Re: Lists which are sheer nonsense
On Sat, 1 Mar 2003 11:49:23 -0600, Sheldon Rampton
> Zoe wrote:
>> Nonsense. Americans are the citizens or residents of the United States.
>> DESIGNED to provoke controversy? Only if you're looking for something
>> to make controversial.
> I've been wanting to avoid wading into this discussion, but the term
> "Americans" does have a double meaning, and its usage as a reference
> solely to U.S. citizens rankles with some people from Canada, Mexico and
> other parts of North and South America who also consider themselves
> "American" as well. The term is commonly used in reference U.S. citizens,
> and it doesn't particularly offend me personally, but I know people who
> object to it.
> Using "Americans" in reference to U.S. citizens is a bit like using
> "Indians" in reference to Native Americans or "cripples" in reference to
> the physically disabled. I know there are people who find it silly and
> irritating that they should be asked to use more "politically correct"
> language, but whenever possible I think it's best to be sensitive about
> these things. I don't see a downside to saying "United States citizens."
> It's precise, unambiguous and offends no one. That would be my preferred
Given the near-universal* usage of "American", I see it as preferable to
the cumbersome "United States Citizens" (also given that "United States"
itself is an incomplete descriptor**). The other nations on the North
American continent both have good adjectices to distinguish them (Canadian,
Mexican), and the term "North American" is a manageable collective
* The most common term in Australia/NZ might in fact be "bloody yanks", but
I concede that this might not be appropriate
**After all, would you simply stop at "Federated States" if you were
talking about Malaysia?