Do you call U.S. citizens "Americans"?

[Anonymous]

No American cares what Canadians or Mexicans think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen this as an issue. I think of myself as American and regularly refer to U.S. residents as Americans. But I was recently called out on this by a Canadian friend who said that they (and Central and South Americans) take offense at us calling ourselves "American", as though the rest of North American and South America don't exist.

My response is that it's a shortening of "United State of America" not a reference to the continent I live on. And I can't think of any other countries in North or South America who use America in their country name. What else would say we are? United Statesian?
Also, if I were going to refer to my larger region (like Europeans or Asians or Africans) I would say I'm North American, not simply American.

But, liberal me wants to do the right thing. Have you thought about this and how do you refer to yourself if not as an "American"?

Tell them if they have a problem with it to kiss your a$$. Canadians have a huge border & zillions of dollars in natural resources. If it wasn’t for our military, the Russians & Chinese would be carving up their provinces like a Thanksgiving turkey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hate us cause they ain't us.

+1

+1000

[Anonymous]

It’s kinda like how the U of North Carolina has seized the “Carolina” thing on sweatshirts & t-shorts. The U of South Carolina might not like it, & they try to grab it back, but nobody’s buying it.

[Anonymous]

OMG. When will this stupidity stop?

Of course U.S. citizens are Americans. The end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a push to get us to change the names of songs like "American the beautiful" because the South Americans get so upset over it. They're very vocal online.

Online makes many people very silly and easily offended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen this as an issue. I think of myself as American and regularly refer to U.S. residents as Americans. But I was recently called out on this by a Canadian friend who said that they (and Central and South Americans) take offense at us calling ourselves "American", as though the rest of North American and South America don't exist.

My response is that it's a shortening of "United State of America" not a reference to the continent I live on. And I can't think of any other countries in North or South America who use America in their country name. What else would say we are? United Statesian?
Also, if I were going to refer to my larger region (like Europeans or Asians or Africans) I would say I'm North American, not simply American.

But, liberal me wants to do the right thing. Have you thought about this and how do you refer to yourself if not as an "American"?

You need to be politically correct not to offend your Canadian friend and call yourself USAer. And why are you referring to him as a Canadian if he is American as well?

Better yet, 'Murican, eff ya

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 issues: we have 7 continents in the USA that we learn about- North America and South America are different. In South America, they only have 1 American continent and consider themselves "Americans" the way all the people on the European continent consider themselves "Europeans." I didn't understand this because I would call them "South Americans."

Anonymous wrote:
It's South Americans who are the most vocal about people in USA not calling ourselves American. The Canadian is just repeating their party line.

There is not a "North America" to South Americans. They consider both continents to be one American continent. That seems the easiest to fix actually. Their schools should teach S and N America as separate continents to stop the confusion.

Either this is a terminally online people trope or is limited to the Spanish-speaking part of South America because I can guarantee you that as a citizen of South America's largest country, I have never heard this that you are claiming. Ever. Maybe it's a teenager thing and I'm an out-of-touch middle-aged lady, but among my extensive network of South American friends and family, this is definitely not a thing.

Honestly?

It is probably just 26 year old upper middle class white girls who spend a lot of time talking to their camera on tiktok.

Regular people don't have time or energy for such nonsense, no matter what continent they live on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a push to get us to change the names of songs like "American the beautiful" because the South Americans get so upset over it. They're very vocal online.

Online makes many people very silly and easily offended.

+1
Understatement of the decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I knew a German woman who would ways write "US-Americans" for Americans but would just call Canadians "Canadians."

This is a bizarre complaint. Canada is the name of a country. United States of America is the name of a country.

What exactly do you think Canadians should be called by your friend, to be proper in your system of nomenclature?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has long been a pet peeve of mine, I can’t stand when people refer to USA citizens as Americans, and call this country “America”.
America encompasses all of south, central, North America. We are USA only.

So what would you refer to US citizens as? I'm talking about one word. Not US citizen. Swedish people are sweets or Swedish, Danish people are Danes, Canadian people are Canadian, Mexican or Mexican, and so on our country is called United States of America. What's a quick one word term that you would call us if not, American? We have America in the name of our country that's where it came from. No one claims that the United States of America is the entire north south Central America. We know our country is one country amongst many. It has America in the name.

[Anonymous]

I never think about it. When overseas it’s pretty clear I’m an American. My shoes are terrible.

Usually say I’m from the US or the States, just outside DC.

[Anonymous]

Yes, technically, it's not just citizens of the USA that may call themselves Americans, but anyone from anywhere in the Americas, top or bottom. Right?

But... convention. The might of this country has made it such that "American" is now understood to be just for the US.

The winners of history get to change even the meaning of words.

[Anonymous]

For Spanish speaking people in many countries we are Estadounidenses.
For most Italians, we are Americani.

[Anonymous]

Why are people complaining about the Gulf of America then?