pmw@philabs.UUCP (Peter M. Wagner) (11/06/85)
The discussion about the name "Americans" shows that there is no name for citizens of the United States of America! The lack of a name goes hand in hand with a lack of culture and history. Let's wait a couple of hundred years; perhaps we will find a name. >The full name of the US is "The United States of America". As far as I >know, we are the only country whose name contains the name "America". >Just as residents of The Commonwealth of Virginia call themselves >"Virginians" and residents of The Republic of West Germany (I think >that's its full name, please don't flame at me if I am wrong) call >themselves "West Germans", residents of "The US of America" can call >themselves Americans. Indeed, some other collection of states could >unite themselves, and they might be The United States of Foobar; they >would call themselves "Foobarians", not "Unitedstatesians", just as West >Germans do not call themselves "Republicans". There is the Federal Republic of Germany (some people call it West Germany) and there is the Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany). Being a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany I object being called West German! There exist two seperate states. But there is only one nationality (German). So people in both Germanys call themself Germans or citizen of .... -peter wagner pmw@philabs.uucp philabs!pmw@seismo.arpa
robinson@ubc-cs.UUCP (Jim Robinson) (11/13/85)
In article <497@philabs.UUCP> pmw@philabs.UUCP (Peter M. Wagner) writes: > > The discussion about the name "Americans" shows that there is no name for >citizens of the United States of America! The lack of a name goes hand in hand >with a lack of culture and history. Let's wait a couple of hundred years; >perhaps we will find a name. > >There is the Federal Republic of Germany (some people call it West Germany) >and there is the Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany). > >Being a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany I object being called West >German! There exist two seperate states. But there is only one >nationality (German). So people in both Germanys call themself Germans or >citizen of .... Given the choice between Germany's recent history and America's "lack of history", I think I'll take the latter, thank you. J.B. Robinson P.S. Gee, and all this time I thought that that snobbish European attitude to the US in particular and North America in general was just another of them thar nasty stereotypes. Silly me.