Americanism
Americanism before the union had been filled with the covenant idea of the Puritans. It was the Calvinistic priveledge to be thought of as God's chosen people and the New World pilgrims brought it to the New World. This led a straight line of self interest logic to the notion of Manifest Destiny. The Zion of the early immigrant and the Calvinistic conception of life of his puritanical mentality developed in Americans a conviction that they were living in the land of the elect "God's own country." A beast was rising out of the sea as a secular version of the Kingdom was established. The United States Constitution was written so as seperate church and state to guard against the excesses.
Americanism is content and happy, isolated, outside and above history, a product of an American society of marketeers, entrepeneurs, innovators and consumers where only money talked. Americanism represents the delusive belief in the ideals of a republican democracy, equal opportunity and free enterprise among people who haven't the remotest possibility of profiting from them.
The U.S. way of life has become a religious and economic Babylon which must be accepted by all to be working. The materialistic self-interest of a carnal church is forced to make the American ethos a condition for membership, demanding middle class behavior to the exclusion of others. Worship of America is mandatory, grounded on some divine power that guarantees American success. Manifest Destiny became success and failure in terms of increases in power, capital gain, economic interests over the environment and the accumulation of property by the mighty over the weak. American religion became God and the free enterprise system.
To many older Americans, McCarthyism was Americanism. McCarthy thought of Americanism with its sleeves rolled but it was all delusion. A political system with unending fragmentation, decentralization, and confusion. The American dream became a nightmare to the suffering and exploited masses.
David Wilkerson - Americans believe this is God's favorite nation and immune from judgment.
Patriotism and old culture words like "motherhood, honor, family, flag" is embarrassing to intellectuals who understand where the injustice is in the world. Maybe you see what I do, republican flag wavers and now even the Democrats, with their delusion of grandeur and their foolish belief that Americans are a distinct race, chosen by God to spread the gospel of prosperity and gifted with superior wisdom and strength. I hope that you are above that.
It is upon the spirit of pride that Americanism begins and it is pride that will bring America down. Americanism as pride is America, right or wrong, a pride in the affirmation of a messianic force destined to make America great. This force forged a new society with popular rights, self determination, the open market, new visions and dreams of progress. Americanism offered liberation from the past and a tremendous hope for the future.
Ugly American - A mysterious change seems to come over Americans abroad, they isolate themselves, live pretentiously, loud and ostentatious.
Emerson - Hates shallow Americanism, getting rich by credit.
[54, 75, 98, 103, 153, 154, 166, 175, 176, 182, 185, 198, 232, 258, 265, 277, 75, 172]
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