yearning for a "golden age" sentiment. I see this as a grass is greener issue.
You are right about the labor movement, it's downfall had serious ramifications for the U.S. IMO, it partially explains the state of mass media today (another real problem), due to the lack of present day labor newspapers. They played an important role in civil society.
Still, 100 years ago, things weren't much "better". The labor movement might be in a bad shape today, but look around. There are no strikebreakers busting heads these days. Government agencies like OSHA aren't as thorough as they should be in enforcing safety standards, but look back 100 years. We didn't even have an agency to protect workers right to a safe workplace. We might think children have it rough, and too many children live in poverty, but at least we're not forcing them to work 12 hour days in factories any more.
The point here is that we are making progress, and no matter how many people talk about how we're more barbaric than ancient Rome for aborting all those babies or how we're a fascist dictatorship now because of the patriot act, these things simply aren't true. Quality of life is very high in America and we enjoy as much freedom as pretty much anyone in history ever has. I'm not saying we shouldn't work to make this a better place, because we should. I'm just saying that the idea that America is dying is pure sensationalism.
