Oct
5
Noneya Bizz asked:
I’m fed up with those that say Italian-American, African-American, Cuban-American, Mexican-American, etc. Either you are an American, or you aren’t. It comes across to me as being ******. I have a strong bloodline of American Indian in my family, but none of us go around saying we are Native Americans. Why can’t people just accept the fact that they are Amercian?
I’m fed up with those that say Italian-American, African-American, Cuban-American, Mexican-American, etc. Either you are an American, or you aren’t. It comes across to me as being ******. I have a strong bloodline of American Indian in my family, but none of us go around saying we are Native Americans. Why can’t people just accept the fact that they are Amercian?
Comments
21 Responses to “Why can’t people in America just call themselves Americans?”
you’re making a big deal out of nothing
That is politically incorrect.
Calling everyone Americans somehow takes away some minority’s individualism and self worth.
I, for one, am an American.
true but saying you are from amercia…cant that mean you are also from south or central america to? why is just pinned to the us?
because it’s too general, and since there are mostly white people, saying “american” may make people think you’re white by default. sad but true i guess.
Because they identify with both cultures. Some people say this country is a melting pot; others believe it is a patchwork. To each his own.
I’m in agreement with you. I guess those hyphenated Americans just want to feel more special and set apart.
What’s wrong with being proud of your heritage? If I was one thing or another, I would probably hyphenate what I am. But I’m a mix of a bunch of different things, so I have nothing else to claim.
By the way, there are two continents full of Americans.
they are what they are .different ethnic americans
Actually a US citizen: South America is Americans and so is Mexican’s and Canada.
But I do understand your point and your right. Unless they just robbed a bank and your the only eye witness. You don’t need to describe the indivual. Nor do they need to describe themselves to you. I have no trouble knowing who came from China or Mexico or Africa. So why do we need to label them further?
Just to inform you…..
The term American is too broad. A person from Canada or Brazil can be considered American because they are from the continent of North/South America.
The United States of America thus is not America, its the USA.
USA is a country, not a continent.
To answer your question, other people’s pride in their heritage bothering you concerns me. Label yourself American if you’d like. I would be labeled as Mexican-American because my mother is from Mexico and my father is from USA and I have citizenship in Mexico and the USA. I will not label myself American for its ignorance in term nor will I do it to ignore my mother and my bloodline.
They don’t call themselves Americans because they want to be called something else!to put a little more spice into their name!They just don’t want their name to sound a little boring for natives or people from other countries!
Many of them want to hold on to their seperate cultural identity while also being an American. Plus, it wouldn’t be politically correct to just call everyone American, it would remove meaning from them.
As an Anglo-European, I really have no cultural identity so I just consider myself an American - but some African-Americans will become very upset if you just call them Black. And many Mexican-Americans just call themselves “Mexican”. In my opinion, the people who refuse to assimilate have no respect for the country - but as this is America - they have the freedom to do as they wish.
Oh I agree.
Especially, when we start using the terms inaccurately.
Barak Obama is not African American since his
recent ancestors weren’t brought over on the
slave traders.
And Charlize Theron IS African American
(she comes from South Africa). However,
as you may be aware, she is caucasion.
Yes, I suppose we may all be proud of our
heritage, but its getting to be meaningless.
Yeah I mean it was “these Americans” who originally isolated themselves from mainstream America, when they were completely welcomed & treated equal & fairly-sheesh read a book or 10!
YOU ARE CORRECT!
Thank You!
Someday maybe we will end all hatred and killing and look at ourselves simply as “living beings” instead of trying so desperately to seperate into vulgar, elitist cliques.
Well I call myself Nigerian-American because I want to respect my heritage as well as my home. At the same time America loves to label, we’re forced to categorize ourselves. I would rather people call me by my name which is
Samirah.
because they can get free government money for all that ethnic crap
You are making mountains out of molehills.
Many people are proud of their ethnic heritages and the history that is passed generation upon generations from their families. It doesn’t have anything to do with not being American as it is not losing that family identity.
I am an American, however I do identify with the ethnic lines which make me who I am - notably Irish, Welsh, British, Scottish, French and Swiss. I am just as much of an American as you are, however I just choose to celebrate my past, not negate it.
I have wondered that same thing myself for a long time. I’d say it’s because they aren’t truly ‘American’, patriotic, etc. If they don’t like being here, they should go back to whatever country they came from. Why live here if you can’t be proud of this country?
good question. i tottaly agree with you. a woman with brains thats awesome…wink wink
I’m from Ireland, and some here resent it when a number of Americans say they are Irish-American because they had a relative in the 1600’s who was from here. Many of the connections seem tenuous and silly, but a lot are valid and if people want to explore their identity using those labels, it doesn’t affect me.