Advice for my home country

[cosmolinguist]

Dear United States of America,

You have to stop calling yourself "America." The whole hemisphere is America! North and South! It's the Americas! It's silly, as if the residents of Rapid City would say "Right, we're the only Dakotans! The rest of North and South Dakota are irrelevant." Well, okay, that's the Dakotas, so they're right... Let's see. It's as if all the residents of P'yŏngyang decided that they were the only Koreans ...

Anyway, you're not the only America, so stop it. All of you. I mean it. You're not the only states or the only "United" anything, either. I'm one of you, so this sucks for me as much as for any of you; I'm not unsympathetic to your plight. I would suggest finding a good name. I mean, come on, other countries manage to have names. Proper ones! Canada, Magyar, Côte d'Ivoire ... Deutschland, even.

If you need another reason, here's one: Last night I was watching David Attenborough's Life on Earth with a six-year-old, and when he was talking about the giant turtles (or tortoises? I can't keep them straight) in the Galápagos, she looked at me and said, "They're from your country, aren't they?" And there's no way to explain to a six-year-old that my America and the turtles' America is different.

And she has a good point, even though she doesn't know it. So knock it off. Thanks.

All the best,
Holly

P.S. Someone named Steven told me to tell you that all you have to do is put an X next to the name of the person you like, count up all the votes and whoever has the most wins. Apparently that sort of thing works very well in elections elsewhere; maybe you'd want to look into it in a couple days. Just a suggestion.


(Crosslink: The cheeses of Britain, and their equivalent military ranks, from ruudboy.)

Comments

[cholula.livejournal.com]

I never refer to the United States as America for the same reasons you stated above. I often hear people from other countries complain when Americans do this. However, nearly all of the people I have met from other countries refer to the US as America. The Germans and other Europeans do it. (In fact, when I lived in Germany, one of my German friends used to call me "Amerika" as a joke.) I have also heard a lot of Latin Americans use America as well in reference to us. It's strange how it seems to work. It is very similar to the double standard that exists in regards to using the N word in this country. It seems to be okay for African Americans to use it in reference to themselves, but when a white person uses the same word, a race riot breaks out. I think it's a similar situation with the word America. People from other countries can call it that, but US citizens can't or they end up looking egocentric.

[cosmolinguist]

It hadn't occurred to me until you mentioned it that I get called American all the time in the UK. A friend of mine, visiting France, says she was called "American Sarah" to distinguish her from other Sarahs there. Such experience seems to corroborate your observation.

And the double-standard stuff, espcially analogy to The Dreaded N Word, interests me. It makes sense that members of a group are "allowed" to refer to themselves by a name that others can't use (or at least, can't use without it meaning different and often more negative things).

I do wonder why it passes without comment for anyone to use "American" except Americans. Perhaps it is indeed pragmatic: there doens't seem to be a better name for us. Or perhaps I'm just stuck on my own, previously-stated thoughts on the subject.

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

*squees* Stilton!

Someone named Steven... *snerk* It may work well in simpler, more basic countries, but we USAnians like a bit of drama, intrigue, and litigation with our elections, thankyouverymuch!

[cosmolinguist]

I don't think I've ever known anyone to actually squee over a cheese before.

That's definitely Reason #7,196,825 why Helga's cool...

...drama, intrigue, and litigation... You know that's what all the "reality TV" has been preparing the country for.

[stealthmunchkin.livejournal.com]

Hah! You think that that's the extent of reality TV involvement? You ain't seen nothing yet! (http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1416)

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

I think if we elected our prez that way, instead of how we currently do it, the quality of candidate would be roughly the same. But they wouldn't secretly be space aliens sent as an advance party to soften up the planet prior to conquering it. They'd still be space aliens, just more up-front about it.

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

Stilton rocks. My absolute favorite thing in the universe is stilton, good bread (either baguette-type stuff, or rye), sardines or herring, and beer. THAT's a meal, even if one forgoes the fish.

I was wondering what evolutionary purpose "reality TV" might serve, and you just answered it for me.

We are so *utterly* fucked. >.

[cosmolinguist]

We are so *utterly* fucked.

Yeah. I wanna move to Canada.

[hephaestos.livejournal.com]

I'd be more inclined if it weren't that folks who aren't from the U.S.A. say "American" too, with the same meaning. Not all of them but enough.

How about we change the name of the continent instead?

[cosmolinguist]

How about we change the name of the continent instead?

Works for me! (Again, I'm reminded of those wacky Dakotas. A couple years ago I remember hearing about North Dakotan legislators wanting to change the name to Dakota. The declared reason was that it would keep people (potential tourists?) from thinking it was cold, flat and treeless there, while South Dakota got all the fun and Mount Rushmore and whatnot. The proposal was quickly shot down, but not before everyone in the country made fun of them, pointing out that the reason people think North Dakota is cold, treeless and flat not because it has "North" in its name but because it is in fact cold, treeless and flat.

Damn facts...

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

Thank god we ignore those in the electoral process, fad diets, and religious persecution. Not that anything religious is going on, I just thought it sounded exciting. ;)

[cosmolinguist]

Anything that can be turned into a song-and-dance number (albeit in a Mel Brooks movie) is not without some measure of excitement.

[ezrael.livejournal.com]

Amerigo Vespucci didn't pretend he'd been all over this land and draw a series of maps using other navigators portolans and a whole lot of making shit up just so you could come along and decide to change the name to something else, people! What is this world coming to when ol' Amerigo's legacy isn't secure? I think he's a perfect namesake for these two continents.

As for the USA, I usually call it the USA. Short, sweet and to the point. When I was in England, everyone called me an American, and I didn't overmuch quibble over it: I wasn't going to get far explaining I was from Providence, Rhode Island, for example. (I did try a few times.) Likewise, many people seemed to be of the belief that Canada was a state.

[cosmolinguist]

What is this world coming to when ol' Amerigo's legacy isn't secure?

That made me laugh. I thought of him too, when I was writing this, and I must say that it's really not a bad thing for the country or continent to be named for.

I wasn't going to get far explaining I was from Providence, Rhode Island, for example.

Most people are content with hearing that I'm "from America." If they ask, I'll tell them I'm from Minnesota, as well, but that usually draws blank stares and a "where's that?", if not a wild guess about where it is ("Oh, that's the warm bit, isn't it?") I tell them it's near Canada. They sometimes like that. Andrew tells them it's where Fargo is set. They like that, too. I've even found one or two people who know who Garrison Keillor is! But that's exceptional; mostly I'm just from America.

[comradexavier.livejournal.com]

North America is a continent, and so is South America. Central America might be a continent, too, or it might just be a region; I don't know the geological score on this one. The United States of America is a country. By itself, however, America is nothing in particular, and can respectably be used to many ends, one of which is a convenient short name for the United States of America.

Besides, you'd have to amend the Constitution to change the name of the country, and I doubt there could be found any name more equitable to the principles of that document.

[cosmolinguist]

Central America doesn't count as a continent.

I know it won't change, I just think it's not too much to ask for a country to have a reasonable name that isn't just stealing general terms that apply to much different and bigger things than itself.

[kennedybak.livejournal.com]

Actually, people from South Korea do tend just to say that they're from 'Korea', in the accurate belief that if they were North Korean they certainly wouldn't be in a foreign country, talking to you, so minimal confusion is caused.

[mllesarah.livejournal.com]

In France, people normally call the USA Les Etats Unis, which means the United States. There is no America added. Interestingly, from time to time, I hear people calling them les USA. That kind of throws me off, but at the same time I'm not really sure what would be better. I don't have much else to say, and I am undecided on a better name for the US. How about.....bob?