Your nationality, what does it mean?

Warrigal

Warrigal

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Location
Sydney, Australia
I've just read the text of a lecture delivered by an Australian at the University of Portland in Oregon.
Like most Australians he has his ancestral roots in another country and has had to explore his own concept of belonging and where he belongs.

There is much in here that I can identify with and perhaps people from other New World countries can too.
For what it is worth, the lecture is titled "On being Australian" and may help some to understand me and my fellow Aussies a little better.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/on-being-australian-20151105-gkrtoo
 

Pfffft I'm Welsh, Dylan Thomas and actor Richard Burton, Yep I like to drink. Identify more with hubby, second generation Italian American, THAT I undustand;)
 
Place of birth doesn't really matter much. In our family we have members born in America, France, South Korea, Netherlands, Thailand and of course Australia. Those born in Australia are from Irish and English origins and we all seem to muddle along together fairly well. Religions vary from devout Catholics to rigid Atheists........the only time religion has been an issue is my great grandparents.....he was Protestant English and she was Irish Catholic and they regularly clashed.

Having said all that I must confess I strongly identify with the Irish ancestry and I am determined to visit there before I die. My great grandmother was a Kennedy from County Cork.
 

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Flanagan makes the point about Australians' attitude to a founding national idea and religion thus

I don't associate Australia with any idea. Australia is a place, I would argue, that is well suited to agnosticism.
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I feel the truth of those thoughts. To me Australia is a place and a very unique place at that. Here strong religious ideas seem to fade away over time and Irish Catholics and Protestants that I have known have left their disputations behind in the old country and become the closest of friends in a place where religion is not so intense and religious difference not so important.
 
That's true Warrigal........I would never think to ask someone their religion.

Back in the 1960s Religion was a very big issue where I lived....nw of Parramatta. On the walk home from school we would often get into fights with the kids from the State School and it was always about Religion.I can still hear the jibes....."Catholics, Catholics make me sick, Call the Doctor quick, quick, quick" and we would say "Protestants, Protestants ring the bell, Protestants, Protestants go to Hell". I remember having sausages thrown at me as they made fun of our fish on Fridays rules.

It was a huge scandal if there was an intermarriage and Catholics were forbidden to attend services in other churches.

Religion also determined where you worked.....David Jones was almost exclusively staffed by Catholics. When I was old enough to work there was always a question about your Religion on the applications.
 
Sad, I remember asking daughter in law about upcoming baby name. She picked my Dad's name-Richard Charles-very American or Brit-but I said maybe one of your family names? She is native Thai, then she fussed that without an "American" name the child would be made fun of...that's sad. Her given name is Thanahan, Americanized to Tina...really family roots are important too.
 
I feel more American than anything else. Being American means to me that my teeth are unnaturally white and I don't like being told what to do.

Seriously being American means I come from a long line of people willing to fight against tyrants even if the odds against them are overwhelming and I do respect that. Must be the New England Yankee in me. But I love the South and Southern folks so I'm not so sure about all that "Yankee" stuff.
 
Lon said:
I don't ever think about my nationality but on both parents side it is all English going way back.
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My grandmother swore that she was descended only from English people. But in her day the Irish and others were looked down on which is why I'm sure the family decided to say they were English. However, her ancestors go all the way back to the early 1700's. What are the chances that they all married women who were 'all English'? None. And her maiden name is likely a shortened version of an Irish one. And she did not like the Irish. She wondered why anyone would be proud of being Irish as the other side of my family were.

Almost all Americans are mutts. I am Irish, English, Welsh, Scottish, and German. I am American, but I'm also a naturalised British citizen.

One set of gggrandparents came from County Cork Ireland, another from Country Kerry. Another set came from Norfolk in England.
 
chic said:
I feel more American than anything else. Being American means to me that my teeth are unnaturally white and I don't like being told what to do.

Seriously being American means I come from a long line of people willing to fight against tyrants even if the odds against them are overwhelming and I do respect that. Must be the New England Yankee in me. But I love the South and Southern folks so I'm not so sure about all that "Yankee" stuff.
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Outside the US the term Yankee means any American, as most don't know the real definition. I often say I'm a Yank. I once mentioned to my boss that a fellow Yank had come to fix the elevator/lift. And she replied 'oh, don't call yourself that'. I asked why not and she thought it was a derogatory term because she's only heard it with damn or other words in front of it! LOL.

When my ancestors emigrated some went through NY, some VA, some went to Michigan, some to TN and not sure where else.
 
Over here Yank isn't considered to be derogatory but Septic Tank, the rhyming slang equivalent might be.
It all depends on whether they say it to your face with a grin. With a grin it is not derogatory.
 
mitchezz said:
Place of birth doesn't really matter much. In our family we have members born in America, France, South Korea, Netherlands, Thailand and of course Australia. Those born in Australia are from Irish and English origins and we all seem to muddle along together fairly well. Religions vary from devout Catholics to rigid Atheists........the only time religion has been an issue is my great grandparents.....he was Protestant English and she was Irish Catholic and they regularly clashed.

Having said all that I must confess I strongly identify with the Irish ancestry and I am determined to visit there before I die. My great grandmother was a Kennedy from County Cork.
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I have one set of gg's from County Cork and one from Kerry. O'Briens. Both sets but unrelated. Visit Ireland! On my first visit there I felt an attachment to it.
 
