Random Thoughts 3: A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That...

[Lexicus]

Actually, we are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas

Well, you xposted me, according to the rules of forum etiquette we now have to decide a time and place to duel to the death.

 

[Synobun]

Behind the Wendy's. @Timsup2nothin knows the spot.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Might want to take a rain check on that; Last i heard, the Crazy Hobo Pirate was still in the dumpster threatening to shoot anyone who gets too close with his cat-crossbow.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Actually, we are.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americas

You might want to read footnote #6:

Marjorie Fee and Janice MacAlpine, Oxford Guide to Canadian English Usage (2008) page 36 says "In Canada, American is used almost exclusively in reference to the United States and its citizens." Others, including The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary, The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, The Australian Oxford Dictionary and The Concise Oxford English Dictionary all specify both the Americas and the United States in their definition of "American".

Note the bolded part (bolding mine).

I live in a country that is part of North America, so in that sense it means I am North American. But it does not mean I'm American.

 

[Lexicus]

You might want to read footnote #6:


Note the bolded part (bolding mine).

I live in a country that is part of North America, so in that sense it means I am North American. But it does not mean I'm American.

[obligatory Donald Glover This Is America meme]

 

[Dachs]

You might want to read footnote #6:

You, uh, kinda walked into that one.

If you claim that you, a Canadian, are not "American" based on usage of the term "American" common in Canada, you can't exactly claim that @GoodSarmatian and @Takhisis are wrong for using "Asian" to refer exclusively to East/Southeast Asians, as is also common usage.

 

[Takhisis]

Well, Dachs beat me to it.

Actually, we are.

You're Flemish.

 

[Synobun]

Well, Dachs beat me to it.

You're Flemish.

no u

 

[The_J]

[...]

Valka, you're missing the point here.
Yes, Afghanistan is part of Asia. Yes, "asian" can refer to the whole of Asia. Yes, Canada is a part of North America (whatever). Yes, "American" normally refers to the people living in the USA, despite the fact that Canadians and Mexicans are on the same contintent.
AND THIS ALL DOES NOT MATTER FOR THE DISCUSSION WE HAD.
The point was that people can be using these terms in other ways. Might be correct, might be incorrect, does not matter, they do it.
And you refuse to acknowledge this reality.
In the case of "asian", this is the reality for more than a half billion people, if you count the countries from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_people .
It does not matter for this discussion here that this might be incorrect. The point was that it happens, and that you need to clarify which type of incorrect term someone is using.
Obviously this does not happen all the time, not for all words, but "asian" is definitely one of these cases.

 

[GenMarshall]

Still pondering on wether to go through with a nick change to put my negative past and reputation behind me and start semi new.

 

[Synobun]

That doesn't work.

 

[Traitorfish]

I wonder what proportion of posts on this forum can be traced back to someone making a basically innocuous misinterpretation of another post, but then doubling-down on the mistake when corrected.

 

[Synobun]

I wonder what proportion of posts on this forum can be traced back to someone making a basically innocuous misinterpretation of another post, but then doubling-down on the mistake when corrected.

At least 120%.

 

[GenMarshall]

That doesn't work.

That just put a damper in my plans to distance myself from my past.

 

[Synobun]

You can't stay in the past and distance yourself from it at the same time. You'll always be CivG on CFC even if you change your username. You've been here since 2002.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I wonder what proportion of posts on this forum can be traced back to someone making a basically innocuous misinterpretation of another post, but then doubling-down on the mistake when corrected.

It has happened twice; once in 2004 and again in 2009.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Valka, you're missing the point here.
Yes, Afghanistan is part of Asia. Yes, "asian" can refer to the whole of Asia. Yes, Canada is a part of North America (whatever). Yes, "American" normally refers to the people living in the USA, despite the fact that Canadians and Mexicans are on the same contintent.
AND THIS ALL DOES NOT MATTER FOR THE DISCUSSION WE HAD.

The point was that people can be using these terms in other ways. Might be correct, might be incorrect, does not matter, they do it.
And you refuse to acknowledge this reality.
In the case of "asian", this is the reality for more than a half billion people, if you count the countries from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_people .
It does not matter for this discussion here that this might be incorrect. The point was that it happens, and that you need to clarify which type of incorrect term someone is using.
Obviously this does not happen all the time, not for all words, but "asian" is definitely one of these cases.

Is there some reason you've decided to scream at me?

Fine, I'll scream back.

I DO NOT CARE. CANADA IS NOT "AMERICA" AND CANADIANS ARE NOT AMERICANS. I DON'T GIVE ANY PORTION OF ANY RODENT'S ANATOMY WHAT "PEOPLE" SAY.

The fact is that when I'm referring to people who live in Afghanistan, I normally refer to them by the term that means they are people who live in Afghanistan. I don't normally use the blanket term "Asian" because as you say, that covers a lot of territory and a lot of people. I was making a general comment about one specific person, mostly because I couldn't recall exactly which country she came from that is part of the continent of Asia, only that she was on one of the most famous National Geographic covers ever.

It's ridiculous to say that I don't "acknowledge" the reality that people incorrectly call Canadians "Americans." Of course it's reality, because there are arguments that come up on this forum like the one I'm currently in. That's reality, but it doesn't mean I have to like or accept it, or that I'm not going to call people out for incorrectly referring to Canadians as "Americans."

I'd really prefer to be done with this conversation.

 

[Ajidica]

I DO NOT CARE. CANADA IS NOT "AMERICA" AND CANADIANS ARE NOT AMERICANS.

PROVE ME WRONG

 

[Broken_Erika]

Keep this up and we'll have Justin Bieber, Celine Dion and Nickelback join up into a supergroup and violate your ears and mind through your radios and television sets!

 

[Valka D'Ur]

<stuff>