We're Number One

So Let's Teach 'em a Lesson

National self-esteem contributes to militarism

by Doug Collins

Stumbling roughly into an unfamiliar foreign land, with the stated aim of teaching a better way of life, is in the last couple decades an almost uniquely American practice. Forget for a moment about ulterior motives such as oil or trade, which could be partly subconscious on the part of an American President. The willingness of American leaders to engage in crusading invasions to teach another country "the meaning of democracy" requires an exaggerated overconfidence in our own culture.

Are Americans, after all, in any position to teach the world about democracy? I can quickly name a few reasons that make this pretty doubtful: 1) the events in Florida during the last Presidential election 2) the fact that we have the lowest voter participation of any major democracy, 3) our outdated winner-take-all electoral system, which results in two main parties that can hardly pretend to represent most people, and 4) our campaign finance system, which is simply legalized bribery of politicians.

When we take an informed, realistic look at our country, our political system is hardly a good model for other countries. So for our President to present our political system as a great model requires excessive and unrealistic self-esteem on the part both the President and the general population, self-esteem that relieves us of the duty of reflection, and grants us free reign in the world.

This excessive self-esteem is not limited to our notions of government. It's clear that we Americans have long tended to have overblown estimates of ourselves in many ways, both nationally and individually. For example, one poll found that 90 percent of Americans rated themselves individually as "better-than-average drivers" (Psychological Review , Jan 1996, Baumeister, Smart, and Boden). Logically, of course, only 50 percent of us can actually be better than average, so a large number of us have unrealistic ideas about such mundane things as our driving.

As we grow up with American education and media, we absorb overblown images of our country. and many Americans assume that our country is "number one" in almost everything. This illusion is created, for example, by our Olympic news coverage. American networks tend to cover mostly only the events in which American gold medals are probable, instead of covering a variety of interesting international sports that other countries may excel in. Or take American mainstream media headlines about international airplane crashes, headlines which sometimes report "Four Americans Dead," as though the other 219 victims are incidental. Or consider the pledge of allegiance that many schoolchildren recite, which for years has claimed that our nation is "under God", as though our country has some sort of special status with the supreme being.

The Psychological Review article cited above concludes that high levels of self esteem in individuals are not associated with peaceful, balanced behavior, but rather with violence and aggression. I speculate that this is also the case on a national level.

This same unconscious national arrogance that has led us into Iraq led us earlier into the morass of the Vietnam War. Sure it's true that Vietnamese, Panamanians and Chileans--and the people of a dozen other countries that have experienced US intervention and invasions--desire a better life and a democratic political system. But the results of US intervention have been usually more deadly than favorable. I doubt that Iraq will be any different. Predictions that Iraqis will be dancing with glee upon their American "liberation" have been repeatedly delayed. Also delayed has been our realization that our own political system is seriously flawed, and that it is scarcely a model for other countries. If we were a good model for others, we would not, after all, be forcing other countries to adopt our ways.

Wars occur when there is a convergence of economic interest and idealistic excuses. When Americans recognize as hogwash the idealistic excuse that "Americans can teach a better way of life to Iraqis and other nations," then there will be no more justification for war.

To start changing to a more peaceful world society, we need to start realistically doubting ourselves. doubting that we have the best answers, both individually and nationally. At first, many Americans may reject this idea because it doesn't seem strong, tough, and dominant. But it might add a good deal of neighborly perspective not only in our personal relationships, but also in our international dealings. That would be a much greater strength in the long run.

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