Referring to people from USA as "American"

[Anonymous]

So, I guess those in Iran chanting “Death to America” are not referring to the people in the USA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I guess those in Iran chanting “Death to America” are not referring to the people in the USA?

They are using one of the meanings of the word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I guess those in Iran chanting “Death to America” are not referring to the people in the USA?

Well, in all honesty, yes. Yes indeed, our "friends" who Kerry is currently negociating with, do chant "death to America." (you should see the online photos of the museum they have set up!).

And they are clearly NOT referring to Latin America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I guess those in Iran chanting “Death to America” are not referring to the people in the USA?

Obviously they are including Canadians and Brazilians when they say that.

Stupid political post that shouldn't be in this thread. And did you even read the thread, or read OP's post?

[Anonymous]

People en Ecuador upset about "America the Beautiful" are irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:South American here. Yes, to be fully accurate, Europeans (including France as far as I know) are taught that Antarctica is a continent, while Latin Americans are taught that it is not. My point, however, remains that Europeans and Latin Americans (and many others) consider that America is a continent.

America is part of the world. N. America and S. America are continents

[Anonymous]

I find this really interesting. It honestly never occurred to me that people would find the use of "American" offensive.

Here was my thinking...
From my experience, people have far more of their identity invested in their country. Though I've traveled there extensively, I can not recall anyone referring to themselves as a "European" they identify with their country.

I also have had quite a bit of exposure to immigrants from Africa. In my experience, they find it extremely frustrating when we refer to "Africans" because in their mind there are huge differences between the various countries. Again, these people refer to themselves as "Ethiopian" or "Kenyan" not "African".

I realize that the word "America" appears in the names of both the continents, but we are the only COUNTRY with the word America in it. Again, I would have thought a Brazilian would identify far more as a Brazilian than as a "South American" or a person from Mexico would identify as a Mexican, rather than a "North American".

I don't see it as placing value judgments on one country's superiority over another, but just a use of precise language to indicate an individual's country.

So again, really interesting to me, and I'll keep it in mind, but I have to admit this seems to fly in the face of all of my previous encounters with people from other countries.

[Anonymous]

Should we use "Republican" to describe those from the Democratic Republic of Congo? How about "Democratic Republicans?"

[Anonymous]

Go to Europe, Asia, Africa, anywhere, and say you are American. Wait for them to ask you "from which country?"

Wait. wait. wait. Keep waiting.

[Anonymous]

Are people from Southern Africa annoyed that they can't say they are from South Africa without people assuming the country?

[Anonymous]

Why do you think the sub-continents of North America and South America -- or the regions called North America, Central America, and South America-- have the word "America" on it ??

It would be an incredible coincidence that, since the early 16th century, there was a region called "America" that magically spanned only between the Rio Grande and what is now the Canadian border, and nothing else, and between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans -- nevermind that most of that territory belonged to the Spanish (later, Mexican) and French governments for most of that period.

It is obviously much more likely, and backed by historical evidence (see the 1507 map above as one example), that the name America was assigned to the new landmass discovered after 1492. Whether America is a continent or a supercontinent is irrelevant. The fact is that this (super) continent was then classified as having three parts -- north, central, and south -- and, in some countries, people began to be taught that this (super) continent actually consisted of two continents (or subcontinents, if you prefer).

There is no "country" called "America". There is one country called "United States of America."

Finally, I would bet that a German or a Swiss regard themselves as European - even if the German also belongs to something called "European Union" while the Swiss does not. It would be silly to think that only people from the European Union are "European."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find this really interesting. It honestly never occurred to me that people would find the use of "American" offensive.

Here was my thinking...
From my experience, people have far more of their identity invested in their country. Though I've traveled there extensively, I can not recall anyone referring to themselves as a "European" they identify with their country.

I also have had quite a bit of exposure to immigrants from Africa. In my experience, they find it extremely frustrating when we refer to "Africans" because in their mind there are huge differences between the various countries. Again, these people refer to themselves as "Ethiopian" or "Kenyan" not "African".

I realize that the word "America" appears in the names of both the continents, but we are the only COUNTRY with the word America in it. Again, I would have thought a Brazilian would identify far more as a Brazilian than as a "South American" or a person from Mexico would identify as a Mexican, rather than a "North American".

I don't see it as placing value judgments on one country's superiority over another, but just a use of precise language to indicate an individual's country.

So again, really interesting to me, and I'll keep it in mind, but I have to admit this seems to fly in the face of all of my previous encounters with people from other countries.

Did you read through the thread? Apparently all of Central/South America only believe there's ONE continent named "America." Hence their upset at USA being called Americans (not that I agree with them).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to Europe, Asia, Africa, anywhere, and say you are American. Wait for them to ask you "from which country?"

Wait. wait. wait. Keep waiting.

Because, depending on the context, they can easily derive that you are using one of the two meanings of the word.

[Anonymous]

Mexico is actually the United Mexican States. Should they be pissed that the "United States" is short hand for the USA?

Estados Unidos Mexicanos and United States of America would be similarly translated in other languages, for example, in French the USA is Les Etats Unis, which is just "the states united." It's shorthand, yes, but now people in France can't use Les Etats Unis as shorthand for Mexico.

The world knows there is the country America and the continent(s) of America(s). It's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to Europe, Asia, Africa, anywhere, and say you are American. Wait for them to ask you "from which country?"

Wait. wait. wait. Keep waiting.

Because, depending on the context, they can easily derive that you are using one of the two meanings of the word.

How? If I ask someone where they are from and they say, "European" or "French," I know. But if people actually thought we were all Americans, they would have to ask when I say "American." They don't ask. They know what I mean.