(NNPA)—We in these United States love to bask in the glory of our “exceptionalism.” We are great; we are wonderful; we dominate the world. Scholars who study “us” say that our exceptionalism is rooted in the fact that we have offered leadership in international affairs. We have committed more resources than other countries to the United Nations, to NATO, and to other organizations committed to international peace. But we do this with a sense of paternal largesse, as if we are the greatest, the most wonderful, the benefactor.
But we have allowed our electoral system to be thrown into chaos, because Vladimir Putin has a grudge against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and he used his minions to actualize his grudge. He’s had a bromance with Donald Trump, who asked that Russia hack Hillary’s emails, and obeying Trump’s bidding, the Russians did. This whole electoral drama is a nightmare. Hillary Clinton got nearly three million more votes than Trump, but he has an Electoral College victory. Maybe. Is this American exceptionalism? A hacked democracy vulnerable to the intrusion of foreign powers?
If the Russians are hacking now, imagine what they will do in the future. A recent study from the National Center for Educational Statistics shows that 15-year-olds in the United States lag behind others in an international context. We talk as if we are number one or number two in achievement, but the fact is that we are number 14 or 15 by many measures. We aren’t exceptional—we’re just average, ranking below a dozen countries, hitting the median mark.
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