¿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.