FROM A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION:
Caleb as annoying as it is when some of them don't speak a word of English, my Mexican-American customers are always completely polite and understanding... does that qualify as racial profiling?
Justin Can you really call them Mexican-American if they're not at all American?
Caleb Well most of them have Social Security numbers, which I assume means they're citizens, which makes them American in my book.
Caleb Well none of that was really my point. The point is, Mexican customers are overwhelmingly polite and patient when it comes to retail
Justin Just indicating that they're not necessarily American just because they're here. I agree that most of them are polite.
Courtney Marie the way my anthropology professor explained a situation like this today, you should always ask your self "is this a gift?" because in order to be educated world citizens we must learn other languages than our own. just a thought
Travis Last time I checked, Mexico was part of America. Not only that, but being an "American" has never had anything to do with citizenship or whether or not you have a social security number.
Justin That's adorable, Travis. Keep on thinking that.
Caleb Legally, citizenship is when someone becomes an American. But my ancestors were Americans long before legal citizenship was a concept.
Caleb Legally, citizenship is when someone becomes an American. But my ancestors were Americans long before legal citizenship was a concept.
Justin I'm thinking your lumping of Mexico in with America is geographically and politically hilarious. Mexico is part of North America, not America. An American is a citizen of America, not Mexico.
Lauren Actually Justin...its seems that the ignorant one would be yourself. If a person from another country (in south, north, or central america) is asked if they are american, they will respond with a positive answer. They are offended when we as citizens of the United States refer to only ourselves as Americans. We are Americans. However, we are not the only ones that live on this continent...or you know, for that matter, on earth. Please stop making us look like fools with comments like yours :)
Shayne Legal v. Conceptual definitions of being an "American." There isn't an argument here because everyone is talking about this in different terms.
I also have to agree that most of the Hispanic Americans (whether immigrants, second generation immigrants, etc) I have encountered tend to be very polite.
Another interesting thing to point out is that non-citizen Mexicans add more to the economy of Arkansas than they take out of it in state services, leaving a positive economic impact. It appears to be a very hard working culture.
I'm proud of you Caleb. Comments and conversations like this help break down the negative and xenophobic stereotypes that have lead to armed madmen illegally patrolling our borders and shooting at pregnant women and children (even if, yes, they are illegally entering the country-- there are better ways to address the very serious issue of border security).
Travis America, or "the Americas", includes North America. America does not refer solely to the United States.
And if you want to talk about racial profiling, making statements about a person's citizenship on the basis of whether or not they appear to be Mexican is a fine way of going about it.
Brian Caleb you are right. And more pious Christian people cannot be found except maybe among Vietnamese Catholics or Russian babushkas Let the immigration debate continue elsewhere ;)
Justin Lauren: This is incorrect. "American" is understood worldwide to mean people from the United States of America. No other country has the word "America" in their name and no other country uses the demonym "American" but us. They use their respective national titles. With regard to somehow suggesting that I said we are the only ones on the ... See Morecontinent, please refer to my previous statement about Mexico being in North America. You are using your own ignorance of terms to cover for pointless insults.
Travis: The Americas refers to North, South, and Central America. America refers to the United States of America. You're welcome to ignore reality all you like, however.
No one mentioned "race" (a ridiculous concept) or "racial profiling" at all but you, so why would you say that I want to talk about it? When did I make any sort of statement about any Mexican's "appearance?" Mexicans do not have "an" appearance. There is no one Mexican "look" and to assume such is extreme ignorance.
C Vargas yeah, what Justin said... =)
Steve I have friends who are canadian who refer to themselves as "americans" so your assertion that "no other country uses the demonym 'american' but us" is not accurate as a generalization of an entire group of people.
I do agree with you that we tend have identified ourselves as "americans" and our country is "America" but that is a national identity we've created for ourselves
11 hours ago
Justin No Canadian I have ever met has ever referred to themselves as anything but Canadian. In fact, "American" is what they strive NOT to be. Most Canadians are pro-American to some extent, but they differentiate themselves as much from Americans as possible. It is a distinct part of Canadian culture to assert very vigourously that they are Canadians... See More, not Americans. I assure you that you are incorrect and you will not find the term "American" used on any official Canadian identification or other government documents whatsoever. If you do, present it to me and I will give you $100 CAD., not Americans. I assure you that you are incorrect and you will not find the term "American" used on any official Canadian identification or other government documents whatsoever. If you do, present it to me and I will give you $100 CAD.
