We had a thread about American exceptionalism earlier. Here is an article from The Atlantic today that put it in perspective on the Covid-19 pandemic:
All I can say is that you must be a pretty staunch believer in American Exceptionalism to keep bringing it up.
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He must dwell on it constantly. Has to be terrible. I hardly think about the things that makes us exceptional & then there’s old ombugge always pondering it & trying to convince people otherwise. It’s a hard knock life for some I guess?
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ombugge, most objective citizens of the USA know that the USA is no more exceptional than many other countries . With the exception of the grotesque amount of money spent on the military the USA is about average. Once you take “services” out of the GDP the USA becomes a little less than average on the whole.
Can’t you find another country to pay attention to? The UK and Russia could use some of your love about now.
Bugger off, we’re fine; go succour someone else. 
Somebody is pretty touchy on the subject. All I did was post a link to an American political magazine that printed an opinion about the subject.
Maybe you should write a “Letter to the Editor” of The Atlantic to tell him that they should not take up such anti-American subjects??
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Yes a lot of taxpayers money, but does it obtain the desired effect??:
Trolling with six lines, but only one biting?
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nice catch
I don’t blame you ombugge. After reading the below article I must admit that if I were Norwegian I’d probably be thinking of the US, Singapore or China all the time too.
Don’t believe everything you read in the tabloid press (or see on TV)
Norwegian is as happy as pigs in mud, even if it is snowing in May Which it has done here the last few days:
Tomorrow is Norway’s National Day, which will be different from normal since social distancing is still in place.
None of the normal “parade” of happy children to greet the King and his family at the balcony of the castle in Oslo:
Here in Aalesund the parade of children will be replace by a parade of boats in the harbour and another one of cars in the streets. (Keeping appropriate social distance of course)
As to this; I do think about Singapore quite a lot, but US and China, not so much. The stupid rivalry between the two is manly based on ignorance and lack of mutual understanding and that annoy me.
(Beside, it is VERY dangerous)
PS> Preparations for 17.May is already under way:
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Sounds like fun & I wish you & your countrymen a festive celebration. Have a good time & don’t eat too many of those Norwegian delicacies that your nation is known for.
That article was spot on from my experiences with Norwegians & visiting Norway. At least the part about you guys being different animals once you get a few drinks in you. I used to visit a bar that was also frequented by crews of Norwegian mariners. At the start of the night the group was always as stuck up, boring & serious as the Norwegian techs that I ran across. About 1-1/2 hours later after a few rounds they would all turn into humans & were a fun bunch of guys to be around. A few years later I found myself in a karaoke bar in Brevrik, Norway. At the start of the night the place felt like a funeral home with all the long faces & quiet whispering at the tables. Fast forward a couple of hours & everyone of them were shouting & singing their heads off. I’ve always thought of Norwegians as being misers but for some reason those generous karaoke bar goers would play the fireball song about every hour & someone different would buy us a round of Fireball cinnamon schnapps. Fun times. My opinion, Norwegians should stay drunk all the time.
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Nice chuckle. At heart, most of the world accepts each other, or want to. But not initially. A lot of the time I was “visiting’” a new place, started off with something like you describe, but ended up well, have the scars to prove it.
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You’re right SeaEagle. One things I always tell my kids is, “God made us all different & the extraterrestrials made the Scandinavians but that doesn’t mean we all can’t get along.”
Please don’t tell me you told them about the extraterrerstrials. I was keeping that on the down low. But my kids are much smarter than I.
Everybody has its own mind, everybody try to solve as he can. No doubt best method like Singapore, Vietnam but USA not them.Everybody attacking Trump, for what? Actually nothing! The question is how to reduce the virus from coming from inside the country!
I believe in American exceptionalism and think those who don’t must be so blinded by their own prejudices that they can’t see the facts right in front of them. The United States’ military might and economic prowess remain unrivaled. America’s cultural influence and soft power remain enormous, even with the most inward-looking president in over a century sitting in the White House. It should also surprise no one that a country born in the Age of Enlightenment would thrive so mightily in science, medicine and technology.
Why withdraw such a great post?
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(Shrug) thread would just take the usual turn. Everyone knows what the problem is. American exceptionalism or not we have met the enemy and he is us.
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