What Makes You American?

[MNGuy]

Walmart, Coors and Nascar. Woohoo!

 

[kalipygian]

Actually, while kalipygian may have confused the American novelist for the statesman, he could equally well have been right on the money.
Winston S. Churchill the statesman wrote two novels ... Savrola, published in 1899, and A Far Country, published only in 2004.
He also, I find, wrote several short works of fiction, including Man Overboard!, On the Flank of the Army, and The Dream.

There are at least five people of that name, one at least living.
I was aware of the novelist, whom I thought was Canadian rather than American, (I was mistaken) but I was referring to sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KCB PC, son of lord Randolf Churchill and (ne) Jennie Jerome, grandson of the seventh Duke of Marlborough, born at Blenheim Palace in 1874. He was a war correspondent, writer, historian, and statesman. He published several dozen works, mostly history.
I have his history of his ancestor, John Churchill, the first duke of Marlborough, his account of the River War, his Early Years, his letters written to his wife Clemmie when he was on the western front during WWI, his history of WWI, his history of the English Speaking Peoples, and his History of WWII(for which he received the 1953 Nobel Prize for literature).



The family came into prominence during the restoration period as a result of a member being a mistress of the duke of York, later James II and VII.

It was unique for a ducal creation to be permitted to pass through the female line.

I have an account of him by a relative: (around 1923 )

"The first occasion when I took Catherine to Blenheim was also at Christmas time and on this particular occasion Clemmie and Winston Churchill were among the guests.

We went downstairs for a drink before dinner to find Winston talking about the merits or demerits of various people as potential Prime Ministers. (He was at that time Chancellor of the Exchequer.) When there was a brief pause in his flow, I said I thought that had it not been for Edward Stanley's deafness he might well have made a very fine Prime Minister. Winston removed his cigar from his mouth and peered at me as if I were a worm.
'MY dear Porchey,' he said 'I can scarcely think of anybody who would make a worse Prime Minister.'

I was always somewhat frightened of him. Of course, he held the stage most of the time, recounting an endless stream of stories which I found enthralling. Whether he was lambasting LLoyd George or recalling the siege of Sidney Street or recounting his adventures during the Boer war, he exhilarated and delighted his audience. He hated interruptions and if, by chance, an ill-advised person had the temerity to interject a comment, he either totally ignored it or replied with such devastating scorn that the unfortunate individual would seldom speak again for the rest of the evening.

Even in those distant days, I saw Churchill as a man of undeniable stature, indeed of genius. He held me spellbound and nothing he achieved later surprised me at all."

 

[Principessa]

What Makes You American?​

My ability to drive a standard shift while eating a slice of pepperoni pizza and sucking down a big gulp. :smile:

Walmart, Coors and Nascar. Woohoo!

Oh sweet Lord! That's why everyone overseas hates us! :biggrin1::tongue:

 

[2322]

Speaking of Churchill......

He is famed for having made the best insult in history...

Lady Astor and Churchill couldn't stand each other but were forced to socialize given their social standings. At one point Lady Astor couldn't contain herself and said to Churchill across the table at a dinner party, "Sir, if you were my husband I should poison your tea!" Without skipping a beat Churchill retorted, "Madame, if you were my wife I would drink it!"

 

[Damian Johnson]

What makes a person American?

Parents are from the USA
Being born in the USA
Having an American passport
Being circumcised (male)
Believing in the American Dream - life, liberty and pursuit of happiness
Believing in the good of the country and its people
Beliving in the republic and that all countries should be liberal democracies

Not everyone will fill all the tick boxes if they cover most of them then they are American

D

 

[tripod]

WW1 killed pretty much an entire generation of European men. By the end of the war, Russia was collapsing into civil war, the Austrian Empire was disintegrating, and the UK, France and Germany had all completely lost the will to fight. The US was a minor power at the time, but their entry into the war was essentially like a featherweight jumping into the ring with two heavyweight champions after they had been boxing each other for 60 rounds and could both barely stand up anymore. It definitely made a difference. The war would have still ended without American intervention because Germany's chief ally was imploding, but the treaties drawn up would not have forced Germany into the position of loser. It would have been closer to a stalemate, like I said.
It might be fair to say that we would all potentially be better off had the Americans never got involved in WWI, because the treaties would not have been so one-sided and unfair to Germany and the conditions that led to WWII may have been different. To say the Americans had zero impact is not fair.

That was too fucking awesome NineInch... I have never heard that elucidated so well!!!!

 

[Northland]

Besides being born in the USA what makes a person uniquely American?

Well, I was not born in the U.S. I did; however, come to the country as a baby.

