¿Qué? : )

Are you kidding me with this?

Yeah, it might be dismissive of other countries of the Americas. Classist? I think that's a stretch. Privileged? um. er... to whom? What on earth makes you think that anyone from Cananda, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina or any other country in the Americas would WANT to be included in the term "American" these days?

But um, among my circle of friends, associates, colleagues and whatnot? I don't know but a handful of people who would call themselves "American". You know the few I do hear it from? Folks in border states. Folks of a Republican bent. The very young and oh who else? Newly naturalized citizens oh so very proud to "be an American!" by gum.

And when I travel abroad, which I do fairly often these days, I hear folks use "American" in a very dismissive way in reference to folks from "The States". "Oh, she's an American." And lest you think I'm okay with that crap? I correct them every time. "No, I'm from the States" or in the Bush years I was known for being snide and saying "Well from the US, but I voted for Gore" or something similar.

And finally??? My god, what else can we turn into a class issue on this site?

dang, diab/aldo! can't we have a class issue if we wanna have a class issue?
:farmchicken:

Oh fine. Go right ahead, I am getting used to banging my head against the desk.

So, even though people in the rest of the Americas find it loathsome and arrogant that we insist that we are the "Americans" and not them, we say that since "American" is easier to verbalize and since we learned to say "American" in school it is not worth even giving a thought to how it might make sound or feel to another American who lives in Columbia or Panama or Honduras.

Nice.

I know many of you personally and I really think it is worth at least some consideration. It makes us and our country look like assholes.
For me it is an important distinction.

Is it a class issue??? Good question. Maybe more of an arrogant, we have always done it this way, it is easier, I don't think I should have to change for anyone else thing with some racism below the surface. There are indeed wealthy people in outside the US who hate us calling ourselves Americans, so maybe that takes classism off the table?

I think the thought that people outside the US except Canada are fussy for resenting us for this is really really arrogant. Yes, I know we were brought up to think this and taught to think this in school, but the world is changing, we need to catch up.

I do want to say that I understand that for many of us this might be a low priority. I am just happy that we can have these discussions and hope that they will make us think a bit.

I thank everyone who is participating is this and other discussions like it.

:)

Sorry I came off so strongly...I owe you a drink my friend! I do feel deeply about this, but understand this may be the first time you have thought about it :), and that it is likely not a priority for you.

Sure we are American! and so is everyone else who lives in North, South and Central America.

I think as a country, if we refered to our country as the "US", instead of as "America" it is more respectful to all the other American's and it might help our image overseas.

I get that you might think what other countries think of us is not important, but it really is even if you don't plan to travel thoughhhhh....the fishing in Argentina and Chile is unbelievable, I will show you pictures that will make you weep :). The Argentines and Chileans are American's too.

I think it helps us all be more safe when traveling and as a nation here at home if we try to be respectful of the rest of the world. We are not the "only" Americans.


Am I making sense?

Amerigo Vespucci
 

Hmmm, seems like both continents have been called America since the 1500's , or so...
wouldnt that make us all Americans?

yet even today Italians dont call it America but rather Stati Uniti

" Amerigo Vespucci was a Florentine merchant and navigator who made at least two transatlantic trips to the New World, voyages that inspired cartographer Martin Wardseemüller to label the new continent "America" in 1507. Vespucci was employed by the Florentine Medici family as a representative for their operations in Seville, Spain. He went from supplying ships to joining the expedition of Alonso Ojeda as a navigator. Although the record is unclear, it is generally accepted that Vespucci sailed with Ojeda to the northeastern coast of South America in 1499, under the flag of Spain. He made a second voyage in 1502. The story that he reached South America in 1497 is held to be apocryphal; the story that he made a fourth voyage in 1504 is also considered suspect. Somehow an account of a 1497 voyage was published, and Wardseemüller came to believe that Vespucci had commanded the expedition and had reached the New World before Christopher Columbus who found the mainland in 1498. Wardseemüller named the continent America and the label stuck. "

Absolutely! We are all Americans. North, Central and South America...all of us American.

snips:
Totally getting your point here ... and with the thread as well.
But, as Waldo said, it doesn't seem like anyone from South or Central America or Canada is rushing to call themselves "Americans" and who could blame them, based on the rep those from the U.S. have abroad. (although...can we say STEREOTYPE, much? Is every person from the U.S a loud obnoxious "American?")

