The Washington Post published not one, but two articles pushing a study claiming the United States is now a "second-tier" nation.

"How the United States became a ‘second-tier' country," read the headline to a piece published Thursday.

"In some ways, such as Americans' access to higher education, the country remains an undeniably exceptional nation when compared with its global counterparts," the Post reported. "But in other ways the United States is not only unexceptional, but it also lags behind similar countries around the globe."

The Post touted a study from the Social Progress Imperative, a U.S.-based nonprofit that produces an annual ranking of the well-being of countries. The group placed the U.S. at 18th overall out of 180 countries measured, putting it in the "second-tier" of world nations along with Japan, France, and Belgium.

Per the study, the United States is especially lacking in the "Tolerance and Inclusion" category, which includes "religious tolerance, discrimination and violence against minorities, and the existence of communal safety nets."

So riveting was the study that the Post thought it needed a second article, highlighting "the countries that are better than the United States at meeting people's needs."

"Americans like to think of themselves as exceptional, so they probably won't take well to this news: According to a new study, we're second-rate," read the lede.

"We're less tolerant, and we discriminate more than other places. Our greenhouse gas emissions are higher than in many other developed countries, and our environmental record is worse," the article concluded.