Hyphenated-Americans

Anachronism, I actually quite like you. Though I don't care if the feeling's not mutual. But as informed, well crafted and clearly passionate some of your posts are, some defy both logic and human nature in one stroke. Identity's not something you can shake-off in a heartbeat. And, however much you may tell me otherwise, there's still a very clear and encouraged connection between communities in America (and Canada) that are proud of their connections to Europe (and beyond). I mean, need I remind you - however hard it may be to swallow - that the majority of your Founding Fathers - however much they'd sacrificed - considered themselves English-American?
 
Hyphenated Americans..... Mexican-Americans; Asian-Americans; German-Americans; Irish-Americans; Muslim-Americans; Christian-Americans; Jewish-Americans; etc.... these people piss me off. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

You are either an AMERICAN or you AREN'T. A house divided amongst itself cannot stand. You cannot have a loyalty to another place, or another philosophy and still have the proper amount of loyalty to the United States of America. It's one or the other boys and girls.

I can tell you every single country that my ancestors came to this country from. However, I hold no loyalty to any of that handful of countries. I may have the blood of those peoples in my veins but I am not attached to any of them. I learned this lesson very early on in my life, from my great-grandmother.

Her family had been here in the United States since the 17th Century. In 1980, at nearly 90 years old. she failed to fill out her US Census documents and received a visit from a Census Worker. She ended up throwing him out of her home after cursing him out in her living room. Her reason.... He refused to list AMERICAN as her heritage on the form. Even after she'd explained to him that her family had come here more than three centuries earlier. That had a profound affect on the thought process of a certain 6 year old great-grandson of hers.

So what do you folks think? Should we be focusing on these hyphenations of our heritage, or should we actually be forcing people who come to this country to actually become a part of this country, and not remain even partially loyal to other nations, religions, etc... in addition to (or often in place of) loyalty to the United States?

Dead on target. I am of (get ready!) scots, irish, english, german, and italian decent. I don't have any particular affinity to any of those countries (wellllll, I am sort of an anglophile). When I was growing up, people would only say "I'm german-american" only in response to a specific question about ancestry. Now they do it, in the balkanized society libs have created, as a way to distinguish themselves from just plain american. That's what I am - my ethnicity, identification, and loyalties are american - nothing else.
 
Anachronism, I actually quite like you. Though I don't care if the feeling's not mutual. But as informed, well crafted and clearly passionate some of your posts are, some defy both logic and human nature in one stroke. Identity's not something you can shake-off in a heartbeat. And, however much you may tell me otherwise, there's still a very clear and encouraged connection between communities in America (and Canada) that are proud of their connections to Europe (and beyond). I mean, need I remind you - however hard it may be to swallow - that the majority of your Founding Fathers - however much they'd sacrificed - considered themselves English-American?

Are you British?
 
Are you British?

Yes, he is. What he fails to realize is that even in that time period, my family held no stead for those who maintained loyalty to any nation other than this one....

My relatives were apparently involved in the lynching of a Tory in Essex, CT in the last couple decades of the 18th century.
 
Anachronism, I actually quite like you. Though I don't care if the feeling's not mutual. But as informed, well crafted and clearly passionate some of your posts are, some defy both logic and human nature in one stroke. Identity's not something you can shake-off in a heartbeat. And, however much you may tell me otherwise, there's still a very clear and encouraged connection between communities in America (and Canada) that are proud of their connections to Europe (and beyond). I mean, need I remind you - however hard it may be to swallow - that the majority of your Founding Fathers - however much they'd sacrificed - considered themselves English-American?

Anachronism clarified that you're British, and therefore I think you have the wrong take on the OP. You are possibly unaware that for some time in the US there has been a concerted effort by the left to balkanize this country for political purposes, eg, permitting the flooding of this country with 20 million illegal aliens - what european country would allow that?

OF COURSE the US is a historical extension of europe, we fit nicely in the western tradition. (More or less. :D) And of course we know the nature of the founding fathers - in many respects they were much more like british than current day americans. Conservatives are trying to, well, conserve, the unique qualities about this country that are american, while the left tries hard every day to make it identity-free, nothing more than an address. Part and parcel of that is to get people to focus intently on where they came from, not where they are.
 
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People have a right to feel proud of their heritage and the culture that they bring to this country. After all, most of American culture is British-American, Italian-American, German-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Indian-American, etc. Given a thousand years or so and our culture will truly be American made but not yet.
 
People have a right to feel proud of their heritage and the culture that they bring to this country. After all, most of American culture is British-American, Italian-American, German-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Indian-American, etc. Given a thousand years or so and our culture will truly be American made but not yet.

