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submitted 4 months ago by atro_city@fedia.io to c/boycottus@lemmy.ca

Language can be powerful in shaping ideas and the US has convinced the entire world that they are the "Americans" and everybody else on the 2 continents aren't.

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[-] glimse@lemmy.world 33 points 4 months ago

"USAians" is dumb. Looks like you typoed "US Asians" and sounds like your trying to remember every vowel

[-] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 4 months ago

I would say "stop making up terms," but they're never going to catch on.

Mexicans and Canadians do not want to be called Americans even though they are on the North American continent. And USA stands for United States of America, so American is the correct and logical term.

No one in South America identifies as an American, either.

[-] goldenbug@fedia.io 10 points 4 months ago

We use 'americano' to refer to the whole continent where I am from

[-] Dagnet@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

I'm from Brazil and I hate that the US appropriated the american word for themselves. Anyone from Europe can call themselves european, anyone from Asia is asian, Africa african, but from our continent? Only one country

[-] rarsamx@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

Where did you study?

People who grew up in mexico and other Latin-American countries learn that America is the continent and the people are Americans.

When Spaniards "America" was the region's South to the US colonies. For Portuguese, it was Brazil.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io -1 points 4 months ago

No one wants to be called American because the yanks appropriated the term and give it a bad name. Do you think Iranians want to be called Aryans? Technically, they are the original, and true Aryans. Same for the swastika. You think Hindus and Buddhists enjoy using them outside of Asia or in Europe?

The term American has to be reclaimed to mean anybody from North or South America, but until that is done, we should stop calling yanks "Americans".

[-] falseWhite@lemmy.world 18 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I can't help but read it as US Asians, every time.

I somewhat see your point, but this weird word will never catch on.

What else can we call them (even though Americans is the correct word)?

[-] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I use “US-Americans” consistently, for a start I wouldn’t want to insult the Canadians. I also use “yanks” or the German “Ami” - but the latter sounds too much like the French word for “friend” so now unusable.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 11 points 4 months ago

Yank does have a nice ring to it. Yanking away people's rights abroad, yanking away their democracies, ... yank.

[-] Yttra@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Yanks because they can't stop stroking their... egos :)

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago
[-] emmanuel_car@fedia.io 2 points 4 months ago

Do you use that just in written form, or spoken as well? I don’t feel “US-Americans” rolling off the tongue.

[-] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 11 points 4 months ago

I agree and try to avoid 'Americans' as much as possible, but USians is awful and will never catch on.

I tend to say US folks or yanks when it flows well. It's not perfect, but it mostly works.

I'll never use USians, and most people will judge you poorly for trying to legitimize it.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago

They can judge me, I don't care. Yank, seppo, USAian, use whatever you like.

[-] stylusmobilus@aussie.zone 10 points 4 months ago

I try where suitable to use the term ‘US citizens’ but USians sounds stupid.

Bottom line is, it’s locked in, we know what’s meant by ‘Americans’ and it does make both verbal and practical sense.

[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 2 points 3 months ago

I like USAnals myself.

[-] Quexotic@infosec.pub 9 points 4 months ago

I strongly disagree. In all common use, American refers the 50 states and 14 terriroties of the United States of America.

Language can be powerful, but this is simply not how this word is used, and I would kindly suggest that you not give the regime any ideas. Lol.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

We sell software by region, America is one region which includes USA, Canada, Mexico.

[-] Yttra@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

But America is the country and "[The] Americas" has always been the region from what I've seen

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

United States of America is the country. There are other countries in the Americas. But yeah people drop the US part often.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 0 points 4 months ago

If look at how the US is acting, they are definitely acting like "Uh... we're calls Americans, so North and South America is ours, it's only logical". They fucked up most South America (after the Europeans did of course) and continue to act like it belong to them. They just kidnapped the leader of a South American nation as if it were the 53rd state, said "we'll rule and you better give us primetime access to that oil! it's ours already".

It's an idea they can steal like the land, it has been the modus operandi for more than 50 years.

