americans

[____india__wtf_]

is there word to describe people from the states, except for american? i'm finding that more and more offensive to people from canada and latin america the more i use it, and i'm looking for a alternative.

thank you.

Comments

[evilshell]

The problem is that Canada, the United States and Mexico are all in North America. There is an entire continent called South America. The problem is that only one country - the United States of America - has the name America contained within its own.

Calling people from the US "Americans" is correct and should not offend anyone. Canadians are from Canada and Latin Americans are from their respective countries - and while they are all technically "americans", they aren't US Americans. If that makes any sense....

[wolflady26]

I agree. They'd be "North Americans" just like Americans would be, or "South Americans" or "Central Americans" but not just Americans.

[agentmaly]

*nods* It's still not good to offend people, but I'm not sure I see why it would either, because 'American' is such a wide term for 'person from the US,' while 'North American' would be the correct term for someone from the North American continent. Saying someone is from the Americas would be extremely vague.. taking 'American' to mean 'from the Americas' would be like expecting people to say 'Oh, he's from Europe and/or Asia.'

[baggyk]

As a Canadian I am deeply offended when people call me an American. What they mean by using the term is: "I can't be bothered to learn anything about your country and yet, I won't admit that I know nothing at all about where you are from."

Saying "American" is not like saying "European", but "European" has itself become problematic for opposite reasons as the term has come to imply citizens of memebers of the EU and that is exclusionary to many Eastern and Southern Europeans who feel like they've been kicked off their own continent.

[agentmaly]

And then of course there's always the question of whether Brits count as Europeans, because although I think they do, there's always the UK vs. The Continent thing..

And that's true; I can see that. It actually makes me wonder what the original post meant, because although they seemed to mean that people from elsewhere on the American continent were offended when only people from the United States were referred to as 'Americans,' I suppose they could've meant the opposite, or.. hmm.. that isn't consistent with what was posted, though. That interpretation makes more sense, though.

Your being offended at being called an American is probably akin to the offense I would take if someone referred to Czechs as 'from the Soviet Bloc,' or when people call the Czech Republic a part of Eastern Europe. Though that one's so widespread that it's hard to combat and less reasonable to take much offense at, but it still bothers me, because the Czech Republic is about as central as one can get, geographically speaking.

[____india__wtf_]

i meant that people from else where in north/ south (?) american get offended sometimes. but people from other countries sometimes find that annoying as well. i am from the states, and although i don't mind american, i feel it's not really the right word for me.

[baggyk]

I think the post comes from the fact that many Latin Americans are upset that US citizens have taken the word "American" for themselves. I think the term has many more positive connotations in Spanish and in a Latin American context, but Canadians try to distance themselves as much as possible from the term because Canada is not the US.

[ruadh1888]

How did we "take it for ourselves"? It's not like we held a gun to the rest of the world's head and ordered them to call us, and only us, American.

I have no problem if people want to call me a "USer" or whatever rather than "American" but anybody who gets offended by "American" has way too much time on their hands and really needs to get a life.

Besides, as somebody else in this thread pointed out, Canadians HATE to be called "American"!

[baggyk]

Ummmm....You do realise that the USA does have a gun pointed to the collective head of the rest of the world?

When your president (not just the current one) uses the words "the American people" or "we, as Americans" is not referring to everyone of the continent?

[ruadh1888]

So what? The rest of the world is under no obligation to use the same word.

Honestly, there are so many legitimate criticisms of the US. This one is just stupid and petty.

[baggyk]

Yes, that's the kind of sensitivity I expected.

[ruadh1888]

I just had a look at your journal and in the very first post that comes up you use the word American(s) twice. I suppose we made you do that, too.

[baggyk]

I don't personally care to change the common usage of the word in the slightest.

agentmaly and I were talking about the origins of the complaint itself. No criticism of you or your people was made or intended. The discussion within the discussion was purely contextual. If I offended you, I am sorry. There are plenty of people who don't care about using politically correct terminology or about being precise about how they describe cultures, nations or citizenship, but being careful and sensitive and precise is important to a lot of people who live in more expat situations where tact and care not only makes them friends, but keeps them safe and sound.

What is just semantics to some is diplomacy for others.

[blindness]

I lived in Canada, got my Bachelors there. Canada is far from special except for their need to be special. lol!

[moireach]

I've actually been chastised by Canadians before for using the term America to refer only to the United States, without Canada and Mexico -- it's what made me aware of the issue in the first place.

I agree that North American is much more accurate, but apparently there are those who don't.

[ticket_to_zen]

Deeply offended? I don't get deeply offended when someone thinks that I (as an American) am Canadian.

If I'm being honest, I get offended when Canadians get offended for being mistaken for Americans. I'll admit, I understand where you are coming from and your reasons for feeling that way, but I still get a little zing when someone would hate to be mistaken for a person from my homeland.