What is your definition of a Real American?

A Real American? I am assuming you refer to US citizens as we also have to include Central and South America as Americans. A US citizen is anyone born or naturalized in this country. All else is subjected to opinion. Even those who claim to be patriotic Americans-- that can be subject to opinion in my view. I have heard that term used whenever one isn't in agreement of going to war. Yet, I believe we all are in support of our troops no matter where they are sent.

We can't travel back in time, but the fifties were an extraordinary era. Post WWII, people seemed to have a better senses of morality and doing what was right (at least for that time) The country was united. This was an imprint made by The Greatest Generation and I think they deserved that recognition. Not to say things were perfect. We still had many issues to deal with. Blacks still not being treated equally after almost 100yrs. Women did not have equal rights. Many young women today are totally unaware of the discrimination their mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers fought to dissolve . Homosexuality was barely whispered about as many believed it was a mortal sin. These issues take time to sort through, but if we are Real Americans, we will accept these challenges with the understanding, we are all equal despite our differences.

The bogus slogan being used by Mr. Trump about making America great again is such a farce. Politicians created a lot of havoc in this country bending to large corporations and making it more profitable to send jobs out of the country. They allowed illegal immigration by not enforcing laws. Now, it's like we're going to bring jobs back--uh huh. No. I don't think that will happen, at least anytime soon. What would make things better is the return of morality, doing what is right. Cultivate more statesmen to serve our country, get rid of the shady dealers down in Washington. Curb lobbying. Just a few ideas.
 
Falcon said:
A real American doesn't desert their home country to live in another country.
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Falcon, are you saying that if one chooses to immigrate to another county and the home country has granted duel citizenship (something many many people all over the world have ) they are in fact 'DESERTING' their own country and they are not real Americans or Canadians or whatever. Are you suggesting people should be trapped in the country of their birth their whole lives or else they are some kind of disloyal traitor? It sound like that is what you are saying. What kind of a narrow world view are you living in?
 
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Cookie said:
Falcon, are you saying that if one chooses to immigrate to another county and the home country has granted duel citizenship (something many many people all over the world have ) they are in fact 'DESERTING' their own country and they are not real Americans or Canadians or whatever. Are you suggesting people should be trapped in the country of their birth their whole lives or else they are some kind of disloyal traitor? It sound like that is what you are saying. What kind of a twisted world view are you living in?
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That's exactly what he is saying and I've been accused many times of being a traitor and unpatriotic because I dared to move away. Yes, I'm a dual citizen and one can love two countries.
 
Carla said:
A Real American? I am assuming you refer to US citizens as we also have to include Central and South America as Americans. A US citizen is anyone born or naturalized in this country. All else is subjected to opinion. Even those who claim to be patriotic Americans-- that can be subject to opinion in my view. I have heard that term used whenever one isn't in agreement of going to war. Yet, I believe we all are in support of our troops no matter where they are sent.

We can't travel back in time, but the fifties were an extraordinary era. Post WWII, people seemed to have a better senses of morality and doing what was right (at least for that time) The country was united. This was an imprint made by The Greatest Generation and I think they deserved that recognition. Not to say things were perfect. We still had many issues to deal with. Blacks still not being treated equally after almost 100yrs. Women did not have equal rights. Many young women today are totally unaware of the discrimination their mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers fought to dissolve . Homosexuality was barely whispered about as many believed it was a mortal sin. These issues take time to sort through, but if we are Real Americans, we will accept these challenges with the understanding, we are all equal despite our differences.

The bogus slogan being used by Mr. Trump about making America great again is such a farce. Politicians created a lot of havoc in this country bending to large corporations and making it more profitable to send jobs out of the country. They allowed illegal immigration by not enforcing laws. Now, it's like we're going to bring jobs back--uh huh. No. I don't think that will happen, at least anytime soon. What would make things better is the return of morality, doing what is right. Cultivate more statesmen to serve our country, get rid of the shady dealers down in Washington. Curb lobbying. Just a few ideas.
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As a child I thought the 50's were great. I didn't know any better. The 50's were good if you were a white male of the 'proper' heritage. Those were racist and sexist times. And those times seem to be back in full force.
 
Like all political rhetoric, it means what ever you want it to mean. Or, alternatively, it is meaningless.
 
