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[KeithHernandez]

My biggest pet peeve is news stories or other serious writing using America or Americans to describe the U.S.  I use it in speech but would never use it for something serious.  It isn't right.  America is a big place.

[Doc]

So now I'm curious: Would you define Mexico as part of 'Latin America' or is it culturally distinct enough not to be that either?

[Nabubrush]

Eh, you'd be surprised how many Americans would make the same mistake.  I think people sometimes use "South American" as a catchall when they mean "Spanish-speaking."  Which is in turn often used as a euphemism for "illegal immigrant."  (I'm not sayin' it's right, I'm just sayin' it's true.) 

When Pedro went to Argentina to visit his mother's family, they laughed at him for referring to himself as "American."  "We are *all* American," they said.  "You are from the United States!" 

Ah, cross-cultural semantics.  Gotta love 'em. 

Should we talk about how lots of people wonder what kind of money is used in Alaska, or what language we speak?

[jaydub]

So now I'm curious: Would you define Mexico as part of 'Latin America' or is it culturally distinct enough not to be that either?

Wasn't it Mexico that Dan Quayle was infamously referring to when he spoke of his regret about not learning Latin?

[pmcd9]

When Pedro went to Argentina to visit his mother's family, they laughed at him for referring to himself as "American."  "We are *all* American," they said.  "You are from the United States!" 

I've gotten that before and I always call bullshit.  I don't think anyone considers themselves a citizen of a continent.  Your husbands "American" family Are Argentineans, not Americans.  We, on the other hand are Americans from America the country, not the continent.

[KeithHernandez]

Except for we are from the United States of the American continent.

[V-Adore]

Should we talk about how lots of people wonder what kind of money is used in Alaska, or what language we speak?

Five words: "What color was your igloo?"

[Nabubrush]

Five words: "What color was your igloo?"

It was yellow. I don't want to get into detail.

[theinevitable]

kids used to ask my aunt if they ate Mexican food in Chile.


also, my grandma thought my mom was going to be Black, because the only Hispanic people in Boston at that point, apparently, were black Puerto Ricans.

[wombat]

Should we talk about how lots of people wonder what kind of money is used in Alaska, or what language we speak?

Hey, the latter is not a totally stupid question.