"Leaving America"

[Lucas]

arielw2001,

I think that it will be better if you change the movie or documentary title to "Leaving U.S." so people will not have sufficient motives to burn down the theater-cinema.

 

[steveinbsas]

Earlier today this "Bolivian" film was aired on DirecTV:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Visa...1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1315529629&sr=1-1


It made me think of this thread and wonder whatever happened to Nopat.

(Just yesterday Lucas and I thanked each other for posts in another thread.)

Nonetheless, the word "America" still only refers to one nation.

 

[rockinkaj]

We Canadians try to avoid it lol .. being called North Americans that is

 

[Driftline]

You guys should see the debate with Limeys about their nationality. They don't like being called British. They prefer to be called English or Scottish or Welsh.

 

[steveinbsas]

You guys should see the debate with Limeys about their nationality. They don't like being called British. They prefer to be called English or Scottish or Welsh.

Why are "the British" called "limeys" in the first place and isn't the term "Limey" even more pejorative?

"As it turns out, the term "limey" originally applied to British sailors. In the 17th and 18th centuries, sailors suffered terribly from scurvy, a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C. Vitamin C comes mainly from fresh fruits and vegetables, but these foods aren't exactly easy to come by when you're at sea for months at a time.

So the Royal Navy prescribed lime juice for all sailors to help ward off scurvy -- hence the appellation "limeys." As often happens, the term eventually lost its original context and was applied to all British, whether sailors or landlubbers.

As to whether or not it's an insult to be called a "limey", well, that all depends on whom you ask."

Source: http://ask.yahoo.com/20041027.html

If a movie was being made about an English citizen leaving England the appropriate title would be "Leaving England" and they were Scottish the title would be "Leaving Scotland".

Can you imagine a film about people leaving London with the title "Leaving Limey Town?"

Jesse Jackson might, but thankfully he isn't a filmmaker.

(This comment is based on his "nickname" for New York City...which rhymes with Limey Town.)

I don't think there's any debate with Yankees about being called Americans.

There is no insult in being called a Yankee, either.

 

[canadien]

.....because the northern part of the continent speaks English, while the southern/central part speaks Spanish.

Bonjour,

Je suis Canadien et j'ai beaucoup d'amis en Amérique du Sud qui parlent le portugais.

Respectueusement,

Paul

 

[zingara]

Merci Monsieur Paul

 

[davonz]

Why are "the British" called "limeys" in the first place and isn't the term "Limey" even more pejorative?.

We call them poms - short for prisioner of his/her majesty, referring to the convicts, all new arrivals to aus were poms, and the name has stuck..

 

[Godiva.]

I'm obviously very late to this thread...

I don't hang out with expats and in fact have never met another expat in all the years I've been visiting. I can say though I try not to say I'm "Americana." I don't use that stupid long word estadounidense either and I find the word norteamericano silly. If they ask where I'm from, I just say Miami (recognizable and close enough.)

I call myself American in Spain or France, but I won't do it here just to avoid the conversation that's sure to follow... "but my country is called the United States of America! UnitedStatians doesn't make any sense, it'd be like calling a Republica de Argentina citizen a Republicano!" They don't get it or agree, and I'm not going there.

In my experience, Argentines do take a slight offense to Americans calling themselves Americans (y nosotros que somos?) They take it like if we called ourselves after the whole continent - the only ones that matter. I've been corrected by family and friends. Most of the time I know they're just teasing, but there's a serious undertone where they feel that for the US, the rest of "America" doesn't exist - especially since we separate the continents into North and South and they don't. They're partly right. (I still maintain there's 7 continents but thankfully I don't get asked that question often at all!)

I think you have to be flexible - especially here. There's no malintent when they call us yankees or norteamericanos or call all the Spanish gallegos (which I found to be particularly curious - more funny than insulting.) There's a slight US resentment - not more than you'd find in France or anyplace else, mind you - but it's indisputable. I've heard anti-american conversations directed at Washington or general American arrogance. That said, I have never been treated unfairly or negatively because of my nationality or questioned about my immigration status by the natives. Just a few friendly jabs perhaps.

 

[Driftline]

I call 'em limeys as a term of endearment.

I don't think there's any debate with Yankees about being called Americans.

There is no insult in being called a Yankee, either.

You've never been to the South, I see.