Also, for any Canadians, Central/South Americans (and I'm legit asking this) ... what is stopping you from calling yourselves Americans if you want to since you ARE indeed Americans?

Back to what you said about saying "from the U.S." ... well, according to the Declaration of Independence, the name of this country *is* the United States of America. It seems like most countries have a derivative to refer to its citizens, such as Argentinian, Brazilian, Chilean, Canadian, Guatamalen, Columbian. "American" does seem like a natural progression for people from the U.S.
I, too, wonder what other name would work (without being derogatory) as United Statsian a) seems unwieldy and b) leaves out what we're the united states of. Maybe our forefathers should have called us the United States in the Americas. But I don't think all of them were that well traveled enough to understand how much more there was out there.

How does it make people from the U.S. dismissive, arrogant and possibly racist if they choose to call themselves Americans ... if those from South and Central America don't choose to call themselves that?

I certainly understand and respect the viewpoint of others who are also obviously Americans, but I don't think U.S. citizens identifying themselves as Americans means they're racist or arrogant or dismissive unless they're denying someone else the right to do so as well.

And speaking of arrogant ... Yanks, gringos? ... That's just stereotyping and making generalizations, as well.

I think awareness of this issue is a great thing to have. But it seems to me the correct word usage might be "unaware" as opposed to dismissive. Simply because someone was taught they were an "American," doesn't mean they're being dismissive of others. Let's teach people instead of simply generalizing about an entire nation.

And for the record, I ascribe the U.S.'s bad rep abroad to the same "Jeff Foxworthy theory" about the South. He jokes that it's "always the least intelligent among us that ends up on TV." I'm sure there are plenty of people from the U.S. who travel the world without drawing the word obnoxious, but damn those idiots that give us all a bad reputation.

Just my thoughts and opinions anyway.

When I saw the title of this thread I assumed it was a question, but that was before I read the first few posts and saw that there was already an answer given. Is everyone with a different opinion on this subject an arrogant, classist, racist? I hope not.

My reason for referring to my country as the United States of America or my nationality as American is because that's what our country is named. When the founding fathers of the USA wrote our Declaration of Independence, that's what they called it. Were the people of South America referring to any of their countries as "America" at the same time, or calling themselves "Americans"? If so, Jefferson and Adams and Franklin and everyone else involved back then owe them an apology.

My understanding has been that the USA is the only country with "America" in its title. If I'm wrong I'm sure someone here will point it out. I think we shorten the name of our country because it's easier to say.

I respect your reason for calling yourself American, I do. In the end you call yourself an American just because it is easier, shortening and all, not because it is what your country was named, otherwise you would have to call yourself a United States of America, right? So it all boils down to easy and not accuracy. I understand this, as I do this many times myself (my entire family are all US Citizens) but basically, what I think Apocalisptic was trying to do was raise awareness. The forefathers also wrote about the right to own slaves and such, this doesn't mean they owe anyone an apology, that would be impossible. In any event, they did not name the US America, since that was already taken by an entire continent, did they?

I think what is lacking is the knowledge that America is a continent. I did some consulting work for a Canadian firm and they always made the distinction and that made me aware that this was a US thing. Whenever they referred to the way they did things in Canada or the US as opposed to here in Colombia, they always said...oh this is how this or that is done in North America. I found that very respectful.


Thank you for the clarification, albeit a little snarky. Judging by your clarification, I must be pretty darn stupid, he he :doh:

Right. Because folks from Mexico refer to themselves as "United Mexican States Citizens" (or more likely Estados Unidos Mexicanos, but you get my drift)

And people from Colombia? as "Republican of Colombia"

And how about those from Brazil? as "Federative Republicans of Brazil"

And those from Germany? "Federal Republican of Germany"

And how about those zany occupants of France? "French Republicans"

And let's not forget the good people of "The People's Republic of China" (Yeah... what would that be? "A Person of the Republic of China" - rolls right off the tongue)

Again, I realize I didn't pay a lot of attention in school (I'm sure it'll come as a shock to you all that I thought I knew it all as a teenager too), but I do believe the US(ofA) was recognized as a country before any other foreign colony on the North or South American continents. And yes, the founding fathers decreed that their newly established nation would be called "The United States of America". While I wasn't there, and do not know if their intent was to crowd out the ability for any other person living on the continents to feel comfy calling themselves an American - I some how doubt it.

