[WikiEN-l] Sheldon to the rescue (was: Lists which are sheer nonsense)
Poor, Edmund W
Edmund.W.Poor at abc.com
Mon Mar 3 14:05:01 UTC 2003
Thank God we have a professional author around to guide us. What Sheldon wrote makes more sense than anything else I read about [[List of...]].
Uncle Ed
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.
--
--------------------------------
| Sheldon Rampton
| Editor, PR Watch (www.prwatch.org)
| Author of books
[snipped rest of sig]
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