4 ms·

In English, "America" means the USA specifically. But you knew that already and decided to just post bait.

by ishouldstayaway 7mo ago

deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]
calderarrow 7mo ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour
- shimman 7mo ago
  Seems too subjective. I don't think it'll take off.
- ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
  Hey look judging from how this thread evolved in the last several hours, at least it turned out that the bait worked and a bunch of people were dumb enough to take it? ha ha
smarf 7mo ago
or, perhaps, they are wryly pushing back against the USA capturing a generic geographic term for themselves
- triceratops 7mo ago
  To be fair though, that horse bolted a couple of centuries ago. What other name would you call it by? There's another "united states" on the same continent. The country to the immediate south is formally known as the "United Mexican States".
  - Brian_K_White 7mo ago
    But the whole hemisphere is not "Mexico". USA and Canada are not also "North Mexico". Their harmless little reminder is more correct than any of the attempted arguments against it.
    - triceratops 7mo ago
      It was the first group of united states on the continent. North America was, relative to the land that became Mexico, thinly peopled. Unlike in Mexico there was no pre-colonial, indigenous empire that had ruled and named the land which eventually became the 13 colonies. So there wasn't necessarily a better alternative to put after "United States of" at the time. Do you know of one?
      - nobody9999 7mo ago
        >Unlike in Mexico there was no pre-colonial, indigenous empire that had ruled and named the land which eventually became the 13 colonies. Actually, there were multiple indigenous political entities both along the Eastern Seaboard (where we find those 13 colonies) as well as across what is now the US and Canada[0]. We just took their land and killed most of them, but they were still pretty organized -- with political groupings of various types. [0] https://scholar.flatworldknowledge.com/books/32177/ourhistory_vol1-32698-20190228-133137-189989/preview https://scholar.flatworldknowledge.com/books/32177/ourhistor...
        triceratops 7mo ago
        Where's the Tenochtitlan of the 13 colonies? Of course colonists committed genocide against indigenous people everywhere they went. No one's denying that. I'm addressing precisely what you yourself said > there were multiple indigenous political entities both along the Eastern Seaboard They were fragmented and smaller than the Aztec empire. That doesn't make it right to take their land. It does explain why their names didn't apply to the entire land. Because none of them was so big and centralized. If you look at the geographical features of the Eastern seaboard - mountains, lakes, streams, rivers, cities and towns, even 2 states (Massachusetts, Connecticut) - native names abound. The lands that became the US and Canada really did have fewer people living on them than the lands that became Mexico. [1] Again because Mexico had centralized states and large-scale agriculture capable of supporting large populations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_the_Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_the_Indi...
  - ciupicri 7mo ago
    If I'm not mistaking the name "United States of Mexico" appeared in 1824, whereas "United States of America" appeared earlier in 1787.
  - gib444 7mo ago
    How about its real name, the USA? Crazy idea I know
- marssaxman 7mo ago
  The level of arrogance some western-hemisphere Spanish speakers have, trying to tell foreigners that the name they use for their own country in their own native language is wrong, demanding that they translate the Spanish name and use that instead, is so absurdly entitled that it's just... hilarious.
  - guzfip 7mo ago
    > The level of arrogance some western-hemisphere Spanish speakers have It’s almost exclusively Western Europeans doing this IME
  - Brian_K_White 7mo ago
    It's so wierd to perceive that as arrogance. Actually "wierd" is being too nice.
    - marssaxman 7mo ago
      In your world, then, is it normal to complain about other people's names, and expect them to change what they call themselves to better suit your preference?
      - Brian_K_White 7mo ago
        Again, wierd. No one is doing that. But for some reason you decide that someone has done something to you, or done anything at all to anyone.
        marssaxman 7mo ago
        I am sure it sounds bizarre, if you have never encountered it before, but people really do this. A few quick examples - all in English: https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/a96v93/america_is_the_whole_continent_not_only_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/a96v93/am... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/does_it_bother_you_how_the_world_refer_to_usa_as/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/doe... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/15zlo42/is_brazil_the_only_place_in_latam_where_people/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/15zlo42/is... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/does_it_bother_you_how_the_world_refer_to_usa_as/fmscgsr/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/doe...
- nyantaro1 7mo ago
  Let them have it. 'America' is so loaded with horrible things that I don't really think the rest of the continent cares
- ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
  This is the point: in English, it is not a generic geographic term. It is in Spanish, though, so I get where the confusion comes from (at least when that confusion is genuine and not just boring troll shit). In Spanish, "América" refers to what in English is "the Americas", because in English we use separate terms for North, South, and (sometimes) Central America. It's not pushback. It's just dishonest ragebait bullshit.
chb 7mo ago
So was Trump being inclusive or exclusive when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?
- ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
  Instead, try commenting in good faith.
gib444 7mo ago
Times are a changing. We can change the English language on this matter too (or more accurately, it might end up changing). It is something that needs correcting tbh. The USA does not own the Americas.

