Does american culture envy people who are more talented/gifted than themselves?

[AngelFromKansas]

Why does America have such a distain for people who have talent or who excel in things. The desire to be popular seems more important than the desire to achieve your best.

if you disagree with the previous statement then explain the Republican party production line of presidential candidates, vps, governors, senators and congressmen.

sentaor elizabeth dole a body of excellance? please...

president george bush?
vp sarah palin

i know america struggles to accept that is a young country with very little history. why is popularity such an important thing to people over excellance and talent?

if talent is accepted as a good thing why has the republican party produced so few candidates of intelligence.

john mccain is a war hero coz he sits in a vietnam cell...so are the people who sit in guantanmo bay war heros too?

[Person Man]

EVERY culture envies their betters.

[Stranger in a strange land]

EVERY culture envies their betters.

yes, but ours more than most. We want a president who's "just like us." That's why people vote based on who they'd like to have a beer with. Been to a bar lately? How many presidents did you see there?

[Person Man]

Perhaps the lore of exceptionalism has taken the place of actually being exceptional.

[Verily]

Perhaps the lore of exceptionalism has taken the place of actually being exceptional.

This is certainly true, and so is the answer to the question for the thread "yes". Of course, it is hard to imagine a society in which the thread's answer is not "yes"--although the myth of exceptionalism remains a tragically American phenomenon.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     All too often, Americans fall into the trap of mistakenly believing that there is something special or worthwhile about people like them. It's true that all countries & peoples fall prey to this to some extent, though our society does distressingly little to shatter the myth that being common is good.

     *End elitist rant*

[Smid]

Yes, but not as much as in Australia... we even have a phrase for it... "tall poppies"

[Person Man]

     All too often, Americans fall into the trap of mistakenly believing that there is something special or worthwhile about people like them. It's true that all countries & peoples fall prey to this to some extent, though our society does distressingly little to shatter the myth that being common is good.

     *End elitist rant*

It's not elitist, its really an attack on the self-rightous ...(tee hee)...lazies.

[John Dibble]

Yes and no. Americans are like pretty much everyone else in that regard - we both love and envy those with more beauty, intelligence, strength, etc.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

and what if the people we are envying don't see what we see?

[specific_name]

and what if the people we are envying don't see what we see?

um DC, is Nader winning Alaska on your prediction map? or is that just me...

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

I am just not sure who is going to win Alaska cause some demarcates live there and like palin.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Bush got over 60% there in 2004.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

well I hope the dem win. But it is out of my hands.

[NDN]

Perhaps the lore of exceptionalism has taken the place of actually being exceptional.

Pretty much. The further downhill our country goes, the more our politicians bray on endlessly about how amazing we are. And the public is insecure enough to eat it up.

[opebo]

While talents and gifts may exist, there is little doubt that the vast majority of that which is labelled so is merely a reflection of the persons' position in the class power hierarchy rather than anything innate in themselves.

[dead0man]

I'm not liking the word "envy" here.  I don't envy those more talented than me, I respect them.

(unless they disagree with me, then I look for small, petty ways they are wrong and then hammer on those.)