I'm From America, Eh?

My walk back from school today provided me with nothing terribly interesting to contemplate. Therefore I was particularly (overly) entertained when I saw a metal folding chair on a billboard advertisement labeled as "la chaise 'America'" (which is, I know, improper French... I think 'America' is supposed to be the style).

Because that style of chair is so what we Americans have in our houses.

Anyhow, it led me to think about a conversation I had with my roommates a while back about exactly who should be considered an American.

Apparently some people believe that anyone from any part of the Americas is an American. Brazilians, Mexicans, Canadians, USAmericans. That's right, all these people have the privilege of calling themselves Americans. I can't really say I whole heartedly disagree... I mean, all these places are in the Americas, so who are we to say that they can't identify themselves as being American, or from the Americas?

One of my roommates has a friend who hates it when people automatically assume that Americans are from the US. She happens to be Canadian, and takes offense when people use the word "American" to mean from the US exclusively.

I'm sorry, but I have never, EVER, said that I was an American only to have been asked, "Oh, really? What part? British Columbia? Argentina? Texas?" Hello, that doesn't happen.

The whole "Anti-American" sentiment is not targeted at Canadians as well people from the US. I'm pretty sure that people who are "Anti-American" pretty much just hate Bush and some of the ideals in the United States. What has Canada ever done to piss off anybody?

Plus, if being American did not refer to living in the US only, then why does the word "Canadian" exist? Wouldn't Canadians just be Americans, too? The same goes for Mexicans, Brazilians, etc. etc. What's the "Canadian" equivalent for someone who lives in the US? A "United Statian?" A "US citizen?" Ding ding ding! That's right, it's an "American."

Just to drive my point home, here in school I was asked if I was English or American, meaning from Britain or the US. Teachers would introduce me as the American from New Hampshire, not the American from the US, for it goes without saying that if you are an American you are assumed to be from the US. So there.

Let's review: if you are from one of the Americas, feel free to call yourself American, but don't be enraged when people equate the title of "American" with being from the US.