Justin Steve: As for national identity, I would tend to agree with you. However, does that mean it is invalid if other people complain? Should I begin some sort of campaign to assert that since Utah used to be part of Mexico, its people should be referred to as "Mexican" instead? No one would take such a thing seriously.
Lauren First, I would like to take the first opportunity to apologize for calling anyone ignorant. That is extremely rude and perhaps we should all refrain from the use of that term. I agree with Shayne, there are several different definitions of the word American. However, I have had the privilege and opportunityof living in several countries in the ... See MoreAmericas. You are sorely mistaken when you say that no other country uses the term American to refer to themselves. I was under the same impression as you when I moved overseas. When asked who I was, I smartly and without hesitation replied "An American!". Their faces show their dislike of my answer. Their response...so are we. Another example: I also attend a spanish-speaking church here in the states. They are highly offended when the english-speaking church is referred to as the American church. They say that both churches are American churches, but that the two churches have different predominant languages. Other countries do not only refer to us as Americans. Perhaps in Europe and ourselves here in the United States have come to believe that we are the only Americans. However, in spanish countries, the word they use to refer to the citizens of the United States is not Americano (a) but rather estadounidense. It is used quite often though the other term is used by us because it is simpler to say.
Lydia yes lmao
Joseph Jesus is from the middle East, do you think he was white, or brown?
Justin Lauren: So Europeans refer to us as Americans, but because /Spanish/ speakers don't do it...that makes it invalid? Does not compute. I think you're honestly kidding yourself if you think that when someone says "American" they really mean Colombian, Argentinian, or Mexican.
Lauren we were discussing mexican american customers...i thought it was kinda valid. Its kinda ridiculous to argue this point. We both disagree but its not gonna change anythignto continue arguing. Its a circle of us back and forth saying no i'm right. However, next time you choose to debate someone you may wanna leave out the impolite and downgrading ... See Morecomments. I listed facts and said nothing about you. I'm not going to respond again. We have differing opinions and that is perfectly fine...we have that right becuase we are citizens of the United States. Enjoy!
Darren Justin, it sounds like you've got a very Eurocentric view of the word "American". I would turn your question around. Given the fact that Lauren has lived in other countries and has met many people outside of the US who consider themselves "part of the Americas" (and therefore "American"), does it make it invalid for them to do so because ... See MoreEuropeans use the term primarily to refer to people from the US? Does not compute. I think you're gonna have to take the hit on this one. It's OK to be mistaken you know?
If you don't take our words for it (I am now to third person to tell you that I know of people from the Continent - who live outside the US - who refer to themselves as "Americans"), then at least take the dictionary's word for it for God's sake:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/american
Just because you haven't seen it, or heard of it, doesn't mean it's wrong. Just because much of Europe (though certainly not all) uses a term in some way, does not mean it's THE "correct" way. Expand your horizons, friend. Learn something new today. Don't be an "ugly American" ;)
Abba's Benevolent Monk Darren, good points... I am First Nations "American" (Cherokee and Mingo) and the whole citizenship thing, SS#, green card, etc. is interesting to me-- a phenomenon that only came about through a society established on genocide and slavery, and everyone only went crazy over it since the 80's or so, when it was figured out that that there were "too ... See Moremany of them" here-- so I will withhold my comments there momentarily... LOVE must be central. As for by-in-large kindness and friendliness, politeness and understanding that Caleb noticed-- perhaps it's just because that for indigenous folk, PEOPLE are still more important than projects and possessions or getting things done efficiently at the cost of humanity-- values that often gets lost in a generation or two.
Abba's Benevolent Monk Caleb--- in all the seriousness of the subject, I nearly missed the humor of "does this qualify as racial profiling?" GRIN
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