Edit: Thought the concept of American exceptionalism was well known. Here's Wikipedia's intro:

American exceptionalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Progress of America, 1875, by Domenico Tojetti

American exceptionalism is the theory that the United States occupies a special niche among the nations of the world^[1] in terms of its national credo, historical evolution, political and religious institutions, and its being built by immigrants. The roots of the belief are attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville,^[2][3] who claimed that the then-50-year-old United States held a special place among nations, because it was the first modern democracy.

The theory of American exceptionalism has a number of opponents, especially from the Left,^[4][5][6][7] who argue that the belief is "self-serving and jingoistic," ^[1] that it is based on a myth,^[8] and that "[t]here is a growing refusal to accept" the idea of exceptionalism both nationally and internationally.^[9]

In short, is the US a unique country? I mean, one can argue that America has no native citzenry. While countries like say, the homogeneous Japanese, tie citizenship and race (along with history) very closely, we are a country of ideals. People came here, not born here, because they held and sought the ideals of freedom, instead of serfdom, meritocracy, instead of aristocracy, etc.

But counter arguments will include native americans, slavery, white supremacy, anti-immigration sentiments, growing income gap, etc.

I say that it was a hugely unique country at its birth, and now... ehhhh

without knowing the context, I cant really answer

....uhh, yeah?

No?

I have no clue what you want to know.

Yes it is, very much so. And not for many good things.

America is an awesome continent, that's beyond a doubt. It has Argentina, that puts it above everything....though it also has Brazil -_-

Haha. I see what you did there.

Very Vague. First off, I assume that America is the United States and not the two continents as all citizens call the United States America(I like in the US so I know all about it). If so, yes I do think the United States is exceptional. It is a superpower so why wouldn't it be. Unfortunately for the US, many countries are catching up like China and the European Union. This isn't a bad thing, but it's showing how the dependency on the United States isn't as great as it was in the 60s.

Now if you're talking about the Americas as the two continents. I don't know...looks like any ordinary land to me.

It's a super power...

So yeah.

I can only imagine though that this was supposed to be about "American Exceptionalism" that there is something about American Culture that is different

Which originally was as much an insult as it was a compliment, but now generally seen as a positive only. Like Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Now American Exceptionalism largely represents the fact that America was "self made" by immigrants and reflects the bit of "wild west" culture that still remains in us vs the Europe.

You can clearly see a culture difference between us and Europe, so i'd say that's another yes.


Now is it beneficial, benign or damaging.... as beneficial is usually the way modern American exceptionalism is used...

Hard to say... probably beneficial considering the US has stayed a superpower for so long. There seem to be some huge benefits to the "American" way of thinking based on just how far ahead our research and development gets ahead of others because of our willingness to monetize it.

One could argue that it leads to... and is leading to us "burning out." Although when you think about it... Empires aren't built to last anyway and it's not like other countries have been in a better situation when it comes to "burning out."

Even if Americanism is exceptional, it likely won't matter, based on how much has been borrowed from America and how things like advanced technology ends up benefiting all the other countries as well.

I'd have to say in the end though... probably, though it's hard to tell, what with all the very uneven situations the world finds itself in. 

Updated OP for better context.

Well every country is unique and most have a high opinion of themselves.

Just try and argue with an Aussie about which country is the best at sport to see that such a concept isn't just American.

Its only magnified by the fact that America is the worlds sole superpower at this point in history (you can already see that changing slowly with Chinas continuing ascendency however).

Is the US special? Yes. But then again, so is pretty much everywhere else.