What's wrong with saying I'm American?

[Krasny-Volny]

Spanish? Oh come on, now you will start with the false rumours spread by the british and "americans" like the "spanish inquisition", or "spanish atrocities in cuba", or we exterminating Aztecs and Incas? You know was the chickenpox who killed so many people in south america, right?

Most scholars of Mesoamerican history can agree that the political and cultural purges against the Incas, particularly in the latter part of their history, aren't false rumors spread by sensationalist in the U.S. and Britain.

The Spanish and indeed the Portuguese certainly weren't the worst colonial powers or the most brutal, but that doesn't mean excesses weren't committed. Conquering any continent is a brutal business.

Germans? Except WWII, they did almost nothing, coz they had few colonies.

The Germans were the first colonial empire to be accused of genocide. In Namibia. Mass killings and concentration camps.

Nobody remembered though, because it happened in Africa.

[Ashkera]

This person came from a different language background. ...

This is really what it comes down to.

[Deuxtete]

1 in 10 Americans have some Irish Ancestry, Iirc its second just slightly behind German in terms of European ancestry.

That being said my family has traced back to 1400s Ireland, up until the 20th century the only non-Irish to mingle in my paternal line was native American and African, and my maternal line has been in the nation for only three generations living among the Irish dominated communities in the south.

I hate plastic paddies and if you hand me green beer with a fucking shamrock in it, we're going to fight.

I was born in Canada to parents from Wales and Scotland, have emigrated to the U.S., and naturalised. I consider myself both American and Canadian (supported by a de facto dual citizenship), but I also consider myself Welsh and Scottish. I celebrate being Canadian on July 1st (Canada Day) and I celebrate being American on the Fourth of July. My loyalties are to the U.S. first and Canada a very very close second; this is a choice I make because I was born into Canadian citizenship, but I chose American citizenship and swore an oath of loyalty. That means something to me.

And St. Patrick was originally from Wales, so the Irish can just chill.

It's my understanding Saint Patrick's is a Catholic holiday, I thought it was celecrated by Catholics everywhere, Patrick is the Patron saint of Ireland...so they're unlikely to chillout.
However American Irish need to recognize that in Ireland(and perhaps Wales) saint Patrick's day is traditionally a more somber affair, while Irish should understand that at least for their diaspora in the US and Canada its a day to celebrate Irish heritage.

As an aside, I thought Patrick was a Briton was I mistaken? Was he Welsh?

[Nordengrund]

Maybe we should call ourselves after one of the presidents like Lincolnians or Jeffersonians or Rooseveltians.

[Deuxtete]

Maybe we should call ourselves after one of the presidents like Lincolnians or Jeffersonians or Rooseveltians.

I'm pretty sure Jeffersonian is already taken.

[Dooom35796821595]

And I thought this would be more about how hated america is around the world.....as for the OP, since no other country is called america they are in the wrong. Even Europeans refer to their country, not continent.

[Ashkera]

A minor derivated culture don't make it insignificant. You're simply to European Culture what is the Arabian to the Persian's one.

Er, American culture is exported all over the world and is fairly distinct from the original cultures that spawned it. (Ever compare UK English idioms to US ones, for instance? Plus speech restrictions as compared to Europe, gun culture, capitalism... all sorts of things like blue jeans, coca-cola, and jazz. Though not all of it's good.)

The way I see it, you're just intent on arguing American culture doesn't count because you don't care for it. It's basically an international pissing contest, which is also the reason Vektra said America has "no history" despite that being an extremely narrow and useless definition of history.

"French culture is better because it's older!" is subjective, though. The choice of a criterion is itself a value judgment... which is itself influenced by culture.

French culture is older, that's true. It's not necessarily better. Or worse, for that matter. American culture is quite influential. That's also true.

Either way, I think you're actually ignoring the richness present within American culture. It's there if you look for it, although you won't find it in the Michael Bay movies America exports. That's like relying on anime for Japan...

[Katuzil]

but that's the problem isn't it? it's a bad habit and is incorrect because it implies nationality that is not yours.

You seem to be uninformed as to how nationalism works.

You see, in Europe, the majority of sovereign countries are nation-states (unrelated to this forum) - in other words, the legitimacy of the country is based on the "nation", which is made up of its people. In other other words, the countries have a generally single "identity" with a physical base, upon which the nation-state draws its legitimacy.
In other other other words: "Germany for the Germans, France for the French, England for the English," etc.

America doesn't have that. There is no real American "nation" of people - we're called the melting pot for a reason. American culture is just a conglomeration of cultures from other places. There is no physical base for an "American" nationality, just like there's no such thing as a "United Kingdomian" nationalist or an "Antarctican" nationality.

