On Sat, 1 Mar 2003 11:49:23 -0600, Sheldon Rampton sheldon.rampton@verizon.net wrote:
Zoe wrote:
Nonsense. Americans are the citizens or residents of the United States. DESIGNED to provoke controversy? Only if you're looking for something to make controversial.
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. The term is commonly used in reference U.S. citizens, and it doesn't particularly offend me personally, but I know people who object to it.
Using "Americans" in reference to U.S. citizens is a bit like using "Indians" in reference to Native Americans or "cripples" in reference to the physically disabled. I know there are people who find it silly and irritating that they should be asked to use more "politically correct" language, but whenever possible I think it's best to be sensitive about these things. I don't see a downside to saying "United States citizens." It's precise, unambiguous and offends no one. That would be my preferred usage.
Given the near-universal* usage of "American", I see it as preferable to the cumbersome "United States Citizens" (also given that "United States" itself is an incomplete descriptor**). The other nations on the North American continent both have good adjectices to distinguish them (Canadian, Mexican), and the term "North American" is a manageable collective adjective.
* The most common term in Australia/NZ might in fact be "bloody yanks", but I concede that this might not be appropriate :-) **After all, would you simply stop at "Federated States" if you were talking about Malaysia?