You might have a point if these people were first-generation Americans; people who were born elsewhere. Most of these people aren't. THEY have no connection to these other countries. They weren't born there. They've never lived there. In many cases they've never even visited the place. Yet they're standing there boldly announcing their preference for that country, culture, and society over the one that they live in.
 
You are possibly unaware that for some time in the US there has been a concerted effort by the left to balkanize this country for political purposes, eg, permitting the flooding of this country with 20 million illegal aliens - what european country would allow that?

European nations have been allowing a flood of aliens into their countries for some time. As a result of the 1985 Schengen Agreement, there is free travel within Europe. Citizens of European Union member states and their families have the right to live and work anywhere within the EU because of EU citizenship. It may take 10, 20, or 50 years but eventually America will open it's boarders.
 
People have a right to feel proud of their heritage and the culture that they bring to this country. After all, most of American culture is British-American, Italian-American, German-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Indian-American, etc. Given a thousand years or so and our culture will truly be American made but not yet.

False - there is a distinct american culture, known to all except those who deliberately balkanize thenselves.
 
People have a right to feel proud of their heritage and the culture that they bring to this country. After all, most of American culture is British-American, Italian-American, German-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Indian-American, etc. Given a thousand years or so and our culture will truly be American made but not yet.

You might have a point if these people were first-generation Americans; people who were born elsewhere. Most of these people aren't. THEY have no connection to these other countries. They weren't born there. They've never lived there. In many cases they've never even visited the place. Yet they're standing there boldly announcing their preference for that country, culture, and society over the one that they live in.

Good point. One Maldef separatist said something like "I want mexicans [he's referring to illegals plus mexican americans] to think of themselves first and foremost as mexicans, even to the seventh generation in this country".
 
Hyphenated Americans..... Mexican-Americans; Asian-Americans; German-Americans; Irish-Americans; Muslim-Americans; Christian-Americans; Jewish-Americans; etc.... these people piss me off. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

You are either an AMERICAN or you AREN'T. A house divided amongst itself cannot stand. You cannot have a loyalty to another place, or another philosophy and still have the proper amount of loyalty to the United States of America. It's one or the other boys and girls.

I can tell you every single country that my ancestors came to this country from. However, I hold no loyalty to any of that handful of countries. I may have the blood of those peoples in my veins but I am not attached to any of them. I learned this lesson very early on in my life, from my great-grandmother.

Her family had been here in the United States since the 17th Century. In 1980, at nearly 90 years old. she failed to fill out her US Census documents and received a visit from a Census Worker. She ended up throwing him out of her home after cursing him out in her living room. Her reason.... He refused to list AMERICAN as her heritage on the form. Even after she'd explained to him that her family had come here more than three centuries earlier. That had a profound affect on the thought process of a certain 6 year old great-grandson of hers.

So what do you folks think? Should we be focusing on these hyphenations of our heritage, or should we actually be forcing people who come to this country to actually become a part of this country, and not remain even partially loyal to other nations, religions, etc... in addition to (or often in place of) loyalty to the United States?

I'm a black American, black first American second. But no hyphen.
 
Hyphenated Americans..... Mexican-Americans; Asian-Americans; German-Americans; Irish-Americans; Muslim-Americans; Christian-Americans; Jewish-Americans; etc.... these people piss me off. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

You are either an AMERICAN or you AREN'T. A house divided amongst itself cannot stand. You cannot have a loyalty to another place, or another philosophy and still have the proper amount of loyalty to the United States of America. It's one or the other boys and girls.

I can tell you every single country that my ancestors came to this country from. However, I hold no loyalty to any of that handful of countries. I may have the blood of those peoples in my veins but I am not attached to any of them. I learned this lesson very early on in my life, from my great-grandmother.

Her family had been here in the United States since the 17th Century. In 1980, at nearly 90 years old. she failed to fill out her US Census documents and received a visit from a Census Worker. She ended up throwing him out of her home after cursing him out in her living room. Her reason.... He refused to list AMERICAN as her heritage on the form. Even after she'd explained to him that her family had come here more than three centuries earlier. That had a profound affect on the thought process of a certain 6 year old great-grandson of hers.

So what do you folks think? Should we be focusing on these hyphenations of our heritage, or should we actually be forcing people who come to this country to actually become a part of this country, and not remain even partially loyal to other nations, religions, etc... in addition to (or often in place of) loyalty to the United States?

I'm a black American, black first American second. But no hyphen.

Just what we've been saying.
 
People have a right to feel proud of their heritage and the culture that they bring to this country. After all, most of American culture is British-American, Italian-American, German-American, Mexican-American, African-American, Indian-American, etc. Given a thousand years or so and our culture will truly be American made but not yet.

