What's wrong with saying I'm American?

[Aelex]

have you seen the mexican loyalists in california? you know the ones who have there little parades waving their flags and practically saying "fuck you" to the united states?

What's wrong with that? You conquerred them and now they end up as a discriminated minority even though they make the majority of the population in these place.
I don't see any reason of why they shouldn't do their parades if you're doing your own ones.

[The Lithuanian-Surinamese Caliphate]

I have no problem with Spanish-speakers calling us "Estadounidense", or speakers of any other language calling us whatever the demonym for us in their language is. However, I'm going to continue calling myself American, thank you very much. "American" is the most fitting and best sounding demonym for us in the English language IMO, and I'm not going to let people from other countries (or even a minority within my own country) make me start calling where I live something else.

If there were another sovereign nation with the word "America" in its name, and there were really an issue, I'd just call myself "US-American" if clarification were needed.

[Kelinfort]

...

One more time: what's the problem with celebrating foreign heritage? By all accounts, your friend is not advocating Italian nationalism. Nor does one have to be Italian to know authentic Italian cuisine. I really see no problem with your friend.

there is nothing wrong with celebrating it...to an extent but when your waving your ancestors flag around yet I never see you with an american flag, it makes me wonder where your loyalty really lays.

America always has been a melting pot. We as Americans stand for the National Anthem and love this nation. We celebrate our foreign heritage, but the vast majority know they're American and support/love this nation.

[Bezombia]

...

One more time: what's the problem with celebrating foreign heritage? By all accounts, your friend is not advocating Italian nationalism. Nor does one have to be Italian to know authentic Italian cuisine. I really see no problem with your friend.

there is nothing wrong with celebrating it...to an extent but when your waving your ancestors flag around yet I never see you with an american flag, it makes me wonder where your loyalty really lays.

Loyalty? You wonder where their loyalty lies?
What, do people have an obligation to be loyal to a country simply because they were born there?

[North Calaveras]

have you seen the mexican loyalists in california? you know the ones who have there little parades waving their flags and practically saying "fuck you" to the united states?

What's wrong with that? You conquerred them and now they end up as a discriminated minority even though they make the majority of the population in these place.
I don't see any reason of why they shouldn't do their parades if you're doing your own ones.

discriminated minority ppfffft i wont be getting into that garbage

They can do their parades, it doesn't change their disloyalty or hypocrisy.

[Timothia]

We don't demand that Spanish people go by "Kingdomers" , that Brazilians go by "Federative Republicans", or that Chinese go by "People's Republicers". I understand that there is another layer of complexity added because America the name for the continents, but using "United Statesian" solves nothing because it is still ambiguous because our southern neighbor is also a United States (United Mexican States).

No one mixes up the United States of America with the United Mexican States because of common understanding, the same common understanding that results in people keeping the continents and country separate when referring to America.

[Terralessii]

Erm I'm not sure I understand correctly what you said, so if what I'm going to say makes no sense feel free to say it!
UKIP in particular (but there are more, neo-nazi minor parties and other big independence parties even within the UK, like Plain Cymru and the SNP) says that the UK is one independent entity and that's the reason why they want out of the EU. It is patriotic but it's also xenophobic, in that they want to limit immigration, they wanna basically close the borders and have Britain for Brits.

Essentially I'm saying that from what I know, British nationalism is based on the belief in a common populace of Britain, and not based on the belief on some ethnic "British" people. This is similar to Yugoslav nationalism and even American nationalism (in all three cases, the "nationalism" is actually just renamed patriotism, in which someone is loyal to the people of their country rather than the country of their people).

I see your point! Yeah I don't think it's necessarily ethnic, however a lot of right wing nationalists have very strong views on immigration of non whites, and a lot of them also make a distinction between white British, Western European, Eastern European, Asian and African. Like they won't complain if you're French coming to the UK, but they will if you're Polish. Or if you're Muslim in general. But that has more to do with racism and xenophobia than with patriotism, although the two things are very intertwined in Europe, as of lately.

[Aelex]

I have no problem with Spanish-speakers calling us "Estadounidense", or speakers of any other language calling us whatever the demonym for us in their language is. However, I'm going to continue calling myself American, thank you very much. "American" is the most fitting and best sounding demonym for us in the English language IMO, and I'm not going to let people from other countries (or even a minority within my own country) make me start calling where I live a different place.

