"The racist component of U.S. exceptionalism features a denial of the actual constitution of the U.S. population. The current rant against 'immigrants' has a racist element to it in which there is, among the ideologues, a sense of being overwhelmed by those who are not 'real Americans.' The efforts to sustain the old patterns of racist domination fly in the face of democratic commitments. Indeed, much of the resistance to 'big government' and to trade unions is the passion of an old white citizenry to be sure that others do not have access to the common wealth that is among us.
"It hardly needs to be said that the religious component of this ideology of exceptionalism has to deny that Christian faith in any responsible form is a practice of neighborly hospitality, generosity, and inclusiveness. But the force of the ideology can skew even gospel claims to the contrary.
"This combination of military illusion, economic distortion, racist posturing, and skewed religion amounts to an effort to sustain a practice of denial. The purpose of the denial, I suggest, is to maintain old privilege and entitlement and to fend off the reality of the world. The practical consequence is that we have a society that in truth is not working for a large number of people. The 'not working' is indicated by all kinds of social indices about health, education, jobs, and housing. The 'not working' is helped along by the tacit appeal to violence as a way to order society, all the way from an exploitative prison system, to 'Stand Your Ground' laws, to agribusiness that diminished the land for the sake of profit, to the unrestrained gun lobby, to acceptance of torture as a viable government procedure. The sum of these practices is unbearable to the body politic. But they are made 'acceptable' through appeals to the ideology of exceptionalism that gives warrant for the distortion of social reality.
"The practice of such ideology depends, moreover, on the cunning use of euphemisms, so that things are not called by their right names (see Isaiah 5:20). Every violent regime, including ours, has to resort to euphemisms to cover over the reality of practice. The Reverend Billy can say of our practice of distorted language:
" 'We can't believe that bomb is called security.
We can't believe that monopoly is called democracy.
We can't believe that gasoline prices are called foreign policy . . .
We can't believe that racism is called crime fighting!
We can't believe that sweatshops are called efficiency!
We can't believe that a mall is called the neighborhood! . . .
We can't believe that advertising is called free speech!
We can't believe that love is called for sale!
We can't believe that you think there are two political parties!
We can't believe that you repeat the word "democracy" like it's liturgical chant from a lost religion!' "
