# What defines an American? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 1999, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730 "1999-10-01T19:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 1999, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/21 "1999-10-03T07:07:00Z")
Are Hawaiians Americans? Yeah, they live in West America, right? When we take over Bermuda, those people will be Americans from East America, right? 😉 Well, they even claim that what comes from sweat shops in Saipan is “Made in America”. So then what is “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean”? It’s not that country in South America, right? Ray (Hail, Columbia! Long rain, King George!) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 1999, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/22 "1999-10-03T12:21:00Z")
Sadly, the most common , & often the best, definition of an American is: “a rube with too much loot”. * * * We have met the enemy, and He is Us.–Walt Kelly ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/23 "1999-10-04T06:34:00Z")
I’ll buy that! . . .at least I would if I had any loot. I better look for a country where I don’t need as much loot. Ray (Never learned to play the loot.) ---
**Author:** ![blueboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/51bf81/32.png) [@blueboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueboy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/24 "1999-10-04T07:09:00Z")
From Australia, As far as most Australian’s are concerned, every single person that lives in the USA is an American. Though like Australian’s, if not born there, you don’t get the stamp of approval until naturalised. Where some countries are defined by their diversified countryside or there religious beliefs, it is the people that define America. When myself and others have returned from visiting, the most common subject is people. . ---
**Author:** ![Moonshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Moonshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshine)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/25 "1999-10-04T09:09:00Z")
I concurr, if you are born in the USA or naturalised, then you are an American. If you are born in Canada you are a Canadian. In my experience the only people who use differentiations like Irish American or African American are the Americans themselves. As for identifying people by the colour of their skin, most Europeans use the traditional “lables” of black, Asian or white unless you actually know the country a person comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Geenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Geenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geenius)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/26 "1999-10-04T15:15:00Z")
Polycarp, I _do_ prefer to refer to “whites” (including myself) as “European-Americans.” Or rather, more specifically, I prefer that to the ridiculous alternative of referring to the various ethnic groups in this country as “African-American,” “Asian-American,” “Latin American,” “Native American” and “white.” Ideally, we _could_ refer to ourselves all as “Americans” and be done with it. But there are a lot of people with vested interests in continuing to distinguish between “races,” for the sake of either perpetuating discrimination or redressing it. If we must break them down into these various (and largely arbitrary) categories, let them (a) be parallel, so as not to incur further discrimination through language, and acknowledge both (b) origin of the “race” and © the fact that, here and now, they’re all Americans. That’s why I favor “European-American,” “African-American,” “Latin American,” “Asian-American” and “Native American.” If you want to shorten them for convenience, you can use “Euro,” “Afro,” “Latino,” “Asian” and “Native.” No, these terms aren’t gonna take root overnight, but I use them anyway, because they appeal to my sense of fairness and consistency and because they make people think. If these words sound silly coming out of my mouth (pen, computer), maybe people will make the next leap to the notion that it was silly to divide humanity up like that in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/27 "1999-10-04T15:27:00Z")
I don’t know what other countries feel americans are like but I know most other states think of Californians are on drugs all the time. ---
**Author:** ![BenDover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@BenDover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BenDover)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/28 "1999-10-04T15:50:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Polycarp, I do prefer to refer to “whites” (including myself) as “European-Americans.” Or rather, more specifically, I prefer that to the ridiculous alternative of referring to the various ethnic groups in this country as “African-American,” “Asian-American,” “Latin American,” “Native American” and “white.” And what do you call me? I’m part Irish, part Scottish, part Welsh, part Pennsylvania Dutch, and part Cherokee Indian. ## I kinda prefer ‘American’ over ‘Mutt’. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. - Henry Van Dyke ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/29 "1999-10-04T15:50:00Z")
Handy said: > [@](#): > > I don’t know what other countries feel americans are like but I know most other states think of Californians are on drugs all the time. That is an insult to Californians. I spent 9 days visiting friends I had made online in California last March. They were all kind, friendly and hospitable. As a matter of fact, not only where the friends I had met online hospitable, but 4 women I had never even met just walked up to me on the street and asked me if I wanted to go on a date with them (this was in Hollywood) and 2 men in S.F. were so concerned that I might not have a place to stay that they offered the use of their apartment to me. I think California should be known as the Friendly State! * * * **R** anger **J** eff \*The Idol of American Youth \* ---
**Author:** ![dramatoig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dramatoig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dramatoig)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/30 "1999-10-04T19:47:00Z")
\So then what is “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean”? It’s not that country in South America, right?\ ## Well, considering that “country in South America” is Colombia and not Columbia, no. “You must not mind me madam; I say strange things, but I mean no harm.” –Samuel Johnson ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 1999, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/31 "1999-10-04T23:58:00Z")
’ but 4 women I had never even met just walked up to me on the street and asked me if I wanted to go on a date with them (this was in Hollywood) and 2 men in S.F. were so concerned that I might not have a place to stay that they offered the use of their apartment to me.’ Those four women were probably prostitutes as that is exactly what they say. As for the guys, well, SF is known for that kinda thing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 1999, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/32 "1999-10-05T02:27:00Z")
Uh, Handy? Whooooosh! ---
**Author:** ![Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pete)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 1999, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730/33 "1999-10-06T15:54:00Z")
You guys are bickering over heritage. That wasn’t the OP. The OP asked “What defines an Amerian?” In other words, who is considered an American. Forget that Asian-/ Latino-/ Afro- American shit. That’s heritage. It’s entirely different from nationality. Anyone who lives in the United States is an American, regardless of how he got here. Notice I didn’t say he’s a citizen. But he is an American, nonetheless. Obviously, Hawaii is in the United States, therefore, someone living in Hawaii is an American. I specified in my earlier post about place of residence, because there are Americans who live and/or work in other countries. In my opinion, you are American if you live here most of the year. If you spend most of your days in Botswana, then you are, uh
Botswanian. And stop nitpicking about the Americas. Yes, we all know about the continents. We’re talking about the United States, and you know it. * * * I don’t know who first said “everyone’s a critic,” but I think it’s a really stupid saying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-defines-an-american/3730.md?page=1)