I’m old enough to remember the "Why has America gone mad’ discourse of 1968, what with the Kennedy/King assassinations and the various rows about the end of segregation.
We all survived, and it’s not as though we haven’t all got various sociopolitical embarrassments it’s best not to raise:
I wouldn’t say those are mutually exclusive. I consider myself as British, but recognise that I am also English and the I am from the European continent. If asked what continent they are from I expect the large majority of Icelanders would answer Europe, regardless of whether they consider themselves Icelandic, Scandinavian or European (even among those on the North Atlantic plate).
Yeah, I’ve been to Europe during the Clinton, Bush II, and Obama administrations. Never heard anything about presidents anywhere.
The only political thing that ever came up was during my study abroad in England (2003). A classmate and I were chatting up some Swedish girls, and when they found out I was from Texas, capital punishment came up, with much disapproval.
Otherwise, it wasn’t an issue or even mentioned. And there were plenty of people doing silly stuff like sewing Canadian flags to their backpacks, etc…
You can “expect” all you like. I’m reporting to you what actual Icelanders said when I was actually there.
I have also been to Iceland and spoken to a lot of people there. I agree that they “may alternatively consider themselves European, Scandinavian, or simply Icelandic” but if if what continent they are from the ones that consider themselves Scandinavia or Icelandic with not respond that they are from the “continent” of Scandinavia or Iceland (or at least none of the people I have spoken to would).
The context of this was whether Iceland is part of Europe, and in my experience most Icelanders would say that it is even if they consider themselves Icelandic or Scandinavian.