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Ron

Why call yourself (anything) American?

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I mean why bother adding the description?

Why not just be an American? (If you are)

Does it really matter?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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In 1968, after winning the Gold Medal in the heavyweight division of the Olympics, George walked around inside the ring waving a miniature American flag. When asked, "Why,?" George said, "I wanted everyone in the world to know I was an American and proud of the opportunity that I was given to do what I had done."

George Foreman

Not African American........AMERICAN.
That's one of the reasons I like George Foreman.
During that time, when there was so much devisiveness on both sides, George was a true American. :)

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U. S Census. People always asking your ethnicity. Not all reasons are from pride of origin. Common exchange for me. "What are you?" "My family is of Mexican origin." "So, you are mexican-american?" "Sure. Why not?"
_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

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"So, you are mexican-american?"



So what is the purpose of this question? If the question of ethnicity was answered with "my family is of mexican origin", why ask it and put words in someone's mouth?

J
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

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Don't know. It's happened several times. I think half the time it's to stoke a debate which sometimes happens if I say "Yes" instead of a "sure, why not?" conversation ender.
_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

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>but if your family has been here for hundreds of years you are a
>American like it or leave it.

Some people in my family have been in the US less than 60 years; I still consider myself an american rather than an austrian-american or irish-american. They do too. (Although with the italian side, sometimes you were hard-pressed to remember which country you were in.)

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I agree. If you are a immigrant, then it sort of applies, but if your family has been here for hundreds of years you are a American like it or leave it.



Some origins don't hyphenate. How often do you hear of English-Americans, Spanish-Americans or Belgian-Americans? OTOH, Italian-, Polish- and Irish- are frequently used. Curious.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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If you look oriental, or hispanic, people want to know what country you're from. When you say "I'm American" then they want to know your background.

Nope, it doesn't apply to me, but I've heard it often enough to believe it. Why not forestall the obvious question, or the questions about why one does "weird" (often defined as not middle-class American) things by identifying it up front?

We're so hung up on sameness that we have to explain the differences.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Yep I only hear african Americans. I think it their desire to devide themselves from us in different parts of the us. In the north, and west I would bet that most blacks(non white whatever) only say American, but in the south and south east they are proud to say African-American.

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Some origins don't hyphenate. How often do you hear of English-Americans, Spanish-Americans or Belgian-Americans? OTOH, Italian-, Polish- and Irish- are frequently used. Curious.



I have heard Spanish-, Belgian-, Italian-, Polish- and Irish-, Russian-, Chinese-, Korean.....

I could go on.

What I don't understand is WHY?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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I agree. If you are a immigrant, then it sort of applies, but if your family has been here for hundreds of years you are a American like it or leave it.



Some origins don't hyphenate. How often do you hear of English-Americans, Spanish-Americans or Belgian-Americans? OTOH, Italian-, Polish- and Irish- are frequently used. Curious.



College admissions boards and Army recruiters do not find it amusing when you select 'other' and write in European-American... i wonder what the census reveiwer thought this year too... :D
____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

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Some origins don't hyphenate. How often do you hear of English-Americans, Spanish-Americans or Belgian-Americans? OTOH, Italian-, Polish- and Irish- are frequently used. Curious.



I have heard Spanish-, Belgian-, Italian-, Polish- and Irish-, Russian-, Chinese-, Korean.....

I could go on.

What I don't understand is WHY?



Know any self proclaimed English-Americans?
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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What I don't understand is WHY?



Same here, when I lived in Dublin the Irish American tourists were cause for much amusement for the locals. Their great great great great grandfather had left Ireland during the potato famine, so that made them Irish Americans (come back 170 years later to 'discover their roots'). The locals had a different name for them. ;)

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In Reply To
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In Reply To
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Some origins don't hyphenate. How often do you hear of English-Americans, Spanish-Americans or Belgian-Americans? OTOH, Italian-, Polish- and Irish- are frequently used. Curious.

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I have heard Spanish-, Belgian-, Italian-, Polish- and Irish-, Russian-, Chinese-, Korean.....

I could go on.

What I don't understand is WHY?

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Know any self proclaimed English-Americans?



Did you see that anywhere in my post?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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for many people, it's a way to acknowledge where you've come from as well as where you are. It's more of a cultural reference than a racial/national origin one. It's to acknowledge that someone can be of African origin, Irish origin, Italian origin, etc... and yet still be American; it's a way to say that we're all very different, but because we're all American, there's a sameness about us too. Just because your family has settled (or been resettled) in another country, it doesn't mean you have to stop acknowledging your roots.

In all honesty, though, I don't really think it matters much how people identify themselves, in the overall scheme of things. It's just a label. If you like it, use it. If not, don't. Doesn't affect me any, either way.

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In all honesty, though, I don't really think it matters much how people identify themselves, in the overall scheme of things. It's just a label. If you like it, use it. If not, don't. Doesn't affect me any, either way.



Oh...but it's used for much more than just pride in one's ancestry.

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Why not? I've never understood the big fuss on this topic either way.

Why use any description? Why tell people you are a pilot, skydiver, mountain climber, salesperson, surfer, etc? You do it for attention, pride or to better describe yourself. The same goes for describing your heritage.

If you don't like it, don't do it.
_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

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Back around WWI (I think), the president urged people to drop their old world ties (____-American) and just be "Americans" to help promote unity or something like that.

I think se should do that again. You come here, you are American now.
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....so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

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