America's use of Superlatives in Excess  

Americans are excessive in too many things we do and say. We are a relatively small nation in population size and in land mass, but we consume the largest share of this world’s fossil fuel; we produce the lion's share of the world’s waste, because we possess the world’s largest economy; we possess a dominant military, and we boast about being number one in all things; we have a culture that is dominant because it is aggressively pushed on other nations as if it is God-ordained for all. 

We have boasted so much that it has become second nature--maybe first nature--for  Americans to tell the world that we are the greatest. And how they love us! Still, it is not enough to boast about being number one; we have begun to believe our own propaganda. And as a result of believing our own lies, we have begun enhancing those lies even more. Yet our new and enhanced boasting is not new at all--ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome exalted their rulers to the status of gods.  

Today, we study that the ancient Caesars were viewed as living gods and laugh, but are we not inching toward a similar situation?  Some years ago, I took an anthropology course at a local community college, the professor had such reverence, respect, and awe for instructors at U. C. Berkeley that at mentioning any one of them, he would refer to the teacher as a brilliant genius. That was a bit much for me. But that practice has  taken flight into  the heavens in this nation, and we have eclipsed ourselves by over-using superlatives and hyperbole, as we describe ourselves. 

As a kid in Louisiana, my father was known for his exaggerations. If he were told a story or given a fact pattern, once he repeated that story or fact pattern [were it a light-hearted matter] his version of that story or fact pattern would be rearranged and modified greatly, adding his own flavor and personality to it. On the other hand, his namesake son did not exaggerate. He eclipsed our father; he was a liar, straight out, or as he thought to label it, a creator. Once a story or fact pattern was given to him, he not only changed it, he transformed it so it had hardly any resemblance to the original tale or fact pattern. He was known as a liar for his repackaging and his transformations of tales being told. He over did it.  Everything was bigger, bolder, more decorative, and infused with his never-ending verve and identity.

As my oldest brother was given to extreme hyperbole and exaggeration, so are Americans today about themselves. This hyperbolized speech seems to be more common among 20-45 year old white American males than black Americans of the same age, except for 16-21 year old black males, as they discuss their sexual prowess or gangsta rap.  It is one of those ways blacks and white think and behave differently. 

Americans’ speech is full of needless superlatives; everything is super and overwrought. This speech pattern is informed by our movie and TV images and by advertisement hype, as businesses will seemingly do anything to the fringes of legality, and too often beyond, to sell a product. But that is not the total cause for this exaggerated American behavior.

This pattern was also seen in ancient Rome, Egypt, and Greece. The superlatives became extreme, as their people and the rulers of the people became more exalted in themselves. Their leaders went from supreme sovereign rulers to gods in the likeness of men, to mortal gods, and to immortal gods. Many elaborate embalming rituals had to do with the idea that the leaders were immortal gods, and some took their treasures with them in death.

The Bible records that when Jacob and Esau were separated and went their separate ways; the line of Esau took on the titles of Dukes, Princes, Kings, and other titles of loftiness. A form of superlatives came into being from the line of Esau. (Book of Genesis ) 

When individuals have excess, they become accustomed to it, and that excess requires even greater excess--more. That more is also projected in their language and their view of themselves. They see themselves and talk about themselves in distorted ways. Furthermore, when excess is coupled with untoward behavior, many reach toward the heavens in a description of themselves and all things appertaining to them. That is what has happened to Americans. 

We stride the world exhibiting excess and power--and we tell ourselves that our power is unparalleled in the history of the world, the universe even; we see ourselves in distorted ways: we assume our possession of power is divinely ordered, and possession demands use to propagate the will, beliefs, and order of the possessor--this is our manifest destiny. And being immature with power, as a young snake will over-use its venom on its first bite, we over-use our power crudely, brutally, and excessively. That is projected through our politics, diplomacy, our speech, and our wars--case in point is Iraq; we are in a quagmire, and our White House warlords do not now know what to do about it.  So we talk it into what we want it to be. That only works with the American public.

In our speech, we have become so excessive in the use of superlatives--words and terms of flattery and hype--that it is difficult to moderate our views and see things clearly. But advertisers, a major part of our problem and prime users of superlatives, don’t want us to see things clearly; they manipulate us to see reality as they construct it and buy their products. And they spend billions of dollars on psychologists and other experts structuring the way we see reality and respond to it.* The result is we buy their products, sport their names on our chests or behinds, and use their language--excessive superlatives, hyperbole, and hype. We go too far in too many things; yet Americans are seemingly oblivious of our excess.   

Advertisers have mastered the technology of manipulation, and they manipulate our young and many of our old into a permanent mindset that is, frankly, illogical and even insane. Consider the number of inner city youths sporting expensive sport shoes and play no sport; consider the number of inner city youths who acquire expensive DVD's/CD's, and their parents can hardly pay the rent. These same behaviors are exhibited by most youths of this nation--urban and suburban. That behavior is manipulated by advertisers who have shown images--sport and media figures as if they are real life heroes--with excessive superlatives to secure the desired responses to their products.  And because we are bombarded with excessive ads, they become normal, and the language they use becomes standard and normal for the users.

Also, because America is so successful in what it does--wage war and propagate itself--we view ourselves much as the exalted ones of Egypt, Rome, and Greece did: we are invincible, unparalleled in history of mankind, almost everlasting, and able to bend the ebb and flow of time, history, and all things to our liking--this is, is it not, the will of God? And since we are so mighty,  such a status requires a supportive dialectic. 

As my former anthropology instructor used excessive superlatives to refer to U. C. Berkeley professors, our American dialectic is peppered with excessive superlatives and overstatements about ourselves--the minutest matter is awesome, fantastic, etc. 

Descriptions of our females have gone from pretty, to beautiful, to gorgeous, and even angelic; our males have gone from good-looking, to handsome, to pretty, to gorgeous, and, in some circles, to beautiful. Reasonable or age-appropriate knowledge has gone from one being smart for his/her age to being brilliant or a genius, when that person is only age-appropriately intelligent.

A point worth noting is this: in all of America's superlative overindulgence, brilliant or genius is rarely placed on Black Americans by those who are so instant to over-use superlatives on themselves. There is this quiet fear we all know about, but it remains unspoken, in according such titles to Black Americans. But there seems to be a need to indulge themselves with excess. It may be that excess such as we see in America is the result of a need to substantiate a worth not possessed? []

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* When working on my Masters in Public Administration Degree, we went to a large advertisement agency and saw the extensive notes on the behaviors of Americans. Those statistics and data were used to craft  manipulative messages to their target audience.

Frank A. Jones
5/23/05

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