The word Americans once described the citizens of a nation. Sadly that perception is evolving. To be excepted as an american these days requires confirming your identity as part of a cult...one with a belief system that worships money and power above all else. People are expendable...even fellow members will be condemned if they fail to prove their usefulness to the cult. You warn these americans of the consequences of their foolishness as you would a friend...and they laugh at you. You let them know that your nation and others view americans’ behavior as ignorant…and they ridicule you. Here they talk like tough guys at the prospects of more wars because they know they wont be the ones in harms way. Others will die while they themselves drive around with SOT and MAGA bumper stickers. Whether or not america was ever a great nation will be a fluid perception in history at best. As my father used to say...”They laugh now. They’ll be crying later.”
We have a North America and a South America. To be called an American usually means you are a citizen of the United States. But that is actually a misnomer. Many countries' citizens are Americans. I had a friend who lived in Canada and would spend many months in Florida during the winter. When asked if he was an American he would reply, "No, I'm a Canadian".
Guess I wouldn't mind being a Canadian for a while...just to see what it's like. Lived in Germany for 3 years. People there seemed more introverted than they do here. Not saying that's a bad thing. They just seem a bit more serious and focused.
This is kind of a loose association, to the thread topic, but most of the Canadians I've met, primarily from Quebec, have been very warm & friendly. I was invited to the wedding of two people I'd only known a couple of days (camping). Another guy honestly invited me to stay at his place any time I came to town, though we barely knew each other (though I think time limit on that elapsed after he would've forgotten our having met). I've long wanted to go on a beer-tasting tour up there, but I can't drink much, anymore, due to acid (that is, I have reflux, not I can't drink anymore as a side-effect of LSD). I still expect I'll eventually visit, probably Nova Scotia & British Columbia, at least. Another place I'd definitely like to take in, is Amsterdam, but that topic is a bit more of a stretch for this thread.
We have visited Nova Scotia several times and still have friends there. One of the largest non-nuclear explosions occurred in the Halifax harbor when an ammunition ship exploded. It wiped out a large part of the city. People from the US, primarily Boston, lost no time going there to help them. They are still grateful. That is how the word should be.
In English, it is correct to use "American" to refer to a citizen of the United States. As it is in most languages. Not in Spanish though. In Spanish the proper word is "Estadounidense". Though many Spanish speakers also use "Norteamericano" (North-American)
