So this thread is a place for those of us in the USA to talk about what being American means to each of us, and how each of us has experienced being an American. I'd like to hear briefly about your heritage, where/how you were raised. What does it mean to you to be an American? What do you think of when you hear the word 'American'? What do you think is good about America? What do you cherish about America and being American? What things happening in the USA give you cause for concern? What would you change? Now, I've provided you with some structure, but feel free to 'ad lib'. I'll get us started: I'm of European extraction, mostly Scots-Irish and German. But most of my family have been in the USA from very early on, some of them since before there was a United States of America. Some of my ancestors are said to have fought in the war for our independence, and there are even a few Loyalists in my tree who fled to Canada, and whose descendants returned to the USA a few generations later. All that said, I don't feel that I have a strong ethnic heritage apart from being an American. I was born and raised in a rural county in southern Michigan. My family were sort of on the bubble between working class and lower middle class. They were and still largely are religious evangelical Protestants, somewhat socially conservative. We didn't have wealth or expensive things, but we didn't struggle like some of our neighbors. I've asked for people to speak briefly about their heritage and family life because the diversity I expect to find bespeaks what I envision when I think of what America is - a 'melting pot'. E Pluribus Unum - Out of many, One. A bit of a contradiction, a culture that is an amalgam of the many cultural influences brought here by several generations of immigrants that has shaped our country for well over 200 years. Yet we remain united as one nation despite the challenges that have threatened to tear us apart. I lived in a city (and still work there) that is very much this kind of 'melting pot'. It's not uncommon for me to hear several different languages being spoken in a single day. I daily encounter people of every 'color', people from many faiths, people of diverse and sometimes very mixed heritages. And very different from the very white, small town where I grew up. What I love and cherish about America is our freedom. That really sums it up for me. Freedom begets opportunity begets innovation. It is our strength. What concerns me are threats to our freedom, and not so much the obvious ones; more its gradual erosion. I lived for about five years on the west side of Michigan, in a larger city that was also culturally diverse, but very segregated. Obvious divides based on class, ethnicity, race. It was depressing. Stressful. I'm glad I left it behind. I'm worried about seeing that sort of thing play out on a larger scale; about an America that becomes carved up into little fiefdoms as we become more polarized. I'm worried that newcomers, instead of assimilating into American life, are intent on carving out their own mini-cultures and territory. I see a lot of "cater to me and my separate cultural identity". I see breakdowns in communication between people who have no common language. Diversity can be a double-edged sword. America is changing. I am trying to stay optimistic about our future. I still hold the belief that America is a great place to live, and that it is great to be an American. Maybe because I don't know any better, as I'm not a world traveler. But I like to think it's because of what America means to me - freedom, opportunity, innovation. Justice, fairness, equality. Personal responsibility, values that eschew corruption, cheating, exploitation. I'm not wearing rose-colored glasses, either. I can see that we have problems to fix and some big challenges ahead of us. But there's nowhere I'd rather be. It's home, and being home, I want to fight to make America better. But I'm discouraged by a two party political system that has failed to lead, and instead been motivated by greed. So as far as something I would change, that's where I'd start. A level playing ground instead of a scheme that favors two parties who, despite their rhetoric, have become largely indistinguishable in their actions. I see the necessity of a strong military, and with family who have served and are still serving, appreciate the sacrifice made by servicemembers. But I'm weary of war and the lust for more of it. Being a global power doesn't mean ruling the world, and it doesn't mean we should be its policeman or savior. America can be strong again, but not if we focus on exploiting each others' weaknesses instead of building each other up, each contributing and appreciating the strengths of others, despite our sometimes considerable differences. That's what America means to me, and how I see America today.
If I'm allowed to answer from outside, it is a country composed of people who gave up patriotism to make money (why else did they leave their own countries?) but then got suckered into a declining standard of living to support huge armies, and who spend their time saluting flags and other odd things of a similar sort.
Or fled oppression at considerable personal risk. Not everyone comes here for the same reason. Not sure I buy the claim about a declining standard of living, either.
What does being an American mean to you? In a nutshell: 1. Freedom to worship Yeshua and not forced to worship Allah. 2. Freedom to speak out against Tyranny if I so choose in public. 3. Freedom to.... Can you see a recurring theme in my answers?....
Perhaps American idioms are different, but that is, in our language, extremely offensive. I'll tell your master if you go on in this lewd way, or even kick your donkey.
What is it with this site? I send, then my message comes up again, with a request to know if I really want to leave this page. Then I sit looking at the message for ages, send it out of sheer boredom, and it comes up twice. Doesn't seem a sensible way to pass time.
