[RexImperator]

It's the 4th of July, so... Hail Columbia!

[buja]

Look what a FB friend in Guatemala just posted...guess I'll be losing a FB friend after I make a comment...ha ha!

[Akula]

(07-05-2014 03:19 AM)buja Wrote:  

Look what a FB friend in Guatemala just posted...guess I'll be losing a FB friend after I make a comment...ha ha!

What an idiotic map. Def time to give your friend the boot!

And last time I checked America is't "one continent" - there are two continents with the name "America" in them - North American and South America. You could refer to them together as "The Americas" but that doesn't make them one big continent like Gondwanaland or something.

All these people looking to find out some way or another to be offended are just so ridiculous. They should just grow up.

[Que enspastic]

Where did Alaska and Hawaii go ?

[Ethan Amarante]

(07-05-2014 03:51 AM)Akula Wrote:  

(07-05-2014 03:19 AM)buja Wrote:  

Look what a FB friend in Guatemala just posted...guess I'll be losing a FB friend after I make a comment...ha ha!

What an idiotic map. Def time to give your friend the boot!

And last time I checked America is't "one continent" - there are two continents with the name "America" in them - North American and South America. You could refer to them together as "The Americas" but that doesn't make them one big continent like Gondwanaland or something.

All these people looking to find out some way or another to be offended are just so ridiculous. They should just grow up.

You're absolutely right about the Americas being generally considered to be two continental landmasses but what, other than that, is idiotic about the map?

Being European, rather than from anywhere in the Americas, puts me in a somewhat neutral position and from my (somewhat pedantic) perspective, I can see why people object to others appearing to confuse a country with a much larger geopolitical area.

Like I said, I'm sure a lot of people from Arabic countries would object to the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia having a monopoly on the demonym 'Arab'.

This really isn't a manifestation of some anti-USA sentiment - I happen to like the USA and its people, but, as someone whose occupation requires as much precision as possible in terms of terminology, this does grate on me a little.

[Cobra]

That's cool that there is a thread on the forum but would love to see someone walk into Hezbollah country and have this same discussion with one of those gentlemen.

[kavakid]

I think the rule should be that whoever has a complaint should come up with the solution.

In other words, if someone came up with a better term for American, then maybe we all could use it. Until then all these foreigners need to stop complaining about a "problem" that they are doing nothing to fix.

For example they always say it something like this "I hate that Americans call themselves Americans".

In that one sentencen they reinforced the term twice.

[Ethan Amarante]

(07-15-2014 07:10 PM)kavakid Wrote:  

I think the rule should be that whoever has a complaint should come up with the solution.

In other words, if someone came up with a better term for American, then maybe we all could use it. A. Until then all these foreigners need to stop complaining about a "problem" that they are doing nothing to fix.

B. For example they always say it something like this "I hate that Americans call themselves Americans".

In that one sentencen they reinforced the term twice.

A. I don't think that a person should necessarily be burdened with finding a solution just for identifying a problem - such a convention might disincentivise people from being analytical.

B. I don't think "they" always say this. I, for example, certainly wouldn't.

I'm not saying this just to be a prick but to make broader points.

Anyway, like I said, it's not a huge issue, and I admit that, as a very pedantic person whose occupation requires the utmost accuracy, I'm predisposed to picking people up on these little details.

Incorrect use of smaller geographic terms to refer to a larger whole (sometimes called pars pro toto) are often little bones of contention for me, actually.

The two most irritating are 'England' for the United Kingdom and 'Holland' for the Netherlands. Little errors like this make my blood boil; maybe I should try to chill out and recognise that I'm not actually a geography teacher.

[Orson]

I think the whole issue is about RESENTMENT - like 'why is the US ("America") always bigger/better/on top of us?'

To other's from the non-North American-sphere - especially those cranked on Leftist cant (right or wrong, it's ALWAYS about recruiting resentments to the Left) - "Americanos" is like the Big Evil Plot of gringos to take over the world and steal their natural resources.

[Byzantium]

(07-20-2014 05:56 PM)Ethan Amarante Wrote:  

Incorrect use of smaller geographic terms to refer to a larger whole (sometimes called pars pro toto) are often little bones of contention for me, actually.

The two most irritating are 'England' for the United Kingdom and 'Holland' for the Netherlands. Little errors like this make my blood boil; maybe I should try to chill out and recognise that I'm not actually a geography teacher.

England does work for the UK, because England dominates the UK (84% of the total UK population); Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are the tail on the dog.

Holland is probably more accurate than the Netherlands, former names for which have included "The Kingdom of Holland," because the two provinces named Holland are the most populated and have almost everything that a foreigner would associate with the Dutch.

Welcome to Holland.com, the official website of the Netherlands Board of Tourism...:

http://www.holland.com/global/tourism.htm

Officially because Hollands "sounds" friendlier than Netherlands, left unsaid is that is probably the name most tourists are searching for.

Netherlands = nether ("distant") regions/lands attached to (under, beneath) Holland.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nether

Simple Definition of nether
: located toward the bottom or more distant part of something

[elabayarde]

This is the argument that the arrogant "educated" Latinos think that they thought of. I tell them nothing about them is American besides the U.S. flag on there H&M shirt. They get there panties in a bunch, I just proceed with trolling.

[azulsombra]

A similar and silly argument insecure spanish speaking people sometimes bring up is that America doesn't have an official language.

Some guy from Spain living in the states attempted to "school" me on this fact once. I guess the asshole didn't understand what de facto means.

Little did he know I'm a fluent spanish speaker and I don't have time for the dumb shit. I told him to pull out a US bill, any bill and asked him what language was the money printed in?

[Off The Reservation]

(06-21-2014 06:02 AM)draguer Wrote:  

Coming from New Zealand, there is no way in English for me to say " I am _______"

It has to be, "I'm from New Zealand" or "I'm a New Zealander".

I am kiwi