A rootless people are one asking to be conquered by nefarious forces.
Even those who reside in a polity that views it as “exceptional” would be wise to never forget their roots. The story of American conservatism over the last century has been one of embracing creedal nationalism, wherein conservative adherents believe America “is an idea” — a proposition nation of sorts that is “exceptional” among nations due to its commitment to free enterprise, the rule of law, and limited government.
The essence of this can be found in the section of the Declaration of Independence where it spells out “all men are created equal.” For the exponents of the American universalist project, the Union’s triumph over the Confederacy during the Civil War, the U.S.’s victories in the two world wars in the 20th century, and its social engineering projects spanning the New Deal to the Great Society are viewed as ventures to advance the country’s founding principle of equality.
Once the U.S. reached its unipolar moment in the 1990s, American punditry embraced an imperial smugness that would make ancient emperors blush. They viewed the rest of the world, especially the ethnostates of the globe (save Israel of course), as primitive backwaters driven by parochial nationalism and outdated cultural practices.
Such a chauvinistic outlook has permeated down to pundits across the political spectrum. Conservative social media influencer Mike Cernovich’s recent comments about European countries served as a reminder of how deeply ingrained the American exceptionalism fixation is among Americans. In a post on X published on November 24, 2024, Cernovich stated:
Europoor as a meme arose after centuries of unearned snobbery from Europeans. America has better geography, a higher standard of living, and yes better food. Not to mention the total lack of innovation in Europe. They are primitive people.
There’s a growing trend of American political pundits who think they’re slick for attacking Europeans because of their perceived lower standard of living vis-a-vis the U.S. Richard Hanania, a political scientist of “enlightened centrist” orientation, routinely boasts about the U.S.’s economic superiority compared to the Old Continent. In one post on X, Hanania observed, “People in the UK and France are about as wealthy as the United States was in 1990. “
Hellbound and Down 