I was had a conversation with a Finnish friend of mine over dinner last weekend and he scoffed at the idea of America actually having any semblance of culture. He said most Europeans generally think our "culture" is a joke. He surmised that nothing cultural held our country together and the love of money is the only thing that people have in common here. The only "culture" we have has been manufactured in the pursuit of wealth. He cited Las Vegas and Disneyland.

He sounds jealous of the truth that America's culture is comprised of many different cultures which blend together. The cultures of the U.S.A show an ability to allow all to become part of a huge human tapestry. How many countries are willing to do this? Not many.

I had to think about this a while. But was wondering if you all had any thoughts on this. What do you think binds this country together?

I for one think there is a very strong American culture because something definitely happens to new immigrants here that makes them very different from the people they left behind. They become American.

The country for me has been bound together by the threads of humanity and human beings who come from a multitude of backgrounds and yet are all given the same basic opportunity to achieve whatever they desire to achieve. Yes, it is more difficult for some; however, the possibility is always in play. People from the most meager socio-economic backgrounds have risent to the top, the same as those who began with the oft spoken of silver-spoon-in-the-mouth. All are created equal.

What truly defined my becoming an American, was taking the oath of allegiance for citizenship:

Oath of Allegiance:

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."


and then voting for the first time. That defined it for me, more than the hundreds of Whoppers and french fries which I had consumed at Burger King. More even than the free education which had been given to me. With rare exceptions, I was always treated the same as other children growing up and given the same chances towards success. It is only in more recent years that things became more dicey as the media created incorrect stereotypical imagery. Even so, I have still been afforded the opportunities which apart from my birthland, could only have been received in a country which has tenets of freedom and equality for all. No other nation would have provided these gifts to me.

 

[earllogjam]

Well, I was not born in the U.S. I did; however, come to the country as a baby.

Where are you from Northland?

I think most people born here would never be able to pass the test we give to candidates to become a naturalized citizen. Sad huh?

 

[Northland]

Where are you from Northland?

I think most people born here would never be able to pass the test we give to candidates to become a naturalized citizen. Sad huh?

I was born in Iraq in the city of Najaf- I was brought to the U.S.A. before I was two months old and embraced the U..S.A. and idea of becoming a citizen from a very early age.

It is indeed sad that many persons born within this great nation are so lacking in the basic knowledge of what this country is about. In school, it often surprised me that other students would fail civics tests and history tests and laugh it off. I never failed tests in either of those subjects- math was another matter. Why persons born in the U.S. (and perhaps in other countries as well) do not have a better grasp of the basics of their birthland, is beyond me and quite lamentable.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

There are lots of ignorant people everywhere, it's definitely not localized to the United States. If anyone doubts this they are biased against the USA, willfully ignorant, or they simply haven't traveled much and spoken with young people in other countries (or their own).

 

[Notthe7]

Our amazing talent at starting and ignoring wars
and obesity


One positive:
i can type this.

 

[earllogjam]

I was born in Iraq in the city of Najaf- I was brought to the U.S.A. before I was two months old and embraced the U..S.A. and idea of becoming a citizen from a very early age.

It is indeed sad that many persons born within this great nation are so lacking in the basic knowledge of what this country is about. In school, it often surprised me that other students would fail civics tests and history tests and laugh it off. I never failed tests in either of those subjects- math was another matter. Why persons born in the U.S. (and perhaps in other countries as well) do not have a better grasp of the basics of their birthland, is beyond me and quite lamentable.

Do you ever catching yourself being a bit too patriotic these days perhaps subconsciously to compensate for the fact that you were born in Iraq?

Although very different cultures, I have Iranian friends who always refer to themselves as being Persian as opposed to Iranian because of the percieved stigma.

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Do you ever catching yourself being a bit too patriotic these days perhaps subconsciously to compensate for the fact that you were born in Iraq?

I have Iranian friends who always refer to themselves as being Persian as opposed to Iranian because of the percieved stigma.

They do? That's a pretty dumbass reason.

I have Persian friends who refer to themselves as Persian because Iran was an artificial state with borders drawn up by foreign powers the same as pretty much every other country in the Middle East. Also Iranian is a nationality and Persian is an ethnicity. It's a little more specific, albeit also a little less material.

 

[BigDuder]

there is an iranian comedian who does the persian bit.


northland's post made my chest swell with pride.

 

[BigDuder]

YouTube - Maz Jobrani - Persians and Arabs

 

[jerkdude75]

I'm quite impressed by some of the comments, particularly those of NineInchCock 160IQ. My Bulgarian friend is trying desperately to remain in the USA since his visa has expired. Yet he frequently makes disparaging remarks about American art, recreation and culture in general. On the one hand, if he's so over what America has to offer, why bother trying to stay here. On the other hand, that's precisely what's so great about living in this country: We can ridicule it, love it, hate it, whatever. We're able to make choices/statements those in other countries would be murdered for doing.

