What is American?
1.
Technically, an American is someone from the Americas - i.e. North or South America. However, it is so commonly referring to people from the USA that we'll just ignore that point for now.
An American is someone who lives in the USA. Not all americans are overweight, ignorant pricks with an addiction to burgers and flag waving. Some of them are actually friendly, intelligent people!
Remember, kids: just because meet or hear one person from a certain place doesn't mean that everyone from there is like it. Oh, and did I mention that the actions of the US government don't ALWAYS speak unanimously for every last citizen of the USA? Just wanted to clear that up.
They do think some wierd things, though.. They call football soccer, American football football, aluminium aloominum, jam jelly and so on. But belittling them for differences like that would be a bit petty of me, wouldn't it?
While playing a game, I once met an American who was a mindless, stereotyping, bigoted, ignorant prick. But did that make me hate all Americans? Well, yes. But eventually I got over it. I would like to find that guy and cave his skull in, though..
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2.
legal resident of the United States; not really a nationality since everybody came here from somewhere else
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3.
Probablly the most bashed on country in the world.
Things you should know:
1. Yes, we are aware the term "American" can be used for anyone living in North or South America. The term "British" can be used for someone from Scottland, Ireland, or England. What else do you want us to call ourselves, United-Statesians? Besides, I don't see you calling people from Brazil or Argentina or Cuba American anyways. Why should we?
2. Yes, we are aware our President shows serious signs of mental retardation. All goverments have their problems.
3. We're not stupid. We don't go around speaking "American", laughing at all other "American" speaking countries thinking they stole the idea from us.
4. We're not all crazy extremists or blind conservatives.
5. Your country probally produces almost as much pollution as ours, and seeing as the US is about 3,718,695 cm2 (9,631,420 km2; gasp! an American knowing about the metric system? unheard of!) large and has 302,431,000 citizens, we're not doing that bad.
6. Celsuis- Farheniet, Meters- feet, Pounds- killograms. Gallons- liters. We use both you know.
7. We don't hate all Canadians, Brits, Cubans, and Japaneese people. We don't think all Muslims are terrorists. No matter what Bush says, we most definitely don't eat "freedom fries". We don't all support Iraq. We don't think Pakistan is in Africa.
8. Just because we can't trace our ancestors in America back for 329 years, it doesn't mean we love our country less.
9. Patrioism is never a bad thing. Even if you lived in the crappiest country in the world, it's still your country.
10. No, we don't think everyone in the world celbrates July Fourth with us.
11. We don't eat McDonald's everyday or drive five cars.
12. Not everyone speaks like their from Texas. There are forty-nine other states you know.
13. We don't think we're better than you.
14. Lastly, half the people that bash us are allies with us. Our country has relations in more than half the world. Most likely, we're best friends.
British: "They're bloody pricks too. Look at Bush."
French: "Look at Iraq. What a dumb mistake."
American: "Dude, we know our president's an ass."
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4.
Anyone who lives in the continents of North or South America.
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5.
This definition if for everybody who stereotypes America.
- Just because we have a high obesity rate does not mean every last single person is fat, I'd rather be fat than be starving , I think most normal people would agree
- We are not all stupid, yes there are stupid people but what country doesn't have stupid people, we have most of the elite universities in the world
- We aren't all ignorant, many of us have a desire to travel outside the U.S
- In school they teach us the metric system, and yes I know zero degrees celcius = 32 degrees faranheit
- Anybody who says America deserved 9/11 is heartless and evil, they were innocent people and had nothing to do with the goverment's action
- I know that American means anybody from North, South, or Central America but mainly it means somebody from the U.S because you don't refer to somebody from Brazil as a south american but just as Brazillian to make it more specific
- You can't just sterotype a whole nation and be correct, I could say that in England everyone has bad teeth and drinks tea but that is not true for everybody and it is ignorant which is exactly the same when you try to sterotype Americans
- Also the joke is on the people who are from different countries and sterotype us, I bet you thousands of people from your country come to ours so you are also making fun of your own people
Person A: Hahaha Americans are fat and stupid!
Person B: That is ignorant because American is not a race, Whites, blacks, Arabs, Hispanics, and others come to America so your making fun of your own people
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6.
The North Americans, South Americans, Caucasian Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, etc.
It's a mixed land of different ethnic backgrounds and such.
7.
I am so sick of the stereotyping... yes, this has been done before, but I don't care, here it goes again.
Our country is the coalescence of just about every other culture in the world. Although most Europeans think of the average American as being a fat WASP, this is simply not true. There is so much diversity in the nation that it's too hard to generalize.
I am pretty modest and hate bragging, but I have to say that I am fairly intelligent/articulate. I cannot wait to see the rest of the world in its entirety. So many Americans around me feel the same way.
Although some people can be ignorant, I resent them, and the same is true of any other culture anywhere.
I will have a celebration the day George W. Bush is out of office. He is perhaps the worst president our country has ever seen... and can certainly stand next to Millard Filmore in the hall of shame. The fact that he was re-elected, it just blows my mind.
But I digress. Back to the point, Americans are not one people. In the same way that British citizens, Frenchmen and Middle Easterners cannot be typified. Our country has accumulated a terrible reputation over the years... but I hope to make friends in other countries anyway.
Say what you will about our excuse for a government, but please, don't think of us in the same light.
British person: Americans are stupid, fat, lazy, ignorant people with nothing to add to this planet.
American person: You're stupid, lazy and ignorant for just saying that. Look beyond the rep.
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