"America"
When it's used interchangeably with USA for the country name, or "American" when it's used to describe people in the US. America comprises two continents and lots more people than live in the fifty states.

So when people use either of those words inappropriately (to me) I tend to think of them as a bit stupid, much like I imagine residents of the UK would if someone called them "European".
(Ejaculantern was caught desecrating pumpkins on, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 15:52, 17 replies)

Must be a Canadian.

( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 17:33, closed)

Erm...
They're not technically wrong. You are (I take it) an American, just as I am a European. Unless of course you are a United Statian, in which case I apologise.
(Mr McKenzie Mr McKenzie, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 17:40, closed)

So...
How DO you refer to people from the USA, if yor so clevar? Unfortunately there aren't any more specific words in the name of the country than 'America', so unless one resorts to that wanky cludge 'USAian' or the Spanish unidense (sp), I don't see any better option than 'American'.
Perhaps you should have a word with the rebelling colonists from a few hundred years back and ask them to be more specific when they were naming their federation of independent nations? United States of North-East America? Colombusland? Kinda-atlantis?
(tomegranate, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 17:48, closed)

One more reason someone needs to invent a time machine
I could suggest South Canadian, Lesser White Northian, New Improved Without Quebecian, or, no I GOT IT!!!

American.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 18:12, closed)

Hey, it's a prejudice,
I didn't say it was right. I have a mental twitch when someone does as I posted above and judge them a bit dumb as a result, regardless of anything else.

The topic IS prejudices and I gave mine is all. It could just as easily have been something like "people who call the indiginous people of the Americas 'Indians' despite about five hundred years of realization that this isn't India".
(Ejaculantern was caught desecrating pumpkins on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 3:40, closed)

I have a real prejudice against Septics
and their inability to make a business decision over $2000 without a fucking committee.

They spend so much time, effort and energy on nothing - they have meetings non-stop...
( disasterprone "Pyjamas caused the Holocaust", Tue 6 Apr 2010, 7:29, closed)

Heh
My gf (a Brit) got this right away, but I'm sad to say that I had no idea what it referred to. Luckily I have her to educate me!
(Ejaculantern was caught desecrating pumpkins on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 9:14, closed)

We call them Indians because:
1) They call themselves Indians, with further sub-groups based on tribe or band, i.e. Dakota, Osage, S'Kallam, Tlingit, etc.

2) Federal law (Title 25 of the U.S. Code) calls them Indians.

I guess we could invent a new word, but that would take too much time. Heck, I joined a new band last October and we still can't agree on a name. Everyone asks, "did you get a name for that fargin' band yet?" "No". So imagine if we had to go around to the 500 plus tribes and get some type of consensus. Then the First Nations people in Canada would get mad. It's just way to easy to call them Indians.

Plus we are great at reusing names: New York, Dover, New Castle, Nova Scotia - oh wait, that's in Canada.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 7 Apr 2010, 15:01, closed)

Yes- suggest useful term to use instead.
I've just moved to Canada and I don't know what to call the guys down south. I agree that everybody on this continent is an "American", including Canadians. I want to use "yanks" simply because it's less cumbersome than "people from the United States", but it's considered derogatory (and also historically inaccurate for Deep Southerners/secessionists).

It's really odd that there's not a small, handy, specific, non-offensive nickname. Everyone else seems to have one.
(lonelybadger, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 19:46, closed)

I actually have
taken to saying USian (ewe-ess-ian rather than uhs-ian), but you're right that it isn't especially good. Most people I know refer to the US border and that works fine, but what to call the people that isn't derogatory? No idea.
(Ejaculantern was caught desecrating pumpkins on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 3:27, closed)

"yanks" sounds like you think they all go off in a closet and, well, you know

( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 7 Apr 2010, 15:03, closed)

Every American that I personally know
Calls themselves American. 'A true American this'.. 'This is America', whatever. It's called 'the United States OF America, not the 'United States WITHIN America'.

Somebody from the states IS American, like the person above said. I AM European. Unfortunately, if somebody has an American accent, I personally can't define anything but Boston until I ask. So it's easier to call them American.

The minute people of the USA call themselves North American, or any other answer, I shall comply.

It's far easier to realise that somebody with an ENGLISH accent is from England.
(Iggy Pop's Teeth, Mon 5 Apr 2010, 20:11, closed)

lonelybadger, you call them americans...
because they call themselves americans ffs. if you want to get under their skin you call them yanks. those who consider themselves yanks don't mind; those who consider themselves americans sometimes do. and if you want to piss off a quebecois call him (or her) a fucking squeegee punk or a stupid asshole and more likely than not they'll go apeshit. though most probably don't appreciate being called a stupid asshole i would imagine but some might =)
(goorf, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 6:38, closed)

I like "septic"
It's offensive *and* specific
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 9:07, closed)

I never met someone from the 'states' who said they were American.
Instead they said, 'I'm from North Carolina'.

Or 'I'm from South Dakota'.

As if they expected everyone in the rest of the world to know exactly where South Dakota was. I simply assumed it wasn't in Canada, because Canadians wouldn't be so unthinking/arrogant to tell people which state they were from rather than which country.
(stuntsmile, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 14:10, closed)

Heh, we can be just as arrogant,
but we've resigned ourselves to nobody knowing what our provinces are. Unless they have relatives here foreigners tend to know Toronto and possibly, due to the recent Winter Games, Vancouver.
(Ejaculantern was caught desecrating pumpkins on, Tue 6 Apr 2010, 16:22, closed)

Steady now
Most Americans from south of the Equator see it as just one continent, not two.
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Wed 7 Apr 2010, 10:13, closed)