What is an American? My answer to this has changed, many times. At first, I said that an American is someone who is born the US. Then I said that it was anyone born in North or South America. Then I said it was anyone who lived in America for a long time and/or is a citizen. Lastly, I thought that in some ways no one is American.
There is a difference between a nationality and an ethnicity. Its easy to tell the difference until you start to think about America. No one's ethnicity is American, except Native Americans. Some people say that they want to be the perfect American, or live the American dream, which is living with American culture. But, what is American culture? USA is a country where immigrated to, bringing their own cultures, so I don't understand American culture? If a certain ethnic group started it, wouldn't it be their culture? I think that people don't call themselves American, because so many different people are American, and it doesn't show your unique qualities in which you got from your ethnic background. Now, I think I'm starting to rant, but I have thought the answer to this complicated question is quite easy.What is an American? Easy, its just someone who was born in America.
Awesome! I like how you reference being American as a culture rather than an Ethnicity.
ReplyDeleteBut i'd like to say that since America hasn't had enough time to create it's own goods, can we consider anything really American anymore? I mean things that we think of as American, whether it be technology, clothing, or even food, has almost everything coming from foreign background. So do we have really our own culture or is it like the "nationality", a mixing pot of everyone else?
I agree with the basis of someone who is born in America, but what about the
ReplyDeleteAmerican culture? I do think we have unique qualities that define us to this nation.