Why are those of you up in arms about this flap not screaming bloody murder about the audacity of the Australians? Well the poor sorry sods in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia must really hate life. Maybe it's not an issue any longer because the continental naming convention is seen as evolving from the Australian Continent to Oceania in some circles.

And lest us not forget the continent Africa and the nation of South Africa or is that not so important nor confusing?

This hub bub over what others call us? Lots of hot air. I don't know anyone from Germany, France, Spain, Italy or Portugal who calls themselves a European. They, seemingly more so to me, are far too nationalistic to be grouped with other nations under such an umbrella term as "European". Those from *outside* Europe? Yep, you bet! Although mostly I hear this in terms of descriptors "Oh, he's so European looking" sort of thing. The individuals from those European nation generally refer to themselves as "German", "French", "Spanish", "Italian" or "Portuguese". You'll note that each of these labels are formed off the unique identifier of their proper national name. So the call to arms to use another label for ourselves (USAian - yeah, I want to hear you call yourself that) seems rather silly. Should there not, instead, be a call to change the name of the nation? Or maybe the continent?

One *really* could argue that we're much more brash and insensitive to say that we're "from the States" or "from the US" as though it's the only organization of states in the world when clearly the United Mexican States and the Federated States of Micronesia both exist.

And I agree. Our bad rap has much more to do with our politics and general poor manners (not that self absorption isn't chief amongst our poor manners) over the last 40 years than it does with what the Founding Fathers so blithely determined we would wind up calling ourselves over the next many millenia.

/soapbox of crankiness

Dude. Check your geography. There are only two. Central America is part of the North American continent.

Further. I think my work here is done.

Out of curiosity, how do most in Columbia identify themselves? South Americans? Or are they Columbians first?

And as I asked before: What exactly is stopping anyone in the Americas from calling themselves American?

And for the record, your snark toward Bit does little to cover YOUR arrogance, which is a nice touch when you're trying to point out ours.

It is awkward, I get it. Our country has a long name which is also the name of a Continent (or 2 or 3 depending on your views...I like to think of us as one).

Actually I learned that the US were not the only Americans and it hurts people's feelings that we think that when I lived in South America....I wish I had come up with it on my own, but as a small child in Argentina I was constantly reminded that the entire continent is America and it is arrogant etc to call ourselves Americans.

Now what to call ourselves? It is awkward....we watched a WWII movie this weekend, and it was the British, the Japanese, the Canadians and the American's. The soldiers from the USA does seem awkward when everyone else has nice short names....and I totally get that for many people Yanks is derogatory (not for me, I could care less personally)

Maybe we say American because it's easiest?

I do try to make a point of saying US and USA when I can and wonder in what other ways I can be respectful to the fact that the US is not the only America. :)

I know many in people in South America actually identify as many people in North America do...from their ancestral history...like German, Irish, Swiss, Spanish, Italian, Lebanese, and so forth.

Does not make it any easier.

If I am going to call myself anything, I'll call myself American. Honestly, if someone finds that offensive, I can't help that. They can say they are American too. Am I being dismissive? *shrug* Would I get offended if they call themselves American? Not at all. Obviously, there are different types of Americans. It is what it is, is it not?

I think as long as mean we are American in an inclusive way, it's all good.

If we go to Uruguay, Norte Americano or Estados Unidense would be a better choice of what to call ourselves...

The USA does not contain the "only" Americans.

:)

I agree I might have been strong in my wording, my appologies. I feel very passionately about this, having grown up in South America.

If I can get a few people to at least think about it and how arrogant it sounds for the US to always refer to ourselves as 'The Americans" then that is all I can ask for.

I understand that being sensitive to the other countries in the Americas is a new thing for many of us. We were taught in school that those countries are completely insignificant.

I hope you do get to travel to South and Central America sometime, I think you would so enjoy it and see more clearly what I am speaking of.

:)

Ha, I know.

It is something that we have all done forever, but it does upset people in the Americas outside the US, except for the Canadians according to one source :).

Just something to think about. :)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYoTJItSPt0&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- Tom Brokaw Explains Canada To Americans[/ame]

personally I am waiting with some excitement to hear Tom explain my generation....the Boomers........to me..........laughin..........it's his new tv special..........
:vigil: