lolwut

[a_white_rain]

lolwutBut for more serious conversation, give me your thoughts on USain? And the use of American as a national identity and also a continental one. Does American (as in from the U.S.A.) erase other American identities? Or does something like North American, South American, Latin American, Central American, the Americas, etc.. suffice? I've actually

Comments

[annwyd]

There's some elaborate statement on privilege and the way it's used as a scapegoat in the anti-oppression community to be teased out from that post and the replies, but I'm not really in the mindframe for it right now.

Instead, I'll just say that "USian" is where my inner grammarian strangles my inner activist.

[a_white_rain]

I got all As in English... basically always and I don't even remember why that would bad grammar. I need to brush up on grammar stuff.

[annwyd]

It's ugly and jarring as fuck, basically. I am all for finding a more specific term than "American" to use in order to respect the American identity of the rest of this slice of the globe, but inventing a new term for US citizens that the people it refers to dislike, then telling them they have "US privilege" when they object, doesn't seem like a good solution

[annwyd]

Further research shows that the term "Usonian" dates back to an examination of this very same issue in 1903 and also has the benefit of being, you know, pronounceable. So I'd take that over "USian" any day.

[rosehiptea]

USian doesn't bother me, and I agree with the comments in that post saying it's privileged to insist on American. (I'm not saying everyone who says American is trying to put anyone down, and I still say it sometimes. In fact I don't remember the last time I said USian or American. But overall I think it's privileged.)

Though for what it's worth, I brought that issue up once in a feminist community, and someone (IIRC not from the U.S.) thought "American" was fine and no big deal, and that's the only comment I got.

[a_white_rain]

Could you get in depth why, if you feel up to it? Why doesn't, say, South American work? I'm not even sure how to google the question. Feel free not to answer. I won't take it personally.

[a_white_rain]

Okay, thank you!

[larissa_j]

USain

LOL. A United States - ian? The United States of WHAT? They can't be serious.

I've seen some stupid in my time but that about takes the cake.

So, people want Americans to drop 200+ years of history and change the way they refer to themselves. You know, this wouldn't fly with any other country but it's a-okay to expect it of the USA. *shakes head*

[haro]

Sorry, but I kind of agree. The amount of extremely ugly Anti-Americanisn is a big part of this too, I think. I'm not saying there haven't been foreign relations faux pas, and a lot of them, but I'm really tired of some people in the rest of the Americas (especially Canada), acting like we're fucking oppressing them/being so condescending.

[larissa_j]

WE HAVE A FRACTION OF THE HISTORY OTHER COUNTRIES TO OUR SOUTH HAVE. WHY SHOULD WE CHANGE ANYTHING!

You know, how thick the history book is doesn't really matter when it's your history. I get that you're trying to point out that the USA isn't that old but to US citizens? Two hundred years is still enough that we don't want to dismiss it. And what exactly should we change? All our documents? Start telling people they can't call themselves Americans anymore?

That's never going to work. We're not even off the English system of measurement. You really think you can get folks to stop calling themselves Americans?

[larissa_j]

Yeah, I read the article but your comment was directly below mine in which I complained about not wanting to dismiss our history so um... never mind. My bad.

I'll just mop here.