Ooops...

    I accidentally sent this to one person instead of the group.  Here it is:


In a message dated 3/22/01 1:07:02 PM, microtonal@SERICAP.COM writes:

<< Well, you have to concede that the vast majority of "Americans" are

woefully undereducated when it comes to anyone who lives outside their

county, much less in another country. They think that they're the only

people on the planet who matter, and that everyone else should damn-well

speak English with no "dam fur'ner" accent. So, it makes perfect sense

that we'd be arrogant enough to call ourselves by the rightful

designation of two whole continents, to the exclusion of the many others

that live both to the north and south of us. Just because we do it

doesn't mean that it's right, fair, or sensical, as we "Americans" have

proven time and again in the past 400 years.


Besides, the only _real_ Americans in this country don't even get the

dignity of owning land, and the land they do live on is the crappiest we

could find. Our government generously deigns to lend it to them, as long

as they don't get uppity. >>

We're not calling ourselves by continents, we're calling ourselves by the
name of our country.  I don't want to belong to a continent; I don't have
that much in common with all the other countries, let alone everyone in my
own.  As far as whether or not Americans are educated as to world matters, I
think the answer is obvious (check out the Japan episode of the Simpsons, and
the dinner at Americatown).  But don't think the rest of the world is any
better, or ever has been.  Look at all the languages that have been destroyed
by empires.  What about Spain, where, according to their government, Basque
is a "dialect" of Spanish.  I don't think America is any worse than most of
the rest of the world.

And as for your last comment, I'm no wasichu; I descended from the original
tribes of Mexico, who then married into the Spaniards that came.  That is to
say, original insofar as they came over the continental divide many a year
ago.  Why don't you ask who was their before them? :)

-Jenesis