What do you do when the cab driver lies?

[Angelo Farina]

You are a citizen of a country. There is no country called Central or South America. There is only one country in the world with America as part of it's name. Continents do not have citizenship. American is the proper term for somone from the United States of America. American isn't what people from the USA insist on, it's what the rest of the world insists on. Mexicans refer to us as Americanos.

United States and US is what is misplaced. Other countries have "states" as part of their name. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, for instance.

It is true tha continents do not define citizenship, but it is normal to classify people from their continent of origin: European, African, Asian, American. Well, actually these are two continents, so better specifying North American or South American.
Here in Italy, we call Americano a guy from USA or perhaps Canada, and we assume he speaks English. Sudamericano instead from anywhere south of USA (including Mexico, which in reality is in North America, but people are ignorant of geography). And we assume he will speak Spanish (or Portoguese, but for us they sound quite similar).
So the distinction is not really geographical, it is more language-based.
We think that North American means speaking English (albeit in Canada there is also a lot of French speakers). And South American means speaking Spanish.

 

[ggunn]

So what did they advise?
I get it, and agree, but find the alternatives awkward/cumbersome.

"I am from the USA" in Spanish or English, or refer to ourselves as Norteamericanos.

 

[billgraham]

Mexico is in North America. As far as tipping goes, I'm originally from NY so it's 20%, gueros!

 

[DandyDon]

Just don't try to call us Yankees. That might have worked in WWII, but these days we'll give you our state citizenship. Texans may be the biggest on that.

We think that North American means speaking English (albeit in Canada there is also a lot of French speakers). And South American means speaking Spanish.

Most of my town is bilingual in both, and I'm in the Panhandle up north.

 

[ReefHound]

"I am from the USA" in Spanish or English, or refer to ourselves as Norteamericanos.

Nope. Not happening. Nobody else has to answer like that. How did the people of Peru refer to you? "He who is from the USA"?

 

[ReefHound]

And another thing, when have you EVER heard someone from Central or South America refer to themselves as American? To feign outrage over someone else using the term and being denied the use of a term they don't want to use anyway is simply ridiculous. If you're from Peru and you want to refer to yourself as American, knock yourself out. For kicks, do it in Europe or Asia and see where they think you live.

I'm from Houston, should I not refer to myself as a Houstonian because someone in Houston, MS might pretend to be upset.

 

[ggunn]

And another thing, when have you EVER heard someone from Central or South America refer to themselves as American? To feign outrage over someone else using the term and being denied the use of a term they don't want to use anyway is simply ridiculous. If you're from Peru and you want to refer to yourself as American, knock yourself out. For kicks, do it in Europe or Asia and see where they think you live.

I'm from Houston, should I not refer to myself as a Houstonian because someone in Houston, MS might pretend to be upset.

I am not taking a position on how I think you or anyone else should behave; that's just what the company I worked for at the time advised me to do. If I still do, what could it hurt?

 

[billgraham]

People usually tell me what city or region they are from. If someone says they are from Mexico, I assume they are talking about the city. It's confusing with all the slang and nicknames, Guatemalans are "Chapines" because Chiapas was part of Guatemala until the mid 1800's. If you have red hair and fair skin in Ecuador, you're a "Columbo" 'cause you look Colombian, and so on.

 

[Christi]

This takes the cake - I stopped reading at some point - but this thread shows just how much disposable time some of you have and if this is the kind of stuff you worry about then you have a very privileged life.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm an old, retired coot with a boring life who surely spends too much time here I guess. Still, it's interesting when someone comes onto a discussion board to criticize discussions, and I don't appreciate being lied to. Yet we know it happens all of the time on the island, in tequila stores, jewelry shops, etc. Back to the caveat: Buyer Beware, Always.