MarkC, I agree with you completely. I attended a school a few years back and one of the students was a man of Scottish background who was constantly boasting of his Scottish ancestry-to the point that people began to consider him a racist. I got along with the guy at first. One day we were eating lunch together and he asked what my nationality was. I told him I was an American. He looked kind of shocked by my answer.
I am an AMERICAN. My ancestors came mostly from Ireland (inspite of my English name), maybe Scotland (there is a McDonald name on my mother's side), some English, and a little Cherokee Indian. I have been able to trace successfully my family backgrounds back to mostly Ireland since at least the 1600s. I am proud of my ancestry. But America is where I live and America is as legit a country as any other. I wonder what would happen if somebody (a French citizen) in France starting walking around telling everybody that they were Belgium-French or German-French.
I am a third generation American on my father's side and a second generation American on my mother's side. But I do not tell people I am Irish or Irish-American. I know a little about the Banshee, a little about Queen Maude, and so forth. But I am an American. I could go around telling everybody that I am Cherokee, because I believe the Cherokee consider anybody who is at least 1/64 Cherokee to be Cherokee. My grandmother on my father's side was either 1/2 or 1/4 Cherokee, so I probably qualify. And I know a little about the Trail of Tears and ol' Stonecoat. But I don't go around calling myself a Cherokee either.
I think it is a little silly to hear people calling themselves Irish-American or African-American or German-American or whatever. But people can do whatever they want to. For me, I am an AMERICAN. And I am proud to be an American.
I am an AMERICAN. My ancestors came mostly from Ireland (inspite of my English name), maybe Scotland (there is a McDonald name on my mother's side), some English, and a little Cherokee Indian. I have been able to trace successfully my family backgrounds back to mostly Ireland since at least the 1600s. I am proud of my ancestry. But America is where I live and America is as legit a country as any other. I wonder what would happen if somebody (a French citizen) in France starting walking around telling everybody that they were Belgium-French or German-French.
I am a third generation American on my father's side and a second generation American on my mother's side. But I do not tell people I am Irish or Irish-American. I know a little about the Banshee, a little about Queen Maude, and so forth. But I am an American. I could go around telling everybody that I am Cherokee, because I believe the Cherokee consider anybody who is at least 1/64 Cherokee to be Cherokee. My grandmother on my father's side was either 1/2 or 1/4 Cherokee, so I probably qualify. And I know a little about the Trail of Tears and ol' Stonecoat. But I don't go around calling myself a Cherokee either.
I think it is a little silly to hear people calling themselves Irish-American or African-American or German-American or whatever. But people can do whatever they want to. For me, I am an AMERICAN. And I am proud to be an American.