Warrigal said:
Over here Yank isn't considered to be derogatory but Septic Tank, the rhyming slang equivalent might be.
It all depends on whether they say it to your face with a grin. With a grin it is not derogatory.
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I don't think Yank is commonly derogatory, but my boss thought so as I'm sure others do. No one has asked me if I'm a Yank, but if they ask where I'm from or where I got my accent from I often reply I'm a Yank.
 
My son was born in Cornwall of a Welsh father and Scottish mother. If nothing else he is a Celt!

He claims all three nationalities (Cornwall is regarded, by the Cornish, as a separate race) , but is most at home in Cornwall though he left there when he was ten. When he has been back he is fully accepted as a Son of Kernow, while proudly wearing his mother's tartan!

In fact, under ancient Welsh law he is born of Scottish father too, since men became members of their wife's tribe. preventing tribal chiefs with strong sons becoming all powerful. Those with young daughters formed the most advantageous alliances!

As far as "Yank" goes, I use it as a generic term, but I wouldn't use "Yankee" unless I was fairly certain of my ground!
 
I was born in England so as far as I am concerned my nationality is English, it doesn't matter where my parents came from, I am still English.
 
Are we getting "nationality" confused with "heritage"? To me, most can trace their heritage to a specific country, race, cast of relatives, etc. OTOH, most of us identify with a nationality of either where we live or where we were born. I would think "nationality" is how we think of where "home" is and "heritage" as where we came from, genetically. I get frustrated, over here, when people identify their "nationality" as African-American, Mexican-American, Native American, Irish-American, etc., etc., etc. If they were born and raised in America... aren't they simply "American"?? OTOH, genetically, many could trace family or roots to another country and could well be deemed French-American as their heritage.

Somehow, we've convoluted "nationality" in an attempt to stand out as being different than our neighbors. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves.
 
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Grumpy Ol' Man said:
Are we getting "nationality" confused with "heritage"? To me, most can trace their heritage to a specific country, race, cast of relatives, etc. OTOH, most of us identify with a nationality of either where we live or where we were born. I would think "nationality" is how we think of where "home" is and "heritage" as where we came from, genetically. I get frustrated, over here, when people identify their "nationality" as African-American, Mexican-American, Native American, Irish-American, etc., etc., etc. If they were born and raised in America... aren't they simply "American"?? OTOH, genetically, many could trace family or roots to another country and could well be deemed French-American as their heritage.

Somehow, we've convoluted "nationality" in an attempt to stand out as being different than our neighbors. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves.
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I think there is a mix up. My nationality is American and also British. But my heritage is several countries.
 
Ameriscot said:
I think there is a mix up. My nationality is American and also British. But my heritage is several countries.
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This is exactly right... The term "Nationality" means the country of which you are a citizen.. Your "Nation". To describe your ancestors.. you would use the words Heritage or more properly descent.. ie the people you "descended" from. My nationality is American... my descent is German. LIke GOM.... it's a pet peeve of mine too.
 
mitchezz said:
That's true Warrigal........I would never think to ask someone their religion.

Back in the 1960s Religion was a very big issue where I lived....nw of Parramatta. On the walk home from school we would often get into fights with the kids from the State School and it was always about Religion.I can still hear the jibes....."Catholics, Catholics make me sick, Call the Doctor quick, quick, quick" and we would say "Protestants, Protestants ring the bell, Protestants, Protestants go to Hell". I remember having sausages thrown at me as they made fun of our fish on Fridays rules.

It was a huge scandal if there was an intermarriage and Catholics were forbidden to attend services in other churches.

Religion also determined where you worked.....David Jones was almost exclusively staffed by Catholics. When I was old enough to work there was always a question about your Religion on the applications.
Click to expand...

Throw sausages! :laugh: Did the Catholics throw fish? What a great idea! Instead of killing each other over religion, lets have a food fight! I'm picturing Charlie and Cromwell throwing food at each other. Think of all the misery that could be avoided. Another thing for me to like about Australians.
 
I'm British, although if I go back far enough, I believe the family originated in France (Normandy). Being British means that I have 4 national teams that I can support. Of course, if Scotland is playing, that's different :)
 
The nationality/descent confusion, I would think, is more prevalent in the USA... since all of us, except the Native American, have roots in another country......or two or three or more. We ARE the melting pot after all.
 
I guess it boils down to I am American, I love my country and fear my government. But like I said after thirty years immersed in Italian culture it's my adopted ethnic group...red hair, blue eyes, I can tell you the best bakeries, and imitate Joe Pesci.
 
Underock1 said:
Throw sausages! :laugh: Did the Catholics throw fish? What a great idea! Instead of killing each other over religion, lets have a food fight! I'm picturing Charlie and Cromwell throwing food at each other. Think of all the misery that could be avoided. Another thing for me to like about Australians.
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What a great idea! The Bostonians and the British could have just sloshed tea on each other. The North and the South could have pelted each other with benne wafers and hot dogs. The Israelis and the Arabs can sling chopped liver and falafel until they run out. I think that's a great idea for a restaurant. You come in, order the ethic food of your choice and throw it at someone you don't like.
 

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