America Is Not the World – And That’s Okay

05/03/25 • 7 min

A Global Manifesto on Exceptionalism, Woke Culture, and Finding Purpose Beyond the Podium

Is America still the world’s moral compass — or just the loudest voice in the room?
In this cultural manifesto, Roy Sharples unpacks the contradictions of American exceptionalism, the rise of woke culture, and the country’s often unconscious tendency to dominate global discourse. From the Trump-era wrecking ball to the polished rhetoric of modern political correctness, this lyrical commentary offers a brutally honest — and surprisingly affectionate — reflection on America’s place in the world.
Why does America feel the need to be the moral referee of the planet?
How do other cultures view the U.S.’s hyper-performative identity politics?
Can America still lead by listening, not just lecturing?
This is not anti-Americanism.
This is a love letter wrapped in satire — a wake-up call from one voice among many.
It’s time for America to lower the volume, kick off its platform shoes, and rejoin the global conversation — not as host, but as participant.

Support the show

Attitude. Imagination. Execution.
Create Without Frontiers.
🌐 www.unknownorigins.com

A Global Manifesto on Exceptionalism, Woke Culture, and Finding Purpose Beyond the Podium

Support the show

Attitude. Imagination. Execution.
Create Without Frontiers.
🌐 www.unknownorigins.com

Previous Episode

We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (And If They’re Scottish, It’s Even Worse)

A Cultural Manifesto on Friendship, Success, and the Art of the Backhanded Compliment

Why does your mate’s success make you wince... just a little?

In this lyrical, story-driven, and culturally sharp episode, we explore the paradox of friendship and success through the uniquely Scottish lens of sarcasm, self-deprecation, and social suspicion. From backhanded compliments and social media minefields to the taboo of self-improvement, this manifesto unpacks why watching a friend “make it” can stir up pride, envy — and more than a few passive-aggressive jokes.

Why is Scottish culture allergic to self-congratulation?
How do we keep our friends grounded — often with a pint and a smirk?
What happens when Gus from the pub becomes Gus from Canary Wharf?

This is not just about envy — it’s about identity.
It’s about success, community, and the strange intimacy of honest friendships wrapped in irony.

This is friendship, the Scottish way.

Support the show

Attitude. Imagination. Execution.
Create Without Frontiers.
🌐 www.unknownorigins.com

Next Episode

How Britain Found Its “Great” (And Lost It, Found It Again, and Keeps Trying)

A Cultural Manifesto of Identity, Irony, and Reinvention

What does it mean to be "Great" — and can a nation ever truly stay that way?
In this lyrical and story-driven episode, Roy Sharples explores Britain’s ongoing identity quest: from the rise of empire to the chaos of Brexit, from punk rock to AI labs, Shakespeare to Stormzy. This is not a love letter to nostalgia, but a poetic reckoning with what greatness means in the modern age — eccentric, inventive, resilient, and gloriously self-deprecating.
Why is British greatness not about power, but reinvention?
What connects Shakespeare, tea, punk, and Brexit?
Can a country be culturally radical while politically confused?
From the fog-draped roots of its past to the technicolor contradictions of its present, Britain isn’t marching — it’s muddling through. Still trying. Still adapting. Still Great — on its own peculiar terms.

Support the show

Attitude. Imagination. Execution.
Create Without Frontiers.
🌐 www.unknownorigins.com