[-] StaticFalconar@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

This is like latinX all over again. No body asked for this.

[-] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It's not that bad: the US of A have been fucking up much of the entire world since 1945, yet Americans haven't taken to calling themselves Worldians have they?

[-] atro_city@fedia.io -3 points 4 months ago

USAians are trying to assert their force over the EU and daiming to break it up. If they could, it would be called Eastern America or something.

[-] kip@piefed.zip 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

on behalf of great britain you are welcome to use shermans or septics. but the derivative seppo was invented by the aussies so you'll have to ask them for the permit. they may throw in leftpondian for free, i don't think they use it much any more

edit: i was operating outside my jurisdiction, septics is australian too according to https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/brdxe6y

[-] TrippaSnippa@aussie.zone 4 points 4 months ago

Speaking on behalf of Australia I grant permission for everyone to use "seppo"

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago

Slang for Americans - as septic tank rhymes with yank, but Americans are also full of shit like septic tanks

I'll gladly use it and alternate. Good word.

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 2 points 4 months ago

Never heard of sherman or septic. Where do those terms come from? Septic is from septic tank?

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 7 points 4 months ago

Rhyming slang. Septic Tank = Yank

Also it's full of shit.

[-] kip@piefed.zip 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

yes, both as in tank (=yank)

[-] pedz@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I do it in French and use États-unien(ne,s) but it's far more common and acceptable. In fact, there's lots of papers precisely on that subject and États-unien (or Étatsunien) is a valid term.

But in English it feels a bit pushy and pedantic to repeatedly use United Statesian or anything like that. So, I guess I should do that and get used to it myself.

[-] rzadkie@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

You anglophones are rather fucked with the lack of common slurs for the burgerriechians. In polish I've been using usańczycy (usanian equivalent) for quite some time, we also have hamerykanie - good, old one that underlines their hubris and vanity, but as of late I just use hitlerites. Considering The Great Satan - great meaning altough imo sounds too cool

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago
[-] Bonus@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

You're overlooking hyphenated American immigrant groups from the entire planet who make up the majority of the population (so, almost everybody), Native Americans (nearly everyone else), and the entire fact there are North and South American descriptors (all the rest of the people in the Americas) because those are the names of the continents we live on (all the places).

[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago

Why come up with a stupid word when there's already Yank?

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago

To piss people like you off.

[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

Aww you're so edgy. Good luck with your endeavours!

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 3 months ago

Thanks you too 😘

[-] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

I said this about a month ago before the whole thing happening now and everybody in that thread wanted me dead. lol

[-] atro_city@fedia.io 2 points 3 months ago

Probably USAians all butt-hurt.

[-] ryanpdg1@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

I remember learning about manifest destiny when I was in school. Kinda made me distrusting of people south of the border. I would agree with the sentiment of "language matters" and that we need to really drive home our sovereignty into the US psyche.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

If you'd like to be pedantic, then you'd have to use USMians or U.S. Mexicans to refer to Mexicans as they are also a collection of united States.

[-] rarsamx@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

Mexico (and many other countries) has an official name and a unique coloquial one.

The US only has an official name and they appropriated the coloquial one which already meant the whole continent.

It wasn't an accident in language. It was deliberate.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

I tend to call the USA the United States, but either you can accept the common demonym and adjective of "American" which is an entirely separate thing than the name of the country or you can not. Same for Mexico.

You can choose how you want to address people of the USA, but it's up to them to choose how they react to it. "Yankee" is another alternative that's a lot easier to say, even if they don't tend to like it.

[-] Sims@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 months ago

Agree, but we need a better word than that.. It's hard not to include 'americans' so people know what we are talking about. We likely need a prefix slur that we designate to the (mostly) scum people in the bottom of North America that supports the US Capitalist Oligarchy/globalist hegemony. 'Crapmericans' ? hm, there must be better suggestions..

[-] alsimoneau@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

Yallquaeda is popular in some circles

[-] spionspion@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 months ago

I always say fuck the US americans

[-] stenAanden@feddit.dk -2 points 4 months ago
this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2026
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