No Mutatis, I have nothing to support this, other than the Humane Society's warning to watch out for your black cat. I'm not going to research it. It's another of those things I try not to think about. It would sure be nice if it weren't true.
No Mutatis, I have nothing to support this, other than the Humane Society's warning to watch out for your black cat. I'm not going to research it. It's another of those things I try not to think about. It would sure be nice if it weren't true.
Come on. We all know that the United States is the real America.Originally Posted by JBI
On a slightly more serious note, citizens of the United States are known as "Americans," so it's really not that much of a stretch to go to referring to the US as "America." Unless you want to be called an American too? I don't know if we'll let you into our exclusive club.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not.
Okay. Still, a quick Google search of "satanists sacrifice baby" yielded nothing of substance. Don't believe everything you hear, is all I'm saying.
Okay Mutatis, but if I get a black cat I will be careful with it.
Hurricane, we are no more Americans than people in Peru. We should be called Statesians or something, and then other countries wouldn't call us smug and snarky.
Would a rose smell as sweet by any other name?
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
Hurricane, we are no more Americans than people in Peru. We should be called Statesians or something, and then other countries wouldn't call us smug and snarky.
Vonny... have you actually ever heard any South Americans complaining about our being called Americans? JCamillo, the Brazilian Member who is a regular here refers to us as Americans. Statesians? First that sounds absolutely horrible... secondly it ignores the numerous other countries that have the term "states" in their name, such as our neighbor to the immediate South, The United Mexican States... commonly known as Mexico.
Beware of the man with just one book. -Ovid
The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.- Mark Twain
My Blog: Of Delicious Recoil
http://stlukesguild.tumblr.com/
Last night I watched a documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon, about the first moon landing, and Michael Collins said this:
"After the flight of Apollo 11, the three of us went on an around the world trip. Wherever we went, people instead of saying, 'Well, you Americans did it,' Everywere, they said, 'We did it. We humankind, we the human race, we people did it,' And I had never heard of people in different countries use this word 'We, we, we' as emphatically as we were hearing from Europeans, Asians, Africans... Wherever we went, it was, 'We finally did it.' And I thought that was a wonderful thing. Ephemeral, but wonderful."
Edit: Luke, I didn't see you there before I posted this. That wasn't really my point.
Last edited by Vonny; 09-13-2011 at 10:27 PM.
I have always tried to use the word "estadounidense" ("United Statesian", that is) instead of "americano" when I speak Spanish. I rarely (once or twice a year) converse in Spanish now, and my vocabulary is shot, but I used to do it more often, and was at least verging on fluency once I got going. Anyhow, I don't think I ever heard any native speakers use the word "estadounidense" in conversation. I think things might be different in the University, or in some professional settings (Spanish Wikipedia, and a couple of online newspapers I just checked, are using "estadounidense"...), but I have heard the word "americano" used to refer to U.S. citizens and so on (except maybe on TV?).
Maybe someone else here can provide more insight, but I think one problem might simply be that "estadounidense" has an extra two syllables... (In fact, I just noticed a variant I had never seen before, which has notably eliminated one of the two extra syllables: "estadunidense"). Another factor might be that I've only used Spanish in the U.S., and maybe "americano" is something that people use more often once they are here. But anyhow, I've conversed with Spanish-speakers from countries throughout the Western Hemisphere, and I occasionally have gotten something like a little smile when I say "estadounidense". Maybe it's gotten to the point where they can see some kind of uncertainty in my eyes or something...I'm still going to use it, though.
(Actually, one term I sometimes hear is "gringo", and it certainly isn't necessarily intended to offend--although I've seen people suddenly avoid it when talking to me, I guess because it can be used negatively and better safe than sorry.)
EDIT: Something I just learned about "estadounidense". It is technically fine to use it on Mexicans, as well, because the official name of that country is The United Mexican States. Huh.
Last edited by billl; 09-13-2011 at 11:03 PM.
I actually have had arguments with South Americans over the notion of a panamerican identity. Personally, I don't want to be associated with it anyway. Plus, Canada as a place name and national identity predates the formation of the United States, since it was the name of the French colony that is now Quebec.
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
It's not solely the fault of Americans that we are called Americans. We aren't, after all, the only nation to refer to us as Americans. Last time I checked, the whole world did.
Yes it is, you chose the name lol.
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we started it, and I'm all for fixing it if people really are interested, but the situation is kind of a mess and will probably remain so for a while.
I never said we didn't choose to call ourselves Americans--though, how does one know this, and how is it provable? I said it wasn't solely the fault of Americans. After all, if the world was so annoyed by it, they could call us something else. Hell, we surely started referring to ourselves as Americans long before The United States of America was formed, so if it did come down to a case of us being to blame for our moniker because we chose it, it would be the British's fault, wouldn't it?
Still, "Americans" seems completely appropriate. Canada and Mexico have a base to work off of for their self-identifications--we don't. We're The United States of America. As has been pointed out, statesians would make even less sense, since there are far more nation states on the whole than just within the American continents.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure we started it, and I'm all for fixing it if people really are interested, but the situation is kind of a mess
There is nothing that needs fixing.
Beware of the man with just one book. -Ovid
The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.- Mark Twain
My Blog: Of Delicious Recoil
http://stlukesguild.tumblr.com/
I think our country, in being called America, indicates its intention to dominate. I wonder if it was planned from the beginning, to be named United States of America and then call us America.
The term "Americans" should refer to the indigenous people of these continents. But we decided to call them Indians and thereby make them foreigners in their own land.
Instead of Americans maybe we should be called Timbuktuians.
(There's something about Luke that brings out the bratty little sister in me!)
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