tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232022.post3022293022950396148..comments2020-04-02T14:58:32.856-05:00Comments on Riding the Rubicon: The Psychology of American ExceptionalismMickey Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05723005046720830100noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232022.post-89107558088351464282015-02-12T17:42:09.036-06:002015-02-12T17:42:09.036-06:00Thanks for the props! I believe Americans are more...Thanks for the props! I believe Americans are more introspective than you think, but that could just be my pollyanna-ish side. <br /><br />I think sports are primarily an escape from reality, although it's no surprise that the violence on the field bears some resemblance to the violence of our foreign policy. The terror inflicted by our imperialism is sublimated in civic discourse and reappears as "smashmouth" sports. It's also the most popular way our culture legitimizes violence.Mickey Foleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05723005046720830100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232022.post-47900831901366580152015-02-12T11:30:48.164-06:002015-02-12T11:30:48.164-06:00Another great essay. I think that you give ordinar...Another great essay. I think that you give ordinary Americans far too much credit though. To the extent that they ever consider American Exceptionalism at all, I think they just accept it as a preordained fact and natural birthright. Might makes right, divine providence, and all that baloney. Generations of decidedly Americanized religious dogma will do that to you. <br /><br />All of which is further reinforced by the current sports - especially football - hysteria. The whole gladiators marching valiantly into combat meme, with, as you've noted, heroic vets back from the actual wars, standing idly by on display on the sidelines shtick is so over-the-top gratuitously patronizing that you'd think any three year old could see right through it. And yet, the American viewing public laps it all up like mother's milk. It's all just pretty damn amazing when you stop to think about it.<br /> NowhereManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12745173041874539711noreply@blogger.com