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An American is someone who was either born here in the United States or has come here legally, joining our ranks as a citizen of the United States. Today though, you don't hear that term used to often, without some other identifier connected to it (i.e. African American and Asian American). Do you think it is about time we dropped the secondary identifiers and just identify as what we are, Americans?
In light of recent tragic events, race baiters hard at work, race specific nationalist groups on the rise, a large division growing larger and larger everyday and a president that could care less about unity; we need a national unity movement again. Since no one here wants another 9/11 to usher in another 9/12 level of unity, we need something else. What about unifying under what we all already are, the term American.
Here is a short few reasons why I think this is important:
1. Calling one group Americans and identifying others as say African Amerians is racist. It portrays that one group is more entitled to the term American while another must be identified by something else (inferior?, Superior? either way racist).
2. Such terms should be limited to individuals with dual citizenship who choose to identify as such. I know one African-American (dual citizenship) and he is a white man.
3. We see this work all the time in the military. We don't call black soldiers African-Soldiers, they are American Soldiers.
This question is directed towards how we identify others in society, not how we describe them. I understand that we all have numerous identifying features, such as skin color and cultural features which make it easier to describe someone's look.
In light of recent tragic events, race baiters hard at work, race specific nationalist groups on the rise, a large division growing larger and larger everyday and a president that could care less about unity; we need a national unity movement again. Since no one here wants another 9/11 to usher in another 9/12 level of unity, we need something else. What about unifying under what we all already are, the term American.
Here is a short few reasons why I think this is important:
1. Calling one group Americans and identifying others as say African Amerians is racist. It portrays that one group is more entitled to the term American while another must be identified by something else (inferior?, Superior? either way racist).
2. Such terms should be limited to individuals with dual citizenship who choose to identify as such. I know one African-American (dual citizenship) and he is a white man.
3. We see this work all the time in the military. We don't call black soldiers African-Soldiers, they are American Soldiers.
This question is directed towards how we identify others in society, not how we describe them. I understand that we all have numerous identifying features, such as skin color and cultural features which make it easier to describe someone's look.
Posted in these groups: 
Racism
United States
Racism United States
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 24
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I am an American. But I'm also a Filipino. They are not mutually exclusive because both are who I am. I am an American and am loyal to America. But I'm also very proud of where I came from. Remember, most Americans are generations removed from the land of their ancestors (unless you're a Native) so don't really identify with your ancestral heritage anymore, but many of us are not very far removed. To deny that we bring a piece of where we come from to the US and add it to the melting pot is to deny what America is all about.
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SGT Kevin Brown
Being an American is defined by citizenship. Ones culture is more individual where as being an American is something all Americans have in common. As far as who decides it Sir, that should always fall on the individual.
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SGT Richard H.
Sir, while I fully understand your point and don't disagree at all, if you were in another country and Someone asked your nationality, would you identify as an American, or as a Filipino American? I suspect that like most of us here the answer is that you would probably say "I'm American" and if there was more to say it would be as a follow-on conversation. The question is, would doing so take away from who you are or what your heritage is?
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LTC Paul Labrador
SGT Richard H. - I think that is a situational thing. When in a foreign country, I say I'm Canadian.... ;o)
Just kidding. I think of the scenario you mentioned as akin to a family reunion. To non-family members observing, we are all "Labradors." However, inside the family circle, we start making distinctions of who we came from. Both labels are valid. We are one family, but also come from different parents, so we are not exactly the same.
Just kidding. I think of the scenario you mentioned as akin to a family reunion. To non-family members observing, we are all "Labradors." However, inside the family circle, we start making distinctions of who we came from. Both labels are valid. We are one family, but also come from different parents, so we are not exactly the same.
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SGT Richard H.
LTC Paul Labrador That makes a lot of sense when put that way. From another angle, if you and I were in that same foreign country and someone asked our nationality, the situation does not exist where my my reply would be "I'm Norse American and he's Filipino American". It would simply be "We're American". On the other hand, if we were in a deeper discussion, the situation might arise where we would discuss the Filipino in your heritage or the Norse in mine. I think that goes to the original intent of the thread, and how we identify ourselves...I don't think the OP had any intent of just doing away with the heritage that we're made up of.
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Absolutely. Our melting pot has been a great source of pride for immigrants to say they are American, a great source of strength to our country to get strivers and do-ers from all over the world, and it delivers a world-class military who self-identify as American, and swear their oath to the Constitution.
Those who would re-make America into a disconnected bunch of unmelted crayons are doing serious harm to our national ethos and killing the pride in saying, "I am an American".
Those who would re-make America into a disconnected bunch of unmelted crayons are doing serious harm to our national ethos and killing the pride in saying, "I am an American".
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We're the only country that I know of that does this, I'm in agreement with everything you said. Also, if you are a citizen of another country because of parental lineage or you were born and raised there to American parents, like many German-American kids born to an American military father, I believe that that citizenship should be recognized as well, regardless of age.
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