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Why do Americans claim to be from a country when it's just heritage?

ChemicallyEnhanced

ChemicallyEnhanced

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Apr 29, 2018
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[When I say "Americans" I'm just referring to people from the U.S.]

This isn't supposed to be agro or having a go, I genuinely don't understand it, and from what I can gather nobody outside the U.S. gets it either.

What I mean is, for example, saying "I'm Irish" because one of your great grandparents came from Ireland. So, no, you're not Irish. You are 100% American. You have Irish HERITAGE.
I hear it a lot with "Oh, I'm Italian", too, when again you have a relative generations back who was from Italy. You still aren't Italian in any way. You're American.

Like, for a country that is obsessed with being patriotic and proud of being American, you guys sure do like to claim to be from anywhere but.
 
I'm Canadian, my dad is native but my mom's family from Europe.

If anyone ask I say Canadian because I was born in Canada.



I find it odd when people say they're Italian for example but their parents and them born here.
 
Jennn said:
I'm Canadian, my dad is native but my mom's family from Europe.

If anyone ask I say Canadian because I was born in Canada.



I find it odd when people say they're Italian for example but their parents and them born here.
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Is your dad Native American Indian from Canada? If not he is not a Native Canadian but from immigrant heritage who was born in Canada.
Why do people claim to be Native when they aren't ...

Oh, wow there two sides to that coin, eh?
 
Yes he's native Indian , under the Indian act I am to but I don't call myself native because I'm only 1/2 and blonde
 
mal3volent said:
When someone says they "are" ______ but they live somewhere else, they're referring to their ancestry not their nationality. Pretty sure this a common thing everywhere, not just the US. You just have to look at the context. Not sure what the confusion is.
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lol good point, except they often act like they mean their nationality or even culture. Or really fixate on being "from" that country.

Also, I deliberately added that I wasn't having a go at anyone, was just curious so that people WOULDN'T be butt-hurt [CheshireCat's an asshole in any situation so no surprise there tho]
 
ChemicallyEnhanced said:
Also, I deliberately added that I wasn't having a go at anyone, was just curious so that people WOULDN'T be butt-hurt [CheshireCat's an asshole in any situation so no surprise there tho]
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I' m not butt hurt, just stating the facts. But I would avoid calling others assholes. :cool:

I wouldn't call you an asshole regardless of what you say. I can control my emotions and attempt to have an honest discussion.
 
Because it's easier than saying "Italian American" or "Irish American". IME, people who actually fixate on that heritage are the exception, not the rule.
I'm 50% German, maybe 20% English, about 15% Cherokee (etc.). If we are talking about German heritage or Germany, I might say, "I'm German". If we are talking about English heritage, I might say, "I'm English." as readily as I might say, "I have English in me." It's just shorthand and people know what I mean.

As far as the fixating thing. Now that I think about it. I live in a city which was historically very German. Less so now. German culture abounds still. People love their Bratts and Metts at cookouts with sauerkraut at cookouts and we used to be a big German beer producer (yes, different, not a fan). Doesn't mean we are fixated and you couldn't find a more midwestern Americana city. Just means that shit is still around, people or families grew up with it, and maybe it tastes good?
 
I am 100% American with a few imported parts ;) I am the twin of my Italian born maternal grandfather, he married my American 2nd,3rd? generation from Ireland
paired with my fathers Pennsylvania Dutch descendants from an ancestor here before the United States was formed. That last part still trips me out.
 
I doubt whether any North Americans would still be saying such things in several hundred years time.

It would be a bit like any Brit today saying "I'm Viking", or Angle, Saxon, or any of the other nationalities that invaded our island hundreds of years ago, and either assimilated or raped their way into our blood lines.

The populations of so many countries seem to be heavily built on top of wave after wave of immigrants.

I wonder what will happen when people no longer want to emigrate to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK etc.

I believe the reversal is already underway in parts of the USA with many people choosing to re-locate from the USA to Mexico, especially in retirement, due to cost of living issues. The UK has long since ceased to be a top destination of choice, although it does still attract a couple of hundred thousand immigrants every year, IIRC. All of them searching for a better life.
 
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Bleaney said:
I doubt whether any North Americans would still be saying such things in several hundred years time.

It would be a bit like any Brit today saying "I'm Viking", or Angle, Saxon, or any of the other nationalities that invaded our island hundreds of years ago, and either assimilated or raped their way into our blood lines.

The populations of so many countries seem to be heavily built on top of wave after wave of immigrants.

I wonder what will happen when people no longer want to emigrate to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK etc.

I believe the reversal is already underway in parts of the USA with many people choosing to re-locate from the USA to Mexico, especially in retirement, due to cost of living issues. The UK has long since ceased to be a top destination of choice, although it does still attract a couple of hundred thousand immigrants every year, IIRC. All of them searching for a better life.
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:) We had waves of immigration (as opposed to invasion). Anyway, a result of that was that there were Italian communities and there were Irish communities, and those communities married within themselves for a while. So, now you have a lot of people who are 40-50% and more some nationality or another. We all consider ourselves American and it's just something to talk about. Kinda like, "What's your sign?".
Agreed, once people have a much more mixed bloodline that will fade.
 
Well I guess I should start calling myself an American... Other wise I say Oh I'm Irish, Scotch, Polish and Dutch. See.. total mix.
 
Are we Americans? Or are we from north America.

America could be anywhere from Canada to Argentina. Just imagine invisible ( parentheses) around anything people from THE UNITED STATES( of America) say about harritage.

You just did it yourself 😉 dork
 
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