I actually agree with this. I honestly think that this very problem is a little too hipsterish from the start. In my native language, I'm calling "Germany" by it's real name, Allemagne.
Yet I'm using the English term when I'm speaking in English. Just so people can understand what I'm talking about.

[Bezombia]

Essentially I'm saying that from what I know, British nationalism is based on the belief in a common populace of Britain, and not based on the belief on some ethnic "British" people. This is similar to Yugoslav nationalism and even American nationalism (in all three cases, the "nationalism" is actually just renamed patriotism, in which someone is loyal to the people of their country rather than the country of their people).

I see your point! Yeah I don't think it's necessarily ethnic, however a lot of right wing nationalists have very strong views on immigration of non whites, and a lot of them also make a distinction between white British, Western European, Eastern European, Asian and African. Like they won't complain if you're French coming to the UK, but they will if you're Polish. Or if you're Muslim in general. But that has more to do with racism and xenophobia than with patriotism, although the two things are very intertwined in Europe, as of lately.

Xenophobia is, at its core, simply an extension of patriotism.
Patriotism is essentially the loyalty towards your country. If you take that to its logical conclusion, it becomes the belief that your country is better (or more "deserving" of your loyalty). From there it's just one stone throw away from decrying other countries, and eventually hating them.
Mix that with nationalism and you get a strong hatred towards other nations, which of course translates into what manifests as racism and xenophobia.

That's why I tend to stay away from the flag-waving, hat-tipping patriots in my own country when I can. It's a poisonous train of thought that only leads to more poison at the end.

[Aelex]

discriminated minority ppfffft i wont be getting into that garbage

They can do their parades, it doesn't change their disloyalty or hypocrisy.

Yeah, whitesplain the shit out of this "garbage" please. I'm eager to ear your how so intelligent logic.

And, technically, they're neither disloyal (since they are expressing their loyalty toward what is technically their true country since you unlawfully stole the land from it) nor hypocrites (because they're not lying to themselves and calling themselves "loyals" to a country who never gave a shit about them anyway).

[Imperializt Russia]

What's wrong with that? You conquerred them and now they end up as a discriminated minority even though they make the majority of the population in these place.
I don't see any reason of why they shouldn't do their parades if you're doing your own ones.

discriminated minority ppfffft i wont be getting into that garbage

They can do their parades, it doesn't change their disloyalty or hypocrisy.

I'm pretty sure that a people is under no obligation to be loyal to you when you conquer their land and arbitrarily claim you're part of the same country now.

[Cymrea]

Disagree. Denying someone's freedom of cultural identity is wrong, particularly in a country that prides itself on freedom.

America is still considered a land of immigrants, and when those immigrants are recently arrived from other countries, it's natural to want to retain their cultural identity. Same holds true for first-generation Americans born to immigrants. And then there are those who, regardless of when they or their forebears arrived in the States, identify most strongly as simply American. None of them are wrong. And don't mistake a celebration of ancestry as disloyalty, either.

have you seen the mexican loyalists in california? you know the ones who have there little parades waving their flags and practically saying "fuck you" to the united states?

Have you heard of the First Amendment?

[North Calaveras]

discriminated minority ppfffft i wont be getting into that garbage

They can do their parades, it doesn't change their disloyalty or hypocrisy.

Yeah, whitesplain the shit out of this "garbage" please. I'm eager to ear your how so intelligent logic.

And, technically, they're neither disloyal (since they are expressing their loyalty toward what is technically their true country since you unlawfully stole the land from it) nor hypocrites (because they're not lying to themselves and calling themselves "loyals" to a country who never gave a shit about them anyway).

for the bolded: it is foolish to think of any territoral gain as "unlawful" as there is no real international law

and of course you had to go with whitesplain...

[North Calaveras]

have you seen the mexican loyalists in california? you know the ones who have there little parades waving their flags and practically saying "fuck you" to the united states?

Have you heard of the First Amendment?

I never said they shouldn't be allowed to so why are you bringing that up?

[Imperializt Russia]

Yeah, whitesplain the shit out of this "garbage" please. I'm eager to ear your how so intelligent logic.

