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Some media pundits seem to think 'The American Project' a smart phrase to throw round. No matter how noble a cause the person means by it, it smacks of self-righteousness, this-is-my-agenda-that-should-be-your-agenda-too, and naïveté of how complex and perilous history always is.
What do you think?
I've never heard it (The American Project) either, so a usage example would help.
Now I have heard "The American Experiment" in reference to the country as a whole, with its unique combination of politics, economics, and demographics. For example: Few countries can lay claim to the overall success attained by The American Experiment in just 200 years.
But that can't be what you heard, since there's nothing "self-righteous" about the truth.
Experiment, experience, dream, saga, gigolo, psycho, idol, greed, way...are all lovely and non-controversial concepts. This one is more like the inverted twin of 'Manifest Destiny,' very big, with which I am afraid to spark controversies beyond my interests with language (in this case how common innocuous words can rouse). So it's just as well you didn't hear it, though I suspect you will anyway.
It's amazing how people think anything American is the greatest ever, with no evidence whatsoever.
Sorta like people who proclaim marriage has always meant one man and one woman. Tell the Mormons. Tell Sammy Davis, Junior. The common law allowed 8-year-olds to marry.
Senator Simple J. Malarky could convince voters of anything, simply by talking loudly, and repeating himself.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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