 

[Northland]

Although very different cultures, I have Iranian friends who always refer to themselves as being Persian as opposed to Iranian because of the percieved stigma.

They do? That's a pretty dumbass reason.
.

Dumbass? Clearly you do not get it. If one speaks of Persia, the average American visualizes a land of ancient customs and-frighteningly-carpet makers. If a person says Iranian, the thoughts of the Ayatollah capture the brain, the Iranian hostage crisis enters the brain. People think of Ahmadinejad and his control issues. Clearly there is nothing dumbass about refering to one's self as Persian instead of Iranian because of a perceived stigma. Trust me on this one. I have been in situations where people have learned that I am an Iraqi and they have pulled away. After the first Gulf War, suspicious eyes began to set upon me. It was figured that I must be at least as evil as that monsterous Saddam Hussein- if not more! After the events of September 2001, even more eyes have viewed me suspiciously. Airports have become hellish nightmares- to fly from LaGuardia here in New York to Wisconsin for a 25 year reunion of college friends, took me 3 days! I was searched-4 times. I was interrogated. I was held in a room with no windows and inadequate ventillation. It wasn't all that bad- they did allow me to have food and I was allowed bathroom visits- with not one; but, TWO security officers. I have a feeling, that Iranians may undergo similar scrutiny.

 

[Northland]

Do you ever catching yourself being a bit too patriotic these days perhaps subconsciously to compensate for the fact that you were born in Iraq?

Too patriotic? Hard to say! I have, as indicated, embraced America from the earliest days. I attended Veterans Day parades and Memorial Day parades, all while waving my small American flag. I have worn American flag lapel pins since my college years- much to the chagrin of the other students! In the 1970s I placed flags on the graves of veterans who had died, I still to this day stop and say a prayer as I go by a church with the roll of honor listing the men who gave their lives in World War2. These men died- which in turn gave me freedom. Is the freedom which exists here today in the U.S.A. perfect? Yes and no. It leaves things to be desired; and yet it is far more than I would ever have been given in so many other lands, including the land of my birth. Patriotism for the U.S.A. comes naturally to me- I can't exactly explain why. It may be just the simple stories which my grandfather told me while I was growing up and the things I saw. I can tell you this: I wouldn't trade all I have been afforded here in this country for anything.

The only time where it could be viewed as my having gone overboard in patriotism, was during the first Gulf War. A friend of mine and myself made hundreds of flag pins with yellow ribbons attached and distributed them to all who wanted them at no charge to them. It was definitely trying to atone for my (self) perceived sense of shame for being an Iraqi. A few people who knew of my heritage were confused as to how I could do this. As an American, it was and is my duty to support the U.S.A. and above all its military troops who are bravely stepping forth into danger. It is; however, not just my duty- it is something which I do joyfully and with pride while giving back to the country which gave me an opportunity.

 

[B_blackkid]

I know it's not amazing but I think what makes me an American is the fact that whilst I know my predicaments I'm not discouraged to take action against those who are my higher-ups.

That's something which is really quite American; the ability to walk into any office and say "I demand!". If I really wanted to I could audit any company, or order one ( with the aid of my fellow countrymen ), and we can tear up our own government, and we can even overrule our highest court en mass.

That's kind of cool right?

[ I'm just a kid. Don't mind me? ]

 

[B_NineInchCock_160IQ]

Dumbass? Clearly you do not get it. If one speaks of Persia, the average American visualizes a land of ancient customs and-frighteningly-carpet makers. If a person says Iranian, the thoughts of the Ayatollah capture the brain, the Iranian hostage crisis enters the brain. People think of Ahmadinejad and his control issues. Clearly there is nothing dumbass about refering to one's self as Persian instead of Iranian because of a perceived stigma. Trust me on this one. I have been in situations where people have learned that I am an Iraqi and they have pulled away. After the first Gulf War, suspicious eyes began to set upon me. It was figured that I must be at least as evil as that monsterous Saddam Hussein- if not more! After the events of September 2001, even more eyes have viewed me suspiciously. Airports have become hellish nightmares- to fly from LaGuardia here in New York to Wisconsin for a 25 year reunion of college friends, took me 3 days! I was searched-4 times. I was interrogated. I was held in a room with no windows and inadequate ventillation. It wasn't all that bad- they did allow me to have food and I was allowed bathroom visits- with not one; but, TWO security officers. I have a feeling, that Iranians may undergo similar scrutiny.

Maybe the stigma is dumbass then.