Ameriscot said:
As a child I thought the 50's were great. I didn't know any better. The 50's were good if you were a white male of the 'proper' heritage. Those were racist and sexist times. And those times seem to be back in full force.
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Yes, I think I acknowledged that. I don't condone those things. Racism goes back further than that. It was wrong then wrong now. It really wasn't till the sixties that things began changing. You are right about those things returning. I cannot understand it or get inside anyone else's head. If you caught the last sentence in the paragraph you highlighted, I said we are all equal despite our differences. You invited opinions, all I did was offer mine. It certainly was not intended to inflame.
 
Carla said:
Yes, I think I acknowledged that. I don't condone those things. Racism goes back further than that. It was wrong then wrong now. It really wasn't till the sixties that things began changing. You are right about those things returning. I cannot understand it or get inside anyone else's head. If you caught the last sentence in the paragraph you highlighted, I said we are all equal despite our differences. You invited opinions, all I did was offer mine. It certainly was not intended to inflame.
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Yes you did. Sorry, I scanned it too quickly.
 
My forebears came over in 1634, before there was a USA. The Indians were not able to control immigration which is why they are where they are today.
If we learn from that we will get on with building a wall.
 
Manatee, I wouldn't exactly call your forebearers the first wave of immigrants, more like invaders with guns. Your saying the 'Indians' (sic) are where they are today because they couldn't withstand the bullets of the immigrants (invaders). That's nothing to brag about.

Would your wall have soldiers in towers shooting anyone who tried to cross like the Berlin Wall?
 
Gemma said:
It's a person that supports and believes in the U.S. constitution. It insures individual property rights, the rights to own the fruit of your own labor and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn't matter where a person migrates from. Most of our ancestors came from a different country and became U.S. citizens. They are Americans.
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As an outsider, I see this as a good working definition of an American, US version.

I have a different idea of what an Australian is. We too are an immigrant nation with a population blended from people from every corner of the globe. Our constitution is not held to be sacred and we are much more communal in our approach to social structures although the Australian dream is to own your own home somewhere.

However, after a very long time spent travelling OS, as we refer to overseas countries, I came home questioning what an Australian really is, much as this thread does. We had spent 5 months on the move in the US, Canada and Britain. While questioning exactly what an Australian is, I discovered that I was definitely not any of the above. I had a completely different way of looking at the world.

Australians live on a continent that we don't have to share with anyone else. It is largely empty at the centre. We therefore tend to be outward looking, with an interest in the rest of the world. I have sometimes been asked on this forum why I bother posting on American issues. The answer is because I am interested in issues that arise in other parts of the world, particularly if I have visited that country in the past. Australians love to travel at home and abroad and we love vacation time. We work hard but expect a decent wage and decent conditions in return. We hate the tipping system of remuneration and expect workers to receive a livable basic rate with overtime and penalty rates for working unsociable hours.

Australia is still a young country and we tend not to value the past as much as older nations. We are not all that forward looking either. We tend to live in the present, unburdened by the past and sliding carelessly into the future. The expression "She'll be right, mate" sums up the nonchalance that exists most of the time but presented with an emergency or crisis we tend to snap into action, working together with strangers to rescue or help. We value volunteers who give themselves this way on an ongoing basis - surf lifesavers, volunteer firefighters, St John's ambulance and so on. Volunteerism is very important in Australian society and quite common.

All of the above is a description of a local mindset that has developed from the challenges of living on a large continent with an environment that was/is challenging to preconceived ideas of agriculture and animal husbandry and which could be very punishing in terms of drought, flood and fire. These challenges shaped the Australian psyche, drawing us closer to each other for survival in a seemingly hostile landscape. However, rather than being people of the land, we are mostly people of the suburbs, living in sprawling cities, paying off our own houses or units.

When we do turn our gaze away from the sea we see a magic land, with precious fauna and fauna and we realise that we have been blessed to have landed in this unique environment. Our first peoples believe that they are the protectors and custodians of this land and so they have been for millennia. Those of us who stem from immigrant stock have made many mistakes and have done much damage as we spread over the land in the name of progress, commerce and development. Realisation of this error hits hard and we are determined to fight for what is left, to protect the environment and the animals and plants that are found nowhere else on this earth.