Because of that, the only "identifying" physical base of someone of American nationality is of what physical nationality said base derives from. Someone who was born in Germany and is German does not suddenly stop being German when they leave the country. Likewise, from a physical standpoint their children (presuming, of course, that the other parent was also German) will still be physically German, even if they were born in America.
So because there is no physical American nationality, the 2nd-generation German immigrant will say that he is "German" because that's what actually identifies him. You can get all egalitarian and say that he's technically American as he was born in America, and you'd probably be right - but that's like saying that someone born in France isn't French, he's "European" because he was born in the EU. From an objective standpoint it makes perfect sense, but nationalism is not objective and cannot be measured as such.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that European "nation-states" are just that - nation-states. Someone born outside the "state" can still be a part of the "nation", and someone born outside the "nation" can still be a part of the "state". That's why the 2nd generation German immigrant would still be referred to as a German-American (German being the nation, i.e. what's in his blood, and American being the state, i.e. what's under his boots).
In Europe, this is not a thing because the nations are so clearly delineated that it would never be an issue.

If anything, there's more nationalism regarding the individual states than there is the country as a whole. And because said nationalism is not based on a physical nation, only the "state" part actually becomes "American".

The core of the issue here, to recap, is that nationalism is based only upon the existence of a nation, and not upon the existence of a nation-state. This is why you can be nationally Irish even if you've never set foot in Ireland. It's also why, for example, someone born in Northern Ireland could accurately be referred to as "British" even though Northern Ireland does not exist on the island of Great Britain.

Well, with the Ireland situation, you can technically be called 'British' in Northern Ireland due to the British Isles, which includes the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland. The only problem you're left with is that people from the ROI (Republic of Ireland, or Ireland) would also in that context be called British, which is incorrect politically. To be honest though, nobody uses the term 'British Isles' any-more because its outdated. I think it should be re-named like 'The British-Ireland Isles' or 'Britain-Éire Isles' or something.

Everything else I agree with. If someone is born in Germany, but move to the USA and get US Citizenship, they are German-American, because they are ethnically German, but live in the USA and is a citizen of the USA. Also works if 2 German-Americans have a child, the child would be German-American. You can't class yourself as German-American unless everyone in your family has pure German blood in the family tree, which if someone whose Great-Grandfather is German, for example, is highly unlikely that everyone else in the tree would be Ethnic Germans too.

[Deuxtete]

You seem to be uninformed as to how nationalism works.

You see, in Europe, the majority of sovereign countries are nation-states (unrelated to this forum) - in other words, the legitimacy of the country is based on the "nation", which is made up of its people. In other other words, the countries have a generally single "identity" with a physical base, upon which the nation-state draws its legitimacy.
In other other other words: "Germany for the Germans, France for the French, England for the English," etc.

America doesn't have that. There is no real American "nation" of people - we're called the melting pot for a reason. American culture is just a conglomeration of cultures from other places. There is no physical base for an "American" nationality, just like there's no such thing as a "United Kingdomian" nationalist or an "Antarctican" nationality.

Because of that, the only "identifying" physical base of someone of American nationality is of what physical nationality said base derives from. Someone who was born in Germany and is German does not suddenly stop being German when they leave the country. Likewise, from a physical standpoint their children (presuming, of course, that the other parent was also German) will still be physically German, even if they were born in America.
So because there is no physical American nationality, the 2nd-generation German immigrant will say that he is "German" because that's what actually identifies him. You can get all egalitarian and say that he's technically American as he was born in America, and you'd probably be right - but that's like saying that someone born in France isn't French, he's "European" because he was born in the EU. From an objective standpoint it makes perfect sense, but nationalism is not objective and cannot be measured as such.

Furthermore, it's worth noting that European "nation-states" are just that - nation-states. Someone born outside the "state" can still be a part of the "nation", and someone born outside the "nation" can still be a part of the "state". That's why the 2nd generation German immigrant would still be referred to as a German-American (German being the nation, i.e. what's in his blood, and American being the state, i.e. what's under his boots).
In Europe, this is not a thing because the nations are so clearly delineated that it would never be an issue.

If anything, there's more nationalism regarding the individual states than there is the country as a whole. And because said nationalism is not based on a physical nation, only the "state" part actually becomes "American".

The core of the issue here, to recap, is that nationalism is based only upon the existence of a nation, and not upon the existence of a nation-state. This is why you can be nationally Irish even if you've never set foot in Ireland. It's also why, for example, someone born in Northern Ireland could accurately be referred to as "British" even though Northern Ireland does not exist on the island of Great Britain.

Well, with the Ireland situation, you can technically be called 'British' in Northern Ireland due to the British Isles, which includes the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland. The only problem you're left with is that people from the ROI (Republic of Ireland, or Ireland) would also in that context be called British, which is incorrect politically. To be honest though, nobody uses the term 'British Isles' any-more because its outdated. I think it should be re-named like 'The British-Ireland Isles' or 'Britain-Éire Isles' or something.

Everything else I agree with. If someone is born in Germany, but move to the USA and get US Citizenship, they are German-American, because they are ethnically German, but live in the USA and is a citizen of the USA. Also works if 2 German-Americans have a child, the child would be German-American. You can't class yourself as German-American unless everyone in your family has pure German blood in the family tree, which if someone whose Great-Grandfather is German, for example, is highly unlikely that everyone else in the tree would be Ethnic Germans too.

