The Exceptionalist Cult In America

America is the largest exceptionalist cult in the world. In essence, this means that being different is perfectly okay, assuming that one is an American-born, heterosexual, white, Christian, American citizen (preferably male). Prejudice against people of other nationalities, religions, races, and sexualities has been slowly destroying the foundations of our nation since people first arrived here from Asia over 12,000 years ago. For centuries, Native American tribes waged war on one another, raping, pillaging, and plundering. This trend would continue as European settlers came. From there, cruelty and prejudice extended not only to non-white races (Native Americans, slaves, etc.), but also other nationalities of the white race. During the late …show more content…
Sexism is another facet of Americans’ endearing personalities. Sexism runs rampant through small towns, big cities, farms, apartment complexes, and anywhere else an American can call home. Because of the Cult of Domesticity, the 19th century belief that women only belong as homemakers, it was easy to blame sexist customs on tradition. Women were traditionally kept at home until they married, unless they found work in a city factory, where they were paid far less than their male counterparts. In Muller v. Oregon, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that women should be required to work less hours and be paid less per hour because they were physically inferior to men by default. By doing this, the Supreme Court made discrimination based on sex a national law. Even today, with new legislation that has tried to correct unequal pay and other forms of discrimination, women are still held at a lower rank to …show more content…
Prime examples of this are the robber barons of the early industrial revolution. Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan, and Rockwell are the most well known of these. Strong supporters of Taylorism, the study of how to make human resources more efficient, all four of these men lowered wages and lengthened the work day simply to increase personal profit without regard for their workers’ well being. This same greed is found in companies across the nation today. Self-indulgence can also be found among the current presidential candidates, few of whom seem to have any semblance of compassion for the ‘little guy’. All they seem to care for are the PACs that donate to their campaign. This is largely okay with many citizens because in today’s America, people are increasingly concerned with the idea that success has to be monetary, and receiving any kind of financial help from others is ‘cheating’ to get there. Americans have this fantasy about rugged individualism, where every man is for himself, and by doing well for himself, by himself, he will

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