Reply #42: The only thing I can think of is that we have lots of physical space ...

[Kickin_Donkey]

you can really spread your arms, unlike in Europe or India or China, etc. You can just drive on and on (provided you have money for gas). But then again they have lots of space -- more, on a per capita basis -- in Australia, Canada, Argentina, maybe New Zealand.

Some of -- but not all -- the American exceptionalism came after World War II, when America was thought to be an unscathed victor over the world, while Europe and Japan lay in ruins and most of the rest world were colonies or impoverished countries (as in South America).

But one has to make the comparison today. Today, America is just another country. It's been surpassed by pretty much the rest of the developed world in terms of wealth, security, health and quality of life. Western Europeans, Japanese, Australians, Canadians live well these days.

Then there's the BS about Americans being the freest country. Again, your average Western European, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, New Zealander has as much political freedom as any American as far as I see, maybe more. Not only that, because those countries have socialized/government-supported health care, they have a certain freedom in life that Americans don't have.

Finally, there's the crime. America is ridden with crime and violence, which can explode anywhere around corner. We all know that. In fact, Americans don't know what life is like without the threat of crime and violence. But in Japan, for example, a woman can walk down any street in any city at any time of the night -- and feel safe. I know, I lived there. To live in a country with very little crime is liberating. Not having to get hit over the head by a mugger or a yahoo -- that's real freedom.

Frankly, I can't see any advantages that being an American has over being, say, an Australian.