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Stop calling USAians "Americans" - it only solidifies their belief that they own 2 continents (fedia.io)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/boycottus@lemmy.ca
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Language can be powerful in shaping ideas and the US has convinced the entire world that they are the "Americans" and everybody else on the 2 continents aren't.

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[–] 27 points 7 months ago (4 children)

I would say "stop making up terms," but they're never going to catch on.

Mexicans and Canadians do not want to be called Americans even though they are on the North American continent. And USA stands for United States of America, so American is the correct and logical term.

No one in South America identifies as an American, either.

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago

    I'm from Brazil and I hate that the US appropriated the american word for themselves. Anyone from Europe can call themselves european, anyone from Asia is asian, Africa african, but from our continent? Only one country

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  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago

    Where did you study?

    People who grew up in mexico and other Latin-American countries learn that America is the continent and the people are Americans.

    When Spaniards "America" was the region's South to the US colonies. For Portuguese, it was Brazil.

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  • [–] [S] -1 points 7 months ago

    No one wants to be called American because the yanks appropriated the term and give it a bad name. Do you think Iranians want to be called Aryans? Technically, they are the original, and true Aryans. Same for the swastika. You think Hindus and Buddhists enjoy using them outside of Asia or in Europe?

    The term American has to be reclaimed to mean anybody from North or South America, but until that is done, we should stop calling yanks "Americans".

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