In English, "America" means the USA specifically. But you knew that already and decided to just post bait.

deleted 7mo ago

[deleted]

calderarrow 7mo ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour

shimman 7mo ago
Seems too subjective. I don't think it'll take off.
ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
Hey look judging from how this thread evolved in the last several hours, at least it turned out that the bait worked and a bunch of people were dumb enough to take it? ha ha

smarf 7mo ago

or, perhaps, they are wryly pushing back against the USA capturing a generic geographic term for themselves

triceratops 7mo ago
To be fair though, that horse bolted a couple of centuries ago. What other name would you call it by? There's another "united states" on the same continent. The country to the immediate south is formally known as the "United Mexican States".
- Brian_K_White 7mo ago
  But the whole hemisphere is not "Mexico". USA and Canada are not also "North Mexico". Their harmless little reminder is more correct than any of the attempted arguments against it.
  - triceratops 7mo ago
    It was the first group of united states on the continent. North America was, relative to the land that became Mexico, thinly peopled. Unlike in Mexico there was no pre-colonial, indigenous empire that had ruled and named the land which eventually became the 13 colonies. So there wasn't necessarily a better alternative to put after "United States of" at the time. Do you know of one?
    - nobody9999 7mo ago
      >Unlike in Mexico there was no pre-colonial, indigenous empire that had ruled and named the land which eventually became the 13 colonies. Actually, there were multiple indigenous political entities both along the Eastern Seaboard (where we find those 13 colonies) as well as across what is now the US and Canada[0]. We just took their land and killed most of them, but they were still pretty organized -- with political groupings of various types. [0] https://scholar.flatworldknowledge.com/books/32177/ourhistory_vol1-32698-20190228-133137-189989/preview https://scholar.flatworldknowledge.com/books/32177/ourhistor...
      - triceratops 7mo ago
        Where's the Tenochtitlan of the 13 colonies? Of course colonists committed genocide against indigenous people everywhere they went. No one's denying that. I'm addressing precisely what you yourself said > there were multiple indigenous political entities both along the Eastern Seaboard They were fragmented and smaller than the Aztec empire. That doesn't make it right to take their land. It does explain why their names didn't apply to the entire land. Because none of them was so big and centralized. If you look at the geographical features of the Eastern seaboard - mountains, lakes, streams, rivers, cities and towns, even 2 states (Massachusetts, Connecticut) - native names abound. The lands that became the US and Canada really did have fewer people living on them than the lands that became Mexico. [1] Again because Mexico had centralized states and large-scale agriculture capable of supporting large populations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_the_Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_the_Indi...
- ciupicri 7mo ago
  If I'm not mistaking the name "United States of Mexico" appeared in 1824, whereas "United States of America" appeared earlier in 1787.
- gib444 7mo ago
  How about its real name, the USA? Crazy idea I know
marssaxman 7mo ago
The level of arrogance some western-hemisphere Spanish speakers have, trying to tell foreigners that the name they use for their own country in their own native language is wrong, demanding that they translate the Spanish name and use that instead, is so absurdly entitled that it's just... hilarious.
- guzfip 7mo ago
  > The level of arrogance some western-hemisphere Spanish speakers have It’s almost exclusively Western Europeans doing this IME
- Brian_K_White 7mo ago
  It's so wierd to perceive that as arrogance. Actually "wierd" is being too nice.
  - marssaxman 7mo ago
    In your world, then, is it normal to complain about other people's names, and expect them to change what they call themselves to better suit your preference?
    - Brian_K_White 7mo ago
      Again, wierd. No one is doing that. But for some reason you decide that someone has done something to you, or done anything at all to anyone.
      - marssaxman 7mo ago
        I am sure it sounds bizarre, if you have never encountered it before, but people really do this. A few quick examples - all in English: https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/a96v93/america_is_the_whole_continent_not_only_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/a96v93/am... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/does_it_bother_you_how_the_world_refer_to_usa_as/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/doe... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/15zlo42/is_brazil_the_only_place_in_latam_where_people/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/15zlo42/is... https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/does_it_bother_you_how_the_world_refer_to_usa_as/fmscgsr/ https://www.reddit.com/r/asklatinamerica/comments/fwp0aj/doe...
nyantaro1 7mo ago
Let them have it. 'America' is so loaded with horrible things that I don't really think the rest of the continent cares
ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
This is the point: in English, it is not a generic geographic term. It is in Spanish, though, so I get where the confusion comes from (at least when that confusion is genuine and not just boring troll shit). In Spanish, "América" refers to what in English is "the Americas", because in English we use separate terms for North, South, and (sometimes) Central America. It's not pushback. It's just dishonest ragebait bullshit.

chb 7mo ago

So was Trump being inclusive or exclusive when he renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?

ishouldstayaway 7mo ago
Instead, try commenting in good faith.

gib444 7mo ago

Times are a changing. We can change the English language on this matter too (or more accurately, it might end up changing). It is something that needs correcting tbh. The USA does not own the Americas.