The Pursuit of American Excellence

IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to become a member of the United States Marine Corps band. All sorts of paperwork, background checks, and innumerable auditions. A recording of one playing one's instrument must be submitted. One must audition in person, with judges hidden behind a screen. One must play a piece of music, perfectly, at first sight. Those few chosen are exempted from boot camp, given the rank of staff sergeant, with the pay grade of E6. The U.S. Marine Corp band performs flawlessly, and it is a great honor to be a member. The pursuit of excellence is an American tradition. To appear on television, one's teeth must be perfectly straight and paper white, one's complexion flawless. In academic circles, students are given some slack academically, but none whatsoever athletically. At the highest level of college football, scholarship athletes must perform at the highest possible level, or else. Or else risk public censure, ridicule, contempt, and even revocation of scholarship. The common denominator is entertainment. We Americans expect to be entertained at the highest level, are willing to pay top dollar for the privilege, and the market responds accordingly. American exceptionalism is the capacity to entertain Americans exceptionally well. One can scarcely imagine the impact on American society if American political and economic processes were held to such high standards.