On Sun, 15 May 2005 11:08, Ian Lynch wrote: > On Sat, 2005-05-14 at 17:44 -0400, Daniel Carrera wrote: > > Rod Engelsman wrote: > > > As you can see, the US is the only country in the hemisphere, and of > > > course the world, with the word "America" in the country name. > > > > I never claimed otherwise. But the Americas is the name of the entire > > conglomerate of countries spanning to two continents. That is the basis > > why the majority of the countries you listed feel that they have just as > > much right to being called American. That is, a member of the Americas. > > South Americans and North Americans are two sub-categories of Americans. > > Like my passport says I'm British but actually more specifically I'm > English but then again I'm also European as my passport is also an EU > one and to complicate things further I'm a UK and Commonwealth citizen. > If I was Welsh I'd still be a UK citizen, British and an EU citizen but > I migh refer to myself as European, British or Welsh but definitely not > English :-). > > > > Tell me, are you equally adamant about changing what citizens of the > > > country of Australia call themselves? Haven't they also co-opted the > > > name of the continent to the detriment of New Zealanders? > > > > No they haven't. The name of the continent is Oceania, and it is a > > mistake on your part to refer to one country in it as if it were the > > entire continent. > > Well there is also Australasia, but actually New Zealand did not until > very recently have any indigenous population. Unlike native Australians, > Maoris are recent arrivals from the Pacific Islands so since the name > Australasia was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations > aux terres australes (1756) it was before New Zealand had any > significant settlements.
I take it you are referring to European migrants to New Zealand? Maori arrived roughly about 1000 years ago. New Zealand is still the world's last-settled land of any significant size, (and Australia has one of the world's oldest sites of settlement by Homo Sapiens as opposed to Homo Erectus, a lot earlier than the first Americans, 65 000 versus 30 000) but NZ had a significant population size well before the European settlers turned up. > > > > The only possible motivation is either jealousy or hatred of the USA > > > > I'm sorry you feel that way. I don't hate you, and I'm not jealous. I > > actually stumbled upon that Wikipedia article accidentally. I love > > reading Wikipedia and I love the "random page" feature. So I'll click on > > a random page, or look up a random word I find, and click links reading > > neat stuff. I arrived at a page about alternate terms for "American". I > > thought some where funny, so I posted it. If you see my original post, > > you will see that this is what I talked about. The page with a list of > > alternate names. > > > > > I don't go around bashing Venezuala or Venezualans. > > > > But I'm not bashing you. > > It seems to me that you US citizens seem to be a bit over-sesitive to > these things. From over here you guys do seem a bit insular in your > world vision. You have World Series that only involve teams from the > USA. Perhaps understandable in a country the size of a continent but it > doesn't do any harm to see the bigger picture from time to time from the > perspective of other souls who inhabit the planet. Australia is about > the size of the USA you know. > > > > I get a little sick and tired of constantly being on > > > the defensive because of where I was born. > > > > I don't see what you have to be defensive about. The USA is a perfectly > > fine country to be a citizen of, and I have a lot of good friends from > > there. > > Yes, you have the most powerful economy on the Earth, that should give > confidence not insecurity. Wesley Parish -- Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish ----- Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui? You ask, what is the most important thing? Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.