Which brings me back to the idea of what the essential characteristics of an Australian are. I would say that first and foremost is an identification with the wide brown land of the interior and a passionate desire to care for and to protect it against further damage. This feeling is very strong in Aussies of very different political persuasions. It is not a left or right issue and new immigrants seem to pick up this feeling fairly quickly. We old Australians tend to be evangelistic on this issue and through the schools and youth organisations such as scouts etc we show their kids things what their parents have no idea about by taking them into the pockets of bushland that exist even in every capital city. Everything is protected - native plants may not be dug up or harvested for flowers, most native animals protected including dangerous ones such as snakes, sharks and crocs. If a possum takes up residence in your ceiling you cannot poison it. It has to be carefully removed by a specialist and released safely in an place where it is likely to survive. Snakes get the same treatment, at least in the cities.

Another essential characteristic is historical. Mateship is a concept that is diametrically opposed to competition and individualism. It has its roots in the gold fields of the nineteenth century and later on the battlefields of the Great War. Men discovered that survival depended on sticking together in small groups rather than going it alone. You stick with your mates through thick or thin. Today this characteristic lingers in our natural response to dire circumstances. It was apparent in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There were a number of young Australians trapped in that blighted stadium and they immediately congregated and formed a defensive perimeter to protect each other against the violence that was occurring. They didn't know each other but they came together as Australians and came though the dangers together. It is the same response that Aussie POWs of the Japanese demonstrated. It is the very opposite of the US value of entrepreneurial competition and survival of the individual that was featured in the film King Rat.

I can't finish without referring to the Aussie tendency to irreverence. In Australia Jack has long considered himself as good as his master. If someone seems to be getting too full of himself, too puffed up with her own importance, there will be a swift take down by others. We call it the tall poppy syndrome and you had better stay humble if you don't want a lesson in humility. I think this is why Australians look aghast at characters like the Kardashians and Donald Trump who are shameless self promoters. On the other hand we respect figures like Queen Elizabeth for her long life of duty and we condemn anyone who thinks it smart to disrespect her person. You can joke about her but it must be gentle or we won't laugh.

None of the above are unique to Australians but they are strong in us.
 
Warrigal and Shalimar,
Interesting input. I think it is normal to be curious about people from other countries and how their government functions. I do believe that amongst our differences, we still hold many things in common. Reading many of the posts here, I think we can see that. Part of the reason I enjoy this forum is that participants are from several English-speaking countries. I think getting to know each other is great, but we still have to realize we are all individuals and that while we may learn a little about each other, we cannot represent everyone in our various countries. I cannot say Canadians think a certain way or Aussies all take on a certain attitude, that would be ridiculous. Just to think that not too many years ago, this type of communication was not possible. Phone was the only option if you wanted to speak internationally but was very expensive. This is an opportunity to gain a lot of perspective, at least it is for me.
 
I think we learn a lot about ourselves when we rub up against people who exhibit differences in thinking and/or behaviour.

My first introduction to American ways was the tipping culture. It was so alien to us and I felt so uncomfortable tipping anyone because I considered it condescending. My thoughts of course, not the thinking of the person expecting a tip for service. I adapted but it emphasised a cultural difference.

The reverse of this situation is when an American comes to Australia and experiences indifferent service because the idea of sucking up to the customer to get a bigger tip is pointless.

In Canada we stayed with the family of a friend and in conversation I mentioned that in Australia university education was free, which it was at the time. My hostess was hostile to this idea because "she wasn't going to pay taxes to educate someone else's kid". This shocked me because my thought is that every kid needs to be educated for their own and the nation's benefit, even if they come from a disadvantaged background. That's what taxes are for. I then learned that Canadians, or at least Manitobans in 1985, could nominate whether their education tax component would support the public or the private system. This was again entirely alien to Australian thinking. All schools in Australia receive government funding but the various governments control the amount, not the individual taxpayers. We only complain if we think the distribution to be unfair.

I began to appreciate that Canadians are more individualistic than we are and I suspect it is because Canada (and the US) were colonised earlier than Australia. Canada was opened up by people such as fur hunters, timber cutters and miners long before the authorities could catch up. In Australia, being a penal colony we have always been over governed and we are comfortable with the government taking care of a lot more of the decisions as long as we can grumble about them. We are socialist because in part we are lazy.
 
fureverywhere said:
I agree with you Carla. I've never traveled past the US except once or twice to Canada. I enjoy hearing other voices.
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I LOVE experiencing other countries and cultures. A two week holiday going to tourist sites doesn't really count. I have lived in 3 countries and have very long stays in another.

I highly doubt any of that would have happened if I hadn't 'deserted' the country of my birth. My life has been enriched a thousand fold.
 

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