Some say to stop using the word ‘American’. What’s next?

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Mother Angelica bashed political correctness and so should we.

The college’s are not even intelligent any more. They have fallen from even basic natural reality.
Instead if gaining knowledge in college, students get the religion of the left.
 
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I had to learn to stop saying “American” to mean USA when I spent 2 years in a grad program with people from 100+ countries, including a number of Central and South Americans.

They consider themselves Americans also.

It is usually okay to use the term if you’re only around other US people or in Europe or Australia or someplace far removed from South America.
 
So is it still okay to sing “Proud to Be an American” and the umpteen songs by Tom Petty, Taylor Swift etc called “American Girl” in Colorado?
How about LCD Soundsystem’s “North American Scum”?
 
This is nothing new.

A lot of Latin Americans say that the USA has co-opted the word America to refer to itself when the term “America” refers not just to the USA but to all countries in the Americas.

This is why they use the term “Estados Unidense” instead of “Americano”.

It makes sense in Spanish but in English it would be United Statesian which would be frankly stupid.
 
Sarcelle said:
This is nothing new.
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I second this.

I was always taught that people from Mexico, Canada, and Latin America refer and think of themselves as “Americans” too but I’ve always used the demonym “Mexican” or “Canadian”, etc…to refer to them, while reserving “American” to people from the U.S. . Pure convenience. I don’t want to go around saying “person from the United States” or “United States-er” whenever I talk about Americans.
 
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Sarcelle said:
This is nothing new.

A lot of Latin Americans say that the USA has co-opted the word America to refer to itself when the term “America” refers not just to the USA but to all countries in the Americas.

This is why they use the term “Estados Unidense” instead of “Americano”.

It makes sense in Spanish but in English it would be United Statesian which would be frankly stupid.
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Yes, there are other American countries, but only one country has the word America in its actual name. We are not simply the U.S., we are the U.S.A. we are not just “The States”, we are the United States of America. If “The States” is an acceptable shortening of our name, why is “America” unacceptable? There is no intent to exclude Canadians, Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, Etc. It was just a natural shortening of a somewhat long name.

Perhaps the increased globalization of our society requires an examination of our language, but to have the current and past usage painted as offensive and discriminatory seems problematic.

Perhaps other American nationals should just start referring to themselves as “Americans”. If it catches on, citizens of the United States will naturally come up with a new and distinctive name for ourselves, without having it be imposed by the language police.
 
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Okay. But, I am American. I live in the United States of America. Some parts of my family were here before it was called that. I love America. America isn’t perfect, but she is my home.
 
When I was in Italy it was the same - American was anyone from North or South America.

Normally, one would ask the state or city.

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That’s the Italian word for someone from the US. Would the English equivalent be, United Statesmen?
 
United Statesmen?

That would be sexist since there are obviously women in the USA.

This is tongue in cheek by the way.

In all seriousness, United Stateman, United Statesian, USAian, fat chance getting those terms to be used more than American.
 
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That’s a perjorative frankly speaking.

Used to refer to Americans as fat, loud, and stupid.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
So is it still okay to sing “Proud to Be an American” and the umpteen songs by Tom Petty, Taylor Swift etc called “American Girl” in Colorado?
How about LCD Soundsystem’s “North American Scum”?
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I think that context is all.

I’d be astonished if more than a few people (including people from the US) knew that the whole of the landmass is the Americas and that even the continent of North America includes Canada and an additional 21 countries.

If I meet someone who sounds like she has an ‘American’ accent, then I would ask ‘What part of the States you from?’ But that’s partly down to learning Spanish and place names in Spanish. There’s no such place as ‘America’. It’s los Estados Unidos. Oddly, the Spanish for US is EEUU (estados and unidos both being plural).
 
Sarcelle said:
Used to refer to Americans as fat, loud, and stupid.
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Really? I didn’t know that.

It was meant as a joke, but apologies for any offence.

P.S. Americans are most certainly loud.
 
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No not offended.

Don’t worry about it and no apologies needed.

As for Americans being loud, I’m scratching my head and trying to think of anyone I know who’s loud. Most people I know speak a bit too softly but maybe that’s just my social circle.
 
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To be purely pedantic, part of the Canadian Constitution is the British North America Act.
 
I’ve heard of UPers or Yoopers for those who live in the UP of Michigan.

As for UKers, British would be more appropriate right?
 
I’m fine with calling myself a Pennsylvanian.
 
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