Amazing. I agree with everything in your long post.
<I think that the United States has made considerable progress since its founding, and that it has largely been a force for good in the world.>
I, too, think we began with good principles that were only partly put into practice, and have since made huge strides in deepening and broadening the principle of "consent of the governed."
I, too, think the U.S. has largely been a force for good in the world. With the world's large and/or wealthy nations, we mostly act with respect, and establish mutually beneficial relations. And the example of the U.S., has steadily led more and more nations to adopt market economies and liberal democracy. It is mainly in the world's poor and small nations, and mainly since 1898, that the U.S. has acted at variance to our founding principles.
<I do not think that we do good in the world by wringing our hands over the sins of our ancestors>
Hand-wringing = guilt that leads to no change in bad habits. I agree, hand-wringing is useless. The point of being honest about the past, is to improve the future. Guilt is pointless.
For instance, the Japanese, on a regular basis, piss off the Chinese and Koreans, because they are unable to admit they did anything wrong, in their conduct in those two nations, pre-1945. Until the Japanese confess their crimes, the neighbors will worry about them being repeated. |
