Comment by hollerith
4 months ago
And Americans who hate America and hope that starting a movement to change one of its names might take it down a notch.
4 months ago
And Americans who hate America and hope that starting a movement to change one of its names might take it down a notch.
Yes.
Let's change the name of America to the United States of America and move it from the front of drop down lists to the end.
Many years ago an Australian show famous for comedic Vox Pop street interviews had a hilarious run on "Asking Americans to name a country that started with the letter U".
I mean, sure, but you've also got "United Mexican States" for Mexico and "Republic of China" for Taiwan or even "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" for the UK.
Nobody in their right mind calls any of them by their full names. The rules are more-or-less consistent, it's just pedantry to complain about "America."
It's accepted by all on planet Dirt that they live on planet dirt.
Elsewhere, others living on orbiting aggregates with surface soil like to occassionally disambiguate.
Naturally this seems insane to the exceptionalist denizens of Dirt.
Mexico alone is clear, a Mexican is a citizen of the UMS. The UK is equally clear.
Outside of the United States, particlularly with other American, North, South, or Central ESL speakers, it's not so clear.
This is why the practice arose many years past, why the BBC once had clear style guides on not using "American(s)" in any articles until after the full name United States of America had been used to establish context for which Americans wre intended.
> it's just pedantry to complain about "America."
Being clear isn't a complaint. It's taken as such by the small minded with a horizon limited by a halo about their head.
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Calling the USA just America is like if Taiwan called itself just China. Yes it's common within the USA, but for the rest of the people who live in America, it seems strange.
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