My father was a war refugee from Vietnam. He had to leave the country because he fought for the South, which was a French puppet state that was set up after their defeat in Dien Bien Phu 1954. Vietnam was once a French colony. As her colonial grip weaken in the so called "Indochina region." France finally have no choice to forced to the That's when Vietnam was split into North and South, during spring Geneva Accord of 1954 in Paris. China and the Soviet Union stroke a deal with France to split Vietnam into two countries: North Vietnam and South. Vietnam then become a proxy war zone between the supper powers. The North was supported by Soviet and China. Although they tried to turn to the U.S for help, however, the U.S didn't like them because they were communist. The U.S decided to supply and support the South instead. My father happened to be born and raised in the South. He was one of the officer fighting along side American during the war. Around 1975 and a few years prior, The U,S decided to withdraw, as a result, with lack of support, the Southern Vietnam could not stand on its own two feet, because it was heavily depending on the U.S. In the exact year of 1975, North Vietnam captured Saigon, the Capital of Southern Vietnam, and unified the country. As a result, my father was sent to labor camp for six years because he fought on the losing side. He escaped on a little boat and headed to Philippine as a war refugee. The U.S accepted him, and he sponsored the rest of the family over, many years later. I was raised by a single mother in Vietnam. I came here when I was around 10. So I am pretty much assimilated. In the U.S I lived in impoverish neighborhood of Oakland. One of the dangerous city in America. So, I am not living the American dream or anything, but more like experiencing the American nightmare. As for my citizenship, Well, It is just happened by chance, that I am an American citizen. However, people always think of me as a foreigner, and asked me "where are you from." Therefore, I am used to be seen as a foreigner, but I do have a U.S passport. At least by laws, that makes me an American, and that it is relevant for me to post here. I think... What good about America is that the founder fathers drawn liberal ideologies from Locke, Mill, and Rousseau and drafted one of the most celebrated Constitution in history, particularly the Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, separation of churches and states, etc..and for equality and justice: the due process clause...protection of privacy, fourth amendment, where not even the King of England can enter into your house, without a Warrant(but unfortunately we lost that to the Patriot Act and Indefinite Detention Act.) What I also like about the U.S is that at least it try to protect the notion that justice, freedom, and equality is transcend ethnic/racial barriers. Idealistically, everyone get equal protection under the eyes of the laws, thus we're a nation of laws and not of men. Although that is debatable, but that's the ideal. Concern? America is suffering from Economic decline. The problem is too great for Obama and Romney to fix. Romney propose that we should leave the economy alone, don't tax the rich, and everything will fix itself. On the Other hand, Obama say we should build the middle class, tax the rich, and they'll fix our problem. But, in order to fix the problem, American in every sector of society, from every economic ladder must sacrifice and contribute. Like back in the day during world war II, even women joined the labor force to contribute to the war effort at home. Other concern is the patriotic act and indefinite detention act, it destroy the fourth amendment rights of American citizens, in order to exchange for more order. However, the words of Benjamin Franklin echoes in my mind:"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
infact neither are right, the first one is just nonsense he made up, the second a myth peddled to americans by americans, the truth is most people, almost all, who emigrated to america who werent forcibly taken there (slaves), went because they were sent there either literally or by circumstance, ie kicked out for example in the highland clearances here or by circumstance in ireland due to famine, it was nothing to do with fleeing oppression, people were sold on the promise of land and the chance to make a better life etc politics was nothing to do with it. and it annoys non-americans when you go on about your freedoms btw, we have them too, just as many as you all the same ones had them just as long some of them even longer, a lot of them we invented you know, fought wars and had revolutions and stuff to achieve them, so it galls a bit when americans start going on about how free they are as if we're all enslaved. apart from that great thread seriously good idea etc and nothing to do with me so best of luck with it.
I am American and my family has been in America for many generations. Caucasian typical WASP iI guess- British/German/Protestant. I live in Egypt and am here thru marriage. I work for American concerns here. What it means to be American?? Separation of Church and State, Freedom Speech and Religion, the Right to Bear Arms are all obvious ones. However, I think many americans, including the ones who are our so called " civil servants and elected representatives " don't understand that our nation is not about nation building. The founding fathers strongly believed in the concept of supporting self determination but I sure don't see anything written of their desire to impose democracy around the world. The US should and does protect our " national interests" but they should be OUR national interests and no one elses . Americans - true americans also recognized that other nations have interest to protect - which should be recognized and that right respected even if it doesn't happen to agree with our policies. And Vietnation, you are the true face of what make this country great and good because this country was founded by immigrants.
I am American and my family has been in America for many generations. Caucasian typical WASP iI guess- British/German/Protestant. I live in Egypt and am here thru marriage. I work for American concerns here. What it means to be American?? Separation of Church and State, Freedom Speech and Religion, the Right to Bear Arms are all obvious ones. However, I think many americans, including the ones who are our so called " civil servants and elected representatives " don't understand that our nation is not about nation building. The founding fathers strongly believed in the concept of supporting self determination but I sure don't see anything written of their desire to impose democracy around the world. The US should and does protect our " national interests" but they should be OUR national interests and no one elses . Americans - true americans also recognized that other nations have interest to protect - which should be recognized and that right respected even if it doesn't happen to agree with our policies. And Vietnation, you are the true face of what make this country great and good because this country was founded by immigrants.
I'm from a place that doesn't exist anymore. I was raised under communism and to hate Islam for existing in the same place I did. Now that I live in America I love it because it is everything my homeland was not. He said it better than I ever could. What concerns me for the US is that there is a politics of hate right now, and it is contagious on both sides. This is starting to interfere with what is most important, finding solutions to the problems we face and improving ourselves as much as possible. I think that if everyone could just get over their pride for a little while and really put their effort into fixing the economy it could be done. It might not be done in 4 years or even 8 but what other choice do we have? Its not worth failing to make some stupid point that isn't even close to the entire truth.
being an american means loving capitalism and freedom, tehcnical might, and private charity if needbe, give a man a job not a handout, and tell him to work harder if he slacks, show him hownto make himself stronger and more skilled basically the opposite of all democrats and cronies
The question was, "What does being an American mean to you?" The question was not, "What do you hate about Americans?"
Patriotism derives from the invention of countries, states which were invented to make and manage their money, their resources...to delimit who helps in making them and who doesn't. If there was no money because Earth had unlimited resources there would be no states either. Imagine if the Earth was some weird quantum existence where moving sands would spawn Lexus cars and Dubai hotels would grow out of the plain ground. All 7 billions would be fat happy boys and girls. Patriotism is inextricably an extension of money and the resources that humans need. Patriotism is the oil rigs that extract the petrol in an organized way if you want.