False - there is a distinct american culture, known to all except those who deliberately balkanize thenselves.
I agree, there is a distinct and growing American made culture but most of our culture is still rooted abroad.
 
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Hyphenated Americans..... Mexican-Americans; Asian-Americans; German-Americans; Irish-Americans; Muslim-Americans; Christian-Americans; Jewish-Americans; etc.... these people piss me off. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

You are either an AMERICAN or you AREN'T. A house divided amongst itself cannot stand. You cannot have a loyalty to another place, or another philosophy and still have the proper amount of loyalty to the United States of America. It's one or the other boys and girls.

I can tell you every single country that my ancestors came to this country from. However, I hold no loyalty to any of that handful of countries. I may have the blood of those peoples in my veins but I am not attached to any of them. I learned this lesson very early on in my life, from my great-grandmother.

Her family had been here in the United States since the 17th Century. In 1980, at nearly 90 years old. she failed to fill out her US Census documents and received a visit from a Census Worker. She ended up throwing him out of her home after cursing him out in her living room. Her reason.... He refused to list AMERICAN as her heritage on the form. Even after she'd explained to him that her family had come here more than three centuries earlier. That had a profound affect on the thought process of a certain 6 year old great-grandson of hers.

So what do you folks think? Should we be focusing on these hyphenations of our heritage, or should we actually be forcing people who come to this country to actually become a part of this country, and not remain even partially loyal to other nations, religions, etc... in addition to (or often in place of) loyalty to the United States?

I'm a black American, black first American second. But no hyphen.

Just what we've been saying.

So.
 
You know........in the late 70's and early 80's, my Grandmother used to tell me stories about my heritage in Scotland. Part of my lineage goes all the way back to members of the Black Watch of Scotland, and Robert the Bruce on her side. She's half German and half Scottish.

My Grandfather's lineage goes all the way back to Erik the Red. He's a full blooded Norwegian who immigrated here from Norway.

Although I've got a lot to be proud of in my lineage, I've never identified myself as a Scottish American or a Norwegian American or anything else other than American.

Matter of fact, when asked what I was while traveling overseas with the Navy, anytime someone asked what nationality I was, I simply said "American". Sometimes I'd tell them I was an American Sailor when pressed for what did I do for a living.

My personal opinion? It's just like I was told in boot camp..........there are dark blue Sailors and there are light blue Sailors, but our colors are blue and gold, and we are all Sailors.

Same with being American. I was born in this country, and yeah.......I'm proud of my heritage, but I'm not going to make little subsets so that I can set myself apart from others.

We're ALL Americans. Leave the hyphen out.
 
I'm a black American, black first American second. But no hyphen.

Then you are an Enemy of this nation so far as I am concerned, and a threat to everything that this country was intended to be about.


I agree, there is a distinct and growing American made culture but most our culture is still rooted abroad.

No. American culture, like the American language takes in other things and makes them our own. We take these things, modify them to our uses and insert them into our society. Like a hobo camp's "stone soup"; we've taken the ingredients and made them more than the individual parts could be. The individual parts no longer exist, they're part of the greater whole. Unfortunately the only thing we've gotten from Europe in the last century is SOCIALISM; and I'd be happy to give that back, thank you very much.
 
You know........in the late 70's and early 80's, my Grandmother used to tell me stories about my heritage in Scotland. Part of my lineage goes all the way back to members of the Black Watch of Scotland, and Robert the Bruce on her side. She's half German and half Scottish.

My Grandfather's lineage goes all the way back to Erik the Red. He's a full blooded Norwegian who immigrated here from Norway.

Although I've got a lot to be proud of in my lineage, I've never identified myself as a Scottish American or a Norwegian American or anything else other than American.

Matter of fact, when asked what I was while traveling overseas with the Navy, anytime someone asked what nationality I was, I simply said "American". Sometimes I'd tell them I was an American Sailor when pressed for what did I do for a living.

My personal opinion? It's just like I was told in boot camp..........there are dark blue Sailors and there are light blue Sailors, but our colors are blue and gold, and we are all Sailors.

Same with being American. I was born in this country, and yeah.......I'm proud of my heritage, but I'm not going to make little subsets so that I can set myself apart from others.

We're ALL Americans. Leave the hyphen out.

Well spoken.
 
I'm a black American, black first American second. But no hyphen.

Then you are an Enemy of this nation so far as I am concerned, and a threat to everything that this country was intended to be about.

I wouldn't quite call those people enemies, but they aren't really americans. As I said, America is just an address to them. One wonders - why don't they leave and go to the place they primarily identify with? It would in most cases be an improvement to this country.
 

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