Look at this thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=1712895#post1712895 Why do US citizens call themselves americans as if it were the same? I'm american since the day I was born. I like to be american but now it seems I'm not. If you are born in Europe then you are european I think. Then when you correct someone about this they feel you are some kind of fanatic anti-US weirdo. Why criticism about this isn't accepted?. I know you can be used to call US people americans, but it is not right. An effort should be put in changing this. This effort should come from the rest of the americans (which are the majority), it won't come from USA. Am I the only guy in the rest of America that gets pissed by this? People is getting used to it and it's very wrong. I belong to this continent too. It's a subtle way of saying "you don't exist". There should exist a word as Canada has canadian and China has chinese. Vote Chinofan for president.
18th of the month and your medicine all ready ran out? What are we supposed to call ourself smarty pants?Unitedstatesmen (whoops, not PC)? Unitedstatesians?
not in california (MAINLY MEXICANS) or florida (mainly canadians senior citizens and Sudaccas) about: ESTADOUNIDENSES?
I'm assuming Spanish is your native language? That would make you an Americano. We're American because English is our native language Seriously though...United Stater sounds stupid. We're American and North American. You're Uruguayan and South American. It's just a word...get over it. People can call themselves whatever they want. We've decided on American. I have a friend from Costa Rica and we get in this discussion all the time. He said growing up, they were taught six continents: Africa America Antarctica Asia Australia Europe Here, we're taught seven continents: Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North America South America Additionally, almost all of the countries in the Americas speak Spanish primarily, except Brazil, USA, Canada, French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana. There seems to me some pan-Spanish solidarity in the Americas that doesn't really seem prevalent amongst others in the Americas. Most of the Brazilians I've spoken with don't have this whole "American" hangup thing, nor do the Canadians (I can't speak for the Guyanese, French Guianans and the Surinamites.) Like I said, it's just words...no big deal.
well, may be some rejects from augusta, athens and atlanta that venture into the border crossing to the capital of florida or the warm of jax
Very Curious... What the hell is a North American? What did they look like? From the beginning of civilization all continents had their own populations.... original and consistent. Still mostly holds true today. AFRICA EUROPE SOUTH AMERICA Asia What the hell happened to NORTH AMERICANS? Clearly every continent has its own distinctive looking peoples. Why are Europeans and Africans populating the entire adopted continent of North America? How did an entire continent of people vanish? It is inconceivable. The land had to be as populated as all the other continents. Holy crap?
I have heard before the US is not alone in this: Countries like Brazil and Mexico have as their official name something along the same line: "Estados Unidos de Mexico" Hence, "mexicanos" and something like that with Brazil (Estados Unidos do Brazil????) hence "brazileiros" So please do stop the bitching and complaining (just kidding, you can keep it up if you want to
Re: Re: Aren't we americans? Don't they speak English in Belize? It used to be British Honduras. Also don't forget all the Caribean islands where languages other than Spanish are spoken such as Jamaica, Virgin Islands and Haiti. They aren't on a continent but then England and Iceland are considered Europe.
They are called Americans, cause their country is "the United States of America" so they are Americans. You're English if you come from England, not just cause you speak english, you're Chinese if you come from China. That's the way I see it...
Not extinct, just decimated. Actually more than decimated, since that means "reduced by 10 percent." Estimates of depopulation among native North Americans (from what is now Mexico into what is now Canada) range from 50% to 90%. The causes were primarily a host of European diseases, including smallpox, mainly, which had a tremendous impact on a genetically naive population. Other causes were, of course, warfare, and the deliberate elimination of resources (most importantly the bison herds) upon which many populations depended, but the diseases did the most damage. Most, but not all, of the time the spread of these diseases was incidental. Now, as for the question at hand: Pretty much, yeah. Furthermore, I don't see why you're getting so bunched up about it anyway. It's not like it's an indigenous name, is it?
I don't like that. Choose some more musical name. In spanish sound well, not in english. Of course you can call yourself whatever you want but american already has a meaning. You are american and north-american. You live in America. I'm american and south-american. I live in America. And words shouldn't be underestimated. I'm not saying they are not americans. Obviously they are as much as I am. What I say is that it shoudln't be used as the name of the country (USA) nor the citizens that live there, excluding other americans. America is a continent. If you live in that continent you are american. An italian is european. An egyptian (is it well written?) is african. A chinese is asian. An uruguayan is american. I see it the same way. A black chinese that speaks eskimal born in uruguay is an uruguayan (and american). P.S: Life would be easier being australian.
This is a linguistic and cultural difference that you're learning about here at big soccer. I don't see the point anymore about getting upset about it but I can also relate as I remember years ago being in Spain and being told that a U.S. Citizen was NOT an American, but a NORTH-American. This annoyed me at the time as I saw that as less descriptive, in no way identifying me as being from the United States as opposed to Mexico or Canada. The other acceptable term, Estado-unidense, just sounded ridiculous to my ears even if it was more accurate. It comes down to two things. Firstly, what was mentioned in an earlier post - the fact that people from the United States are taught (from a geological-scientific perspective) that North and South America are two distinct continents, whereas apparently in other countries, apparently those of hispanic heritage, people are taught the Americas are one great continent (from a sociological-historical perspective) - i.e. America. This helps to think of each other as brothers, which I respect, because Mexicans, Central, and South Americans share a common heritage. But it is distinct from what we are taught in the United States. The other thing is our country is called the United States of America. It's just a lot easier to say I'm an American. Also, I may be an ignoramus, but I don't think there is another country in North or South America that has the word 'America' in it's name.
I like this thread because I've thought a lot about it. America was the name given to the WHOLE continent, by Europeans. And I bet they did that before the English landed in the US. North and South america are regions, just like -Eastern Europe -Western Europe -Sub-Saharan Africa -The middle east -South East Asia -Indian Sub-continent My dad always told me that the US is the country without a name, because many countries official names are also United States ... I think that Americans started teaching that North and South america are different countries so that they could still the name. I heard that there is a group of people that want to change the name of "America" to a native american name (a hispanic group) I don't remember who they are, but that would be great
The Europeans don't run the show here anymore, so that's irrelevant. The way you were taught, not the way we were taught. There's no reason we can't both be right on this one. Maybe, but are they the United States of America? United States of Mexico, etc, but not United States of America. That is our country, that is it's name. I'm sure "name stealing" wasn't high on the priority list.
Nico's point is a good one. What matters now as far as meaning goes is that America is commonly accepted to mean USA. As far as how it came to be that way, however, there was no plan to it.
And then, of course, there's this theory: Political Science by Randy Newman No one likes us-I don't know why We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try But all around, even our old friends put us down Let's drop the big one and see what happens We give them money-but are they grateful? No, they're spiteful and they're hateful They don't respect us-so let's surprise them We'll drop the big one and pulverize them Asia's crowded and Europe's too old Africa is far too hot And Canada's too cold And South America stole our name Let's drop the big one There'll be no one left to blame us We'll save Australia Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo We'll build an All American amusement park there They got surfin', too Boom goes London and boom Paree More room for you and more room for me And every city the whole world round Will just be another American town Oh, how peaceful it will be We'll set everybody free You'll wear a Japanese kimono And there'll be Italian shoes for me They all hate us anyhow So let's drop the big one now Let's drop the big one now