What does it mean to be an American?

[cardgame]

Or perhaps more appropriately, what does American mean?

I ask because I've gotten into an argument about this on another forum and believe myself to be in the right, but need reassurance.

Poll will be up in a second.

Personally, I believe the first option to be correct. Canadians are Canadians, not Americans, and the notion is thoroughly ridiculous.

 

[Joecoolyo]

From America, i.e. the United States.

That's what the word has come to refer to over time, something that some people can't accept for some reason.

 

[Maniacal]

Technically being an American should mean that you are from the Americas, however in actual usage it pretty much only means from the United States of America. Which makes sense because United and States don't make great words for your nationality.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

South American=American

United States citizen=Imperial subject

 

[History_Buff]

I have only ever heard it used as the first. Not that I agree with it, but that's clearly the meaning, and Americans can't seem to think of anything better to call themselves anyway. We had a thread that tried to do so a very long time ago.

 

[bhsup]

It means a US citizen. We're the only country with America in its name and others need to just deal with us using it to mean US citizens. Wanna say you're North American or South American or from 'The Americas', go for it, but if you say you're American, you're claiming to be a US citizen as far as I am concerned.

EDIT: Eventually we'll have Manifest Destiny II (Cape Columbia to Tierra Del Fuego) and this will all be moot as USA will be the Americas.

 

[Skwink]

Canada=Canadians

Mexico=Mexicans

USA=Americans

We dominate the North American continent, so we will call ourselves Americans if we want.

 

[Ajidica]

It can mean different things. In spanish class we are encouraged to use the abbreviation EEUU when talking about the USA because many people from south and central america consider themselves to be American as they live in the Americas.

I personaly don't care what it means.

 

[ZeletDude]

American means from the USA of course!

 

[Tycho Brahe]

An american is a person from North or South America, but is often misused as a person from USA.

 

[Perfection]

INFINITE CHEESEBURGERS

 

[JollyRoger]

It means to being too fat and lazy to do the jobs that other types of Americans will do.

 

[Arwon]

Depends on language and context.

 

[amadeus]

Americans are people from the U.S.

Canadians, as an example, are not Americans. Their country is in North America, but it does not make them Americans. Let's take another example: Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is in Asia, but would anyone call Saudis Asians?

 

[Arwon]

I think that's fairly common usage in the UK actually.

 

[amadeus]

I know it is for people from the India-Pakistan area, but not for Arabs or Iranians.

 

[Dachs]

Canadians, as an example, are not Americans. Their country is in North America, but it does not make them Americans. Let's take another example: Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is in Asia, but would anyone call Saudis Asians?

Meh.

Better example. The Central African Republic does not cover the entirety of the region of central Africa. At the very least, Chad, much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan can all be considered to be in the central part of Africa. Yet nobody calls anybody outside the Central African Republic "Central Africans".

That being said, I think that, in order to make things perfectly clear, the United States should absorb all of the polities on the American supercontinent.

---

When I first saw this thread's title, I wanted to say "it means that you are a citizen of the best, most kick-ass country in the world". But the actual thread question was much lamer. Obviously I do not approve of labeling anybody outside the context of the USA "American", at least in English.

 

[Antilogic]

Technically being an American should mean that you are from the Americas, however in actual usage it pretty much only means from the United States of America. Which makes sense because United and States don't make great words for your nationality.

I agree with this, but too many people associate it with the USA so I fall into the habit of using American to describe any US national.

Although if people overseas ask me what country I'm from, I say I'm a "US national" or "US citizen".

 

[Kraznaya]

americans are from usa #1

americanos are from the americas

 

[Antilogic]

Fun fact: US passports, under the nationality line, say "United States of America", not "American".