Yes I agree with you. But is America more interested in its people (humans) or its corporations (which according to American law they are people). And how do these decisions affect the world as a whole? Is America such a special place that it should be above every other country in the world?
I think in many ways, America (the nation) falls into pretty much the same trap that Musk falls into but on a higher level of complexity. The so called American exceptionalism. In reality, you see this thinking permeate every level. Apple definitely thinks they know best, so do every other company, so do their boards, so do their billionaires, so does their country. So I'm not sure I agree when you say that Musk doesn't get it, I think he gets it very well but doesn't get it right. And neither does anyone in America (the nation).
But historically this phenomenon isn't something that's unique to America but it is the curse of pretty much every empire in history. Every empire thinks they're the one to lead the world to greatness and they of course play a part. But every empire rises and then falls. So why would America be any different? I believe we're only going to get out of this trap when the world truly comes together and power and decision making become completely decentralised.
You are addressing two diff issues. America Vs Rest of the world is a diff topic from America vs Musk. I wasn’t commenting about anything that would suggest that America should/should not be above the rest of the world. This was merely about relationships between America and the billionaires USA fosters.
Without a doubt, the billionaires of America wouldn’t exist without American govt’s benevolence. The difference between other oligarchies and America is that America is benevolent to those who keep our economy stable and it is in the interest of the people(employment, environment etc).
Talking about American exceptionalism is slightly off topic, imo.
America is not cursed. It’s not perfect but very naturally, it’s interests are aligned towards the welfare of Americans and America’s position in the world. America will support anyone who makes this possible. This isn’t always true of many countries in the world as corrupt leaders and tribalism destabilizes the nation.
We have a stable economy. On balance, America is better than most other countries in terms like environment, hunger, employment etc. Cultural factors of our diverse population is not the failure of the nation. It’s called freedom. Example: malnutrition in poorer countries is due to lack of food or drought or famine. Malnutrition in America is mostly due to bad food choices of individuals. It is not the failure of America to keep its populace well fed. We have the cheapest food and the best supply chains. That’s all the govt can do. Etc.
America is not perfect but anyone ..including immigrants..can become billionaires here. As it’s been proven again and again. I doubt if this is possible anywhere else in the world at our scale and reach. Bashing America for perceived fill-in-the-blanks is weak. Often it’s a case of sour grapes even though US is not perfect.
I think in many ways, America (the nation) falls into pretty much the same trap that Musk falls into but on a higher level of complexity. The so called American exceptionalism. In reality, you see this thinking permeate every level. Apple definitely thinks they know best, so do every other company, so do their boards, so do their billionaires, so does their country. So I'm not sure I agree when you say that Musk doesn't get it, I think he gets it very well but doesn't get it right. And neither does anyone in America (the nation).
But historically this phenomenon isn't something that's unique to America but it is the curse of pretty much every empire in history. Every empire thinks they're the one to lead the world to greatness and they of course play a part. But every empire rises and then falls. So why would America be any different? I believe we're only going to get out of this trap when the world truly comes together and power and decision making become completely decentralised.