Also offensive: pointing out that English speakers do not use the word “American” to refer to people from Latin America. The term in our language is universally used to refer to people from the country America.
Also offensive: pointing out that English speakers do not use the word “American” to refer to people from Latin America. The term in our language is universally used to refer to people from the country America.
You’re right, I should’ve said xenophobic
Are you being xenophobic when you use the term American? Or is it just common parlance? What is it when you tell people how to address themselves?
*ethnocentric is a better term actually, after more thinking
Yeah, when I use the term “American” to refer to US Americans, I’m being ethnocentric. If I were to be corrected and then -instead of accepting the correction- double down and argue, that would certainly seem like I had a problem with being an equal to Latin Americans
I don’t believe ethnocentric is the correct term (I mean, clearly. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with it. But if there has to be a label you can apply, ethnocentric isn’t it.). American is not an ethnicity. Asian Americans and African Americans are every bit as American as white Americans and Latino Americans. The only ethnicity with a better claim than all those others are Native Americans.
There is space for America to refer to the continents of North and South America, and also be short hand for the United States of America the same way that the United Mexican States is called Mexico.
Inferring that it makes anyone less equal is ethnocetric, if anything.