An Example of American Exceptionalism
There’s a very interesting post on ArtsAndAmmo making a point on American Exceptionalism.
What does America have that Asia doesn’t have? The answer is, Sarah Palin - not Sarah Palin the vice presidential candidate, but Sarah Palin the “hockey mom” turned small-town mayor and reforming Alaska governor. All the PhDs and MBAs in the world can’t make a capital market work, but ordinary people like Sarah Palin can. Laws depend on the will of the people to enforce them. It is the initiative of ordinary people that makes America’s political system the world’s most reliable.
Then,
And the Palin archetype – the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – is precisely what the Europeans and Asians lack. They have no context for Sarah Palin, no positive examples of ordinary people seizing the reins of government.
Too true. This boils down the difference between the American and European world views very nicely. When Americans see a problem, they fix it. When Europeans see a problem, they talk about it, hope for the government to fix it then stand by as the government elites line their pockets and those of their cronies while the problem continues to fester.