And, technically, they're neither disloyal (since they are expressing their loyalty toward what is technically their true country since you unlawfully stole the land from it) nor hypocrites (because they're not lying to themselves and calling themselves "loyals" to a country who never gave a shit about them anyway).

for the bolded: it is foolish to think of any territoral gain as "unlawful" as there is no real international law

Bullshit.

[Cymrea]

there is nothing wrong with celebrating it...to an extent but when your waving your ancestors flag around yet I never see you with an american flag, it makes me wonder where your loyalty really lays.

You see them all the time?

[North Calaveras]

for the bolded: it is foolish to think of any territoral gain as "unlawful" as there is no real international law

Bullshit.

tell me more about the international law during the time where american annexed parts of mexico and how international law, even today, is nothing but a silly joke.

[The Lithuanian-Surinamese Caliphate]

We don't demand that Spanish people go by "Kingdomers" , that Brazilians go by "Federative Republicans", or that Chinese go by "People's Republicers". -snipped the rest-

Basically this, along with what I said before.

[North Calaveras]

there is nothing wrong with celebrating it...to an extent but when your waving your ancestors flag around yet I never see you with an american flag, it makes me wonder where your loyalty really lays.

You see them all the time?

when i say that I mean that i often see people waving their flag of heritage but rarley will you find them supporting the United States openly, a good example was during the egyptian revolution where tons of so called "egyptian americans" came out of the woodwork, but whenever there was a tragedy for americans(like benghazi) they were not to be seen.

[Liberty and Linguistics]

If you say "I'm American", it generally means "I come from the USA", unless some other context is used or implied.

[Krasny-Volny]

What's wrong with saying I'm American?

OK, speaking as a serious budget traveler here:

I've generally found that my risks of getting kidnapped for political causes/Islamic extremism/media publicity/ransom, getting robbed, or meeting somebody, especially in the Muslim world, with a serious chip on their shoulder spirals alarmingly if I go around saying I'm an American. As opposed to say, Canadian.

Nobody fucking hates Canadians except maybe other Americans.

On the other hand, all these countries with disproportionate minorities of people that hate our guts are also required to pay lip service to the U.S. State Department. Which means my American passport gets me more places without a visa.

So to the Customs officials, I'm American. To everybody else, I'm Canadian.

[Aelex]

for the bolded: it is foolish to think of any territoral gain as "unlawful" as there is no real international law

and of course you had to go with whitesplain...

Well saying "My nation is part of a continent so anything else in the said continent is destined by God to be part of it" ain't what we could call a "valid" casus belli.
Hell, even the Franco-Prussian war or WW1 were more legitimate!

And, I'm not a S.J.W but you honestly sound so much like one of these overly nationalists and racists red-necks that I could do nothing but to stole a term from them, just so one time in all it's history it could used on a situation were it's accurate.

[Ziegenhain]

Nothing.

Last I checked we are the only nation in America to have the word America in our name

It makes sense from that relly

[Bezombia]

Bullshit.

tell me more about the international law during the time where american annexed parts of mexico and how international law, even today, is nothing but a silly joke.

Do you know anything about global politics?
This is an important question before I consider an answer to your post.

[Kar-Esseria]

I was talking with some guy from colombia who went off on me when I said I was an American. He said something like everyone in the Americas is an American. I agreed but then said he wasn't asking what continent I came from but what country. Then I asked how many countries have America in their name. He didn't answer but went on about Americans being arrogant etc.

I thought I had a good point. People don't say they are from a continent. They say they are from a country. My country is America. Is there another country called America?

How many countries have America in their name? I know one.

There is only one country called America.

Latin Americans need to cut this "United Statesian" bullshit. They don't call themselves Americans, they never will, and "United Statesian" is a fucking stupid name and we are not going to change our demonym because a because a bunch of butthurt people from irrelevant countries want us to.

Nobody ever refers to people from both the Americas, and thus using "American" to describe all the peoples of the Americas is fucking stupid, the word would immediately fall out of use if this were the case because no one would use it then, because there is never a reason to refer to ALL the peoples of the Americas. There's barely a reason to refer to people fro North, Central, or South Americans (when there is, it is North American, Central American, and South American respectively), let alone the entirety of the Americas. People from Latin America are referred to as Latinos.

They need to get over themselves and stop complaining about such a non-issue.