Call me Mexican.
August 13, 2009
Call me Mexican. I am Mexican-American too, but that is redundant, since, after all, all Mexicans are Mexican-American. So, please just call me Mexican. Saying otherwise would be like a German saying that she is German-European. Unless, of course, there are Mexicans on a different continent I am unaware of. If there are, then, please let me know and I hope I am not one of them.
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You’ve hit on why I refer to US citizens as USians, rather than Americans. After all, Mexicans, Venezuelans, Chileans, Brazilians and Canadians are all Americans, to name a few.
Sam, that’s fine with me!
Actually, growing up and through high school, it was common to refer to people whose origins were in Mexico by the name Mexican. My parish church had what was called the Mexican Mass where the sermon was spoken in Spanish. I grew up in South Central Washington State. There were many Mexican farmers and migrant workers in the area.
Likewise, I don’t recall being referred to as Irish-American or Norwegian-American. I was just called Irish or Norwegian.
I do remember, however, my grandfather telling me never to trust a Swede — only half in jest!
“I don’t recall being referred to as Irish-American or Norwegian-American. I was just called Irish or Norwegian.”
My impression, from growing up back East, is that there is a long history of ethnic groups labeling themselves XYZ-American. Where I was raised in upstate NY, I can remember clubs and organizations labeled Italian-American, German-American, Polish-American, etc.
Now I reside on the West coast, and I do not see to many clubs or organizations with such labels. One exception is a near-by hall for a local Portuguese-American group. Come to think of it, I know a Chinese American professional association in Silicon Valley.
Why not just American?
I think the problem of thinking “just American,” is that it conflate the positions of the US as the position of all of America, and resounds of US imperialism. Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, et. al. — ALL America. Not the same thing for any of them, yet, the US wants “America” to be in its image alone.
“America” is a homonym. It has two proper definitions. It can properly refer to either continent of the western hemisphere, or it can properly refer to the United States of America.
We are Americans and citizens of the United States. The proper name for our country and our nation is America. The United States of America is the official name for our government. We are not USians. The official name of the Mexican govenrnment is similar. It is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, but we call them Mexicans, not EUians. We refer to the people and culture of Mexico when we say Mexican, not just their citizenship (and in the case of Sam and millions of other like hime, not their citizenship at all). We do the same when we say American, it is just that the naem of our country is shared with 2 whole continents; homonyms can be confusing at times. But Just because America is a homonym,it doesn’t mean we live in a nameless country.
The proper name for the “United States of America” is NOT America. It is “The United States of America.” America is not the proper name. It is rather the improper name used loosely for propaganda purposes more than anything else.
[No more racist and/or classist comments like that one, please. - M.I.]
Henry,
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make it untrue.
The name of our country is America, the name of our nationality is American. You may not like it and may disapprove of the history that lead this to be proper English usage, but you can’t say it’s not true.
As much as I might wish otherwise my nationality is American. It is not Michigander, or Kansan or Coloradan, even though I have lived in those places. There is an American nationality, whether we like it or not, we are a unified people, and that unification will continue if the constitutional regieme of the United States fails.
I hate to argue from the dictionary, but the question we are discussing is usage. Usage is determinate in this case–there is no other name for our nationality. Check your dictionary. It will tell you that there is more than one definition for America. It can refer to the continents, or it can refer to the nation.
Our nation doesn’t have another name. There is very definitely is something more to the American people than their politics. Indeed we can be patriotic Americans and hate the United States. I would have thought that one who has a friendly place in his thinking for anarchists would appreciate that. Or is the one who says that it is impossible to love your country without loving the constitution correct in the peculiar case of the United States of America? Are we a state without a nation?
I am ….?
dpt, I also grew up in Upstate New York, and remember as an elementary school student kids asking each other, “What are you?” and answering, “I’m Polish… I’m Italian… I’m half Irish, half German,” etc.
That said, while I lived in South America for a while so am well aware that in Spanish América refers to the continent(s), In American English, it does not, so I’m fine with calling myself an American in English and an estadounidense in Spanish.
Here’s an old post of mine on the proper name we almost had — The United States of Allegania. We could have been Alleganians!
OK, the land from Alaska to Argentina is called America, but everyone knows that a Mexican American is a person born of Mexican ancestry born in the US, while a Mexican is a person born in Mexico. When a Mexican American calls him or herself a Mexican, all they’re doing is alienating themselves. Besides, every time I talk to Mexican American about their trips to Mexico, all I hear is them talk about the strange customs and beliefs of Mexico. If they’re so Mexican, they wouldn’t find Mexico to be such a strange place. Bottom line, Being Mexican is more than knowing how to speak Spanish or how to dance to Banda or Salsa.
Chris: How does living there for part of your life do? Again, call me Mexican.