Sheldon Rampton wrote:
I've been wanting to avoid wading into this discussion, but the term "Americans" does have a double meaning, and its usage as a reference solely to U.S. citizens rankles with some people from Canada, Mexico and other parts of North and South America who also consider themselves "American" as well.
As far as I have been able to determine, though, "American" is often used by Canadian, British, and Australian newspapers to refer solely to the United States.
We should be highly sensitive to word usages that are not universal, particularly if there's a double meaning that's offensive to some.
In making decisions like this, we shouldn't just go on a vague "urban legend" that some people might be offended. Are there authorities (style guides, for example) which recommend against the usage?
--Jimbo