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American consumers behave as if they have already seen and done everything. In recent months, chatting with a foreign friend has made it uncomfortably clear to
by Mz 10y ago
American consumers behave as if they have already seen and done everything.
In recent months, chatting with a foreign friend has made it uncomfortably clear to me that Americans are bad about thinking all white people who speak English and are successful are American. America is kind of narcissistic (such as when so many of us assume you must be American when you post to a predominantly American forum). I suspect one thing that helps foreign countries succeed here is "passing" for American, which many foreign countries likely make no effort to do.
- pixl97 10y ago> uncomfortably clear to me that Americans are bad about thinking all white people who speak English and are successful are American. Don't worry, if you're black you're African-American too.
- Mz 10y agoYeah, my sons and I recently discussed some of the problems with calling people African-American or even Hispanic-American. I noted that we don't call whites "European-American" -- a term I am tempted to start using ironically, in part because I increasingly object to surveys that ask if I am white or some long list of other labels, none of which is really accurate. There is never an option that really fits me or a means to write in "German-Irish-French-Cherokee ethnicity and American citizen by birth" or something. Signed: European-American with a dash of Cherokee who finds the entire system offensive.