Your criteria for claiming heritage smacks of the "one drop rule", that's disturbing.

[Rio Cana]

We could always annex North and South America and that issue would vanish .

I do not think these guys would go for that. (see video)

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaFJvOfuQ58

[Rio Cana]

We could always annex North and South America and that issue would vanish .

I think most latins would approve this, things just can't get worse around here.

Seems you need to be reminded. (see video which comes with English subtitles)
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql0G312R2IQ

[The Liberated Territories]

Personally I want to be a Columbian (the poetic name of America).

Colombia can just change their name to something else so we don't get mixed up.

[Ashkera]

I think most latins would approve this, things just can't get worse around here.

Seems you need to be reminded. (see video which comes with English subtitles)
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql0G312R2IQ

Plus, let's be honest, as a real country, the good ol' US of A (tm) doesn't have the budget for that, and many areas administered or tampered with by America haven't worked out as well as planned unless they were previously developed economies with relatively low corruption.

I mean, I'd take American occupation any day of the week over Chinese or Russian occupation, but still.

[BK117B2]

There is nothing even remotely wrong about it. It's a logical choice

The issue is that some people enjoy wasting time looking at the world around them for reasons to be upset.

[USS Monitor]

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.

He was just jealous of your sexy butt, except he didn't want to come out and say that because then someone might think he was gay. Seems like the most likely explanation.

On a more serious note, some people just get their panties in a bunch over things that aren't really important. You don't have to accommodate every person who gets offended. If they explained why they're offended and you still think it's stupid, you're allowed to tell them they're being oversensitive.

[Rio Cana]

I'm speaking as a South American. And actually there are way more brazilians living in total misery than the whole population of those countries. Brazil is almost half of the continent in size, you know.

But yeah, I understand what you mean, it's just that things really doesn't seem to be getting better anytime soon.

The poverty rate in Brazil is less than half what it is in Nicaragua (Nicaragua is 43% Brazil is 21%). And I'm sure Brazil has a better "safety net".

So the poverty rate in Nicaragua is less then the poverty rate in Puerto Rico USA which according to the US Census rate is 45%

The following from July 2015 from Malley who is running for the democratic nomination for US Pres.

Today, more than 45 percent of the people in Puerto Rico are living in poverty, the childhood poverty rate is greater than 56 percent and real unemployment is much too high

Edit - If that 21% poverty for Brazil is correct then the US state of Mississippi has more poverty then the whole nation of Brazil. Mississippi is around 24%.

Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of the state's residents at 24.1%, or a total of 695,915 Mississippians, live below the poverty line. The child poverty rate, at 33.7%, is even worse.

[Ashmoria]

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.

we have "dibs" on being americans. that's all that matters.

[North Calaveras]

if these other nations are so butthurt about us being called americans, why don't they change their national names to america like us?

[Aelex]

if these other nations are so butthurt about us being called americans, why don't they change their national names to america like us?

Because your name ain't "America" maybe?

[North Calaveras]

if these other nations are so butthurt about us being called americans, why don't they change their national names to america like us?

Because your name ain't "America" maybe?

yes it is, our official name is the United States of America...

[USS Monitor]

The poverty rate in Brazil is less than half what it is in Nicaragua (Nicaragua is 43% Brazil is 21%). And I'm sure Brazil has a better "safety net".

So the poverty rate in Nicaragua is less then the poverty rate in Puerto Rico USA which according to the US Census rate is 45%

The following from July 2015 from Malley who is running for the democratic nomination for US Pres.

Today, more than 45 percent of the people in Puerto Rico are living in poverty, the childhood poverty rate is greater than 56 percent and real unemployment is much too high

Edit - If that 21% poverty for Brazil is correct then the US state of Mississippi has more poverty then the whole nation of Brazil. Mississippi is around 24%.

Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the U.S. Nearly a quarter of the state's residents at 24.1%, or a total of 695,915 Mississippians, live below the poverty line. The child poverty rate, at 33.7%, is even worse.

Yeah, Mississippi is a craphole.

[Aelex]

Because your name ain't "America" maybe?

yes it is, our official name is the United States of America...

United State of America. Not America.

[Toubourlouki]

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.

Now imagine if you were Canadian.

[Imperial Esplanade]

So the poverty rate in Nicaragua is less then the poverty rate in Puerto Rico USA which according to the US Census rate is 45%

The following from July 2015 from Malley who is running for the democratic nomination for US Pres.

Edit - If that 21% poverty for Brazil is correct then the US state of Mississippi has more poverty then the whole nation of Brazil. Mississippi is around 24%.

Yeah, Mississippi is a craphole.

Mississippi is that 40-year-old man who still lives with his parents, he doesn't get a job and just watches porn all day.

[North Calaveras]

yes it is, our official name is the United States of America...

United State of America. Not America.

okay? were still American

Am I supposed to call the british United Kindomans?