norms redux
three readers weigh in
I received two extended comments from ACC readers this afternoon following my column on norms yesterday. One of the outstanding reasons to become a subscriber to the column is the ability to leave feedback in the comment section for all readers to ponder. Rest assured I do read all of the comments, regardless of the source, as I am especially keen to see what pearls others offer as they put forth. Reactions, rebuttals and that list of things I solicit from you daily at the end of the work are worthy because that is what this is all about: expanding our understanding of each other’s thoughts. Subscribers are able to use the comment section for wider consumption which is terrific.
At an April College of William and Mary event, a fellow introduced himself to me. He fellow had been at both William & Mary as well as president at Elizabethtown College in southern Pennsylvania. I eagerly asked about a long lost friend who had taught there in the 1980s and early 1992 because he had been a mentor to me. (if we have any doubts about the role of networking in our academic world rather than merely publishing stellar works, we kid ourselves profoundly).
The next morning, I was ecstatic to hear from this fellow I had neglected to stay in touch with when I departed for ‘the other side’ (as non-traditional academic jobs are seen, particularly those engaging with the U.S. military). Wayne Selcher was a giant in Latin American Studies, the sharpest of the Brazil scholars and so prolific. Additionally, he was also supported a young scholar with ample ambition but not always the time to do all the research Wayne modelled for all of us.
Wayne is Professor Emeritus at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania now but he continues writing deeply important works. When he first contacted me last month, he mentioned two articles that might be relevant to the substack I said I had begun. I confess that as I prepared for teaching a mini course later in April, I neglected to read Wayne’s articles immediately as I should have, knowing I would get more out of reading them when I had more time.
Had I not blundered by putting off reading, Wanye would not have had to remind me of them today since they directly address the topics I mentioned in yesterday’s column. One of the things that retirement allows academics to do is expand their analyses to topics they never had the chance to cover when they were responsible for specific fields, like Brazil (not exactly a small subject) or introduction to international relations or even running a concentration like Latin American Studies. Wayne wrote two fabulous pieces for a Brasilian audience but meant to be resources for all of us. One discusses American exceptionalism as a concepet while the other explores how our views of ourselves and the associated polarisation is affecting both America and our standing vis a vis other countries. I highly recommend both of them as carefully examined, non-partisan analyses of why our self-congratulatory assumptions—hardly a single, unified one—are eroding our ability to see implications—or even to see ourselves clearly. They are eye opening pieces but written in a sober, if not somber, manner.
The 2021 article, ‘Is the United States ‘Exceptional’?’, indeed portrays a country apart from many of our likely ‘peers’ but not in ways we necessarily recognise. Perhaps the most glaring item is that we historically saw a bipartisan consensus on our raisôn d’etre in foreign affairs while the Trump period challenged the efficacy of that international mission as well as domestic cohesion because of a stark definition of ‘America First’. This piece explores fifteen variables where American practices differ substantially from those of others, often in ways more violent and less exceptional than we seem too often to note.
What Wayne published merely three years later, while similar in tone, specifies the characteristics of our society in transition—or under threat in the eyes of many anywhere on the political spectrum. It is an expansion on the topics I raised yesterday, providing a wealth of studies and statistics to illustrate the depth of the transformation underway. Most importantly, this second article additionally adds resources to help anyone outside the United States—and those of us challenged on civics at home—to grasp where we originated some of our assumptions and why they are under such strong attack. I highly recommend this as a complement to the prior analysis.
Theoretically, academics are the most collaborative people on the planet as we recognise the centrality of sharing acquired knowledge as a method of advancing education. It’s a thrilling and never ending enterprise with infinite possibilities. Wayne Selcher is doing truly important work in helping others—partners, allies, or potential adversaries—see us more clearly. It wouldn’t hurt us to use the same microscope to look at the detailed changes underway and assumptions in play.
Retired Air Force Colonel Jim Hudson, a student at the National War College roughly a generation ago, also is a subscriber who offers extremely detailed thoughts on many of my columns in the comment section of this substack. Since Jim lives in the high desert, he also sends glorious photographs and a decidedly welcome non-east coast view.
Jim focused today on the ‘norms’ part I began with yesterday. He reminded us that norms are so crucial because they have ‘common denominators’ luring us into comfort at times and alarm at others. One of my early ACC pieces in late 2022 covered the unavoidably increased danger we see in post-COVID driving behaviours that is ‘entitled’ at best. To those of us who pay attention to norms, those myriad of ‘sorta’ stops, if not complete ‘run that baby through at the other person’s peril’ actions, are often nothing short of death defying, since the driving norms dictate something else. Jim opines we can predict these behaviours using a Walmart visit to note how people behave with their carts, though hopefully a wee bit less likely to maim or kill someone. I used to use a similar cart index at Jewel grocery stores in Chicagoland, alerting myself to ‘entitled’ elderly shoppers en route to the parking lot where similar aggression could erupt.
I had one other subscriber send me a single line yesterday in response to the column: you aren’t overly concerned about norms. A retired judge, I found cold comfort in his reaction but validation is validation is validation.
The norms and assumptions of how our Republic operates are under constant assault. That is not a political statement but an empirical one since so many political figures, wannabe political types, and angry citizens advocate overturning what we see today. Each day seems to bring a new indicator, even in the most unheard of places, of the level of distrust and anger. How do you react to that? Do you discuss it with others? Do you feel any point to look at resources on where we measure against other democracies, much less ‘failing states’? Is this all just inside the Beltway chatter, although neither the high desert nor Pennsylvania are inside the DMV?
I welcome your thoughts. I hope you will share them with others. If not, I respect that position but solutions, even nano-solutions to strengthen the center perhaps, are a step benefitted by additional voices and supporting actions. Please do send them along. Do share this column if you find it of value. Of course, I welcome you as a subscriber as well. My goal is to expand our civil, measured conversation as best possible.
I wish you a safe, happy weekend with flowers and joy. Be well and be safe. FIN
Wayne Selcher, “Is the United States ‘Exceptional’?” (2021) Observatório Politico dos Estados Unidos, Estudos e Análises de Conjuntura, no. 18, Julho de 2021, retrievable at
English in HTTP: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4285805 and https://www.opeu.org.br/2021/08/03/is-the-united-states-exceptional/
English in PDF: https://www.opeu.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Estudos-e-Analises-de-Conjuntura-n-18_jul-2021_Is-the-US-Exceptional-1.pdf
--, “American Political Culture in Transition: The Erosion of Consensus and Democratic Norms” (2024), Observatório Politico dos Estados Unidos, Estudos e Análises de Conjuntura, 23 February 2024, retrievable at
I often tell the story of hearing a film at the Dtate Dept in 1970 when we thought we were going back to South America but went to Sotuheast Asia. It was supposed to be funny but noted ‘95% of the world is foreigners’. I have never forgotten how insignificant our number s are, this how much we can learn. It has drawn me to this field as a result. Thank you again.
Agree 100%, Wayne