Just who are the "Americans" anyhow?

Billionaires are the new Kings.

Have you seen this meme? It has been floating around for a decade. It shows up in my feeds every year or two, typically shared by one of my lefty friends.

I spent some years traveling internationally for work. I have slept many nights in Buenos Aires, Instanbul, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Bangalore, and other places quite a bit different from Montana. Long enough to read some local news and a bit of local history. Have dinner with some local folks. See their national flag on buildings, and see what they paint on the side of their police cars. They all have government buildings and police cars. It took a few tries to pronounce Ayuntiamento in Barcelona, a term which seemed to be on nearly a third of the buildings in the city center. It means “government.”

So, each time I see this meme informing me what I am to call my own country, it feels like some preacher is righteously instructing me in the ways of their personal god. Informing me of some religious truth very different from my own. Because, I have never yet met anyone outside of “Ooosah” — which I guess is how I am to pronounce “USA” in “This is USA,” given the lack of a pronoun, or periods to indicate an abbreviation — who had any trouble knowing who we Americans are. We are not the people of the United Mexican States or Federative Republic of Brazil or even the Oriental Republic of Uruguay We Americans are from the United States of America. In 1776, Thomas Paine called us in as “Americans” in his pamphlet Common Sense, before the thirteen colonies launched the world’s first anti-colonial, democratic rebellion against a King.

“America” is the demonym embedded right there in the long form of our official country name. Just like Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and so on, are embedded in their own. “Kazakhstan” is officially “The Republic of Kazakhstan,” and “Venezuela” is the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.” This is how country names work for pretty much everyone. Except Canada. Which is just “Canada” and has been for a very long time. But, even if we share the North American continent, Canadians are definitely not Americans. Just ask one, then duck.

So, this meme above is … confusing. It is commanding me, in ALL CAPS no less, to fundamentally alter my understanding of a term that has been in widespread, unquestioned use for centuries. To, for some reason, change my mind about a universally recognized and translated term that I learned as a child while watching fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Why does anyone expect anyone to do such a thing? What kind of nerve does it take to expect this? Is someone harmed by Americans having been globally known as “Americans” since 1776? Anyone other than me, of course. I have traveled enough to know there are times I should definitely try passing myself off as a Canadian. We Americans are well-known for being jerks these days. Which is shocking, of course, after all those nice things we have done for Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Vietnam, and Korea (cough).

Is all that where this meme comes from, though? I lived in Portlandia for 36 years. I know a whole class of folks living inside of “Ooosah” who find it embarrassing to be American. Which is understandable to a degree, in light of post-WW2 American foreign policy. Something certainly seemed to change between WW2 and Vietnam. Almost as if Billionaire-driven fascism began slipping into our government right after we helped kick fascist ass across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Yet, America was quite literally founded to oppose the original fascists: Kings (which is the term we used to use for Billionaires.) We the people chose to take all that power — which only arises from our consent to be governed anyhow — and separate it into three branches led by folks who could be voted out. An impefect system, certainly. And, one that has evolved dramatically towards widespread inclusion over the past 250 years. One that has been effective at lifting billions out of poverty.

Sometimes we have to see the glass half full, too. Sometimes we have to stop just criticizing, and get organized enough to make things better.

This meme above represents quite the long-term propaganda coup. Billionaires have convinced progressive Americans to hate our own history of opposing monarchs and hereditary aristocracy. Of opposing those with unaccountable power they can inflict and pass along however they like.

Myself, I still oppose Kings and their minions. So, for that reason, I am proud to call myself an American.