Is American an Ethnicity?

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25 Jul 2008, 6:20 pm

An ethnicity is defined by having distinct customs and traditions, often a language of its own, and a shared origin. The United States definitely has its own culture, which we've exported widely, and we have a distinct version of English. We do share the common origin via myth: immigration to the "land of the free." Most Americans think of their ancestries when they think of ethnicity, but do people abroad see Americans as a distinct ethnicity? We lack the long-standing rivalries of many ethnicities (e.g., Greeks vs. Turks), but we do have short-lived rivalries based on realpolitik.

monty
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25 Jul 2008, 7:56 pm

America is bigger than a country, and we have regional ethnicities, IMO.

Consider the good ole boys in the south - take a group of predominantly white, Scottish/English/Irish, protestants and cook them in the hundred degree heat for 200 years or so with side of corn bread and a big plate of ribs, and that is an ethnic group by my standards. They have common ancestry, their own dialect and religious modes, their own political culture, etc.

Other possible ethnicities: Tex-Mex, New Englander, Heartlander (Pennsylvania to Ohio/Indiana/Illinois/Iowan), Appalachian (at least 2 distinct - northern and southern).

Course, modernity tends to homogenize things (consider the Amish sk8 punks), and people move around a lot more than they used to.

Larree
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25 Jul 2008, 8:01 pm

No. American is a nationality.

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NeantHumain
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25 Jul 2008, 8:15 pm

Larree wrote:

No. American is a nationality.

Semantics.

Nationality only means belonging to a nation-state (as permanent resident or as citizen). Ethnicity adds culture and custom.

NeantHumain
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25 Jul 2008, 8:17 pm

monty wrote:

These subgroups still have enough commonalities that an American, when traveling abroad, is almost always recognized as such. I suppose, if Americans had to leave the United States in sufficient numbers, they'd form ethnic communities in non-English-speaking countries as has happened in the past and present in the U.S. itself.

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25 Jul 2008, 8:32 pm

Why bother to phrase it as a question when you already have your mind made up?

wrt the last post, my father went overseas for some time and what he found was that Americans in general were accepted, but Texans in specific were not.

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25 Jul 2008, 8:45 pm

LKL wrote:

my father went overseas for some time and what he found was that Americans in general were accepted, but Texans in specific were not.

Too bad the rest of didn't know about this before the 2000 election.

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Larree
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25 Jul 2008, 8:50 pm

NeantHumain wrote:

Larree wrote:

No. American is a nationality.

Semantics.

Nationality only means belonging to a nation-state (as permanent resident or as citizen). Ethnicity adds culture and custom.

American is NOT an ethnicity. If I NEED to stress my ethnicity, I can add a hyphen in front.

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Psychlone
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25 Jul 2008, 11:28 pm

Not yet, but give it a thousand years or so and the ethnic groups currently residing here will break down and meld into a new American ethnicity.

Fred2670
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26 Jul 2008, 3:28 am

Larree wrote:

American is NOT an ethnicity. If I NEED to stress my ethnicity, I can add a hyphen in front.

“Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language, and that is the English language. We have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

~Theodore Roosevelt 1907~

anyone who thinks this is "outdated rhetoric"
can kiss my patriotic ass

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slowmutant
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26 Jul 2008, 3:51 am

Fred2670 wrote:

Larree wrote:

American is NOT an ethnicity. If I NEED to stress my ethnicity, I can add a hyphen in front.

I like your style ... :lol:

Larree
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26 Jul 2008, 8:24 am

Fred2670 wrote:

Larree wrote:

American is NOT an ethnicity. If I NEED to stress my ethnicity, I can add a hyphen in front.

Teddy can kiss my ass. Personally, I do not use a hyphen in front of "American." But I sure do hate racists. I am ALL American, and I will go toe to toe with any jackass who questions my allegiance and/or patriotism!

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Psychlone
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26 Jul 2008, 8:42 am

Larree wrote:

Fred2670 wrote:

Larree wrote:

American is NOT an ethnicity. If I NEED to stress my ethnicity, I can add a hyphen in front.

Judging from your avatar, I'd have to conclude you are serious.