carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,990 
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
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Post by carhoch on Oct 12, 2016 18:54:03 GMT
I live in the US since 2004 and became an American citizen in 2010 and I never call myself an American before 2010 .
Before I was a Swiss citizen nowI have a dual citizenship so I am both but I feel I became an American when I was legally an American .
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
Posts: 4,176
Location: right smack dab in the middle of SC
Site Supporter
Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Oct 12, 2016 19:00:01 GMT
Absolutely not. And I'll go a step further and say that I consider them a criminal. There are ways to enter this country legally. It is not as if our borders are closed and we don't welcome immigrants. But we have laws and there is no reason that we should not uphold the laws that we as a country have established.  |
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Post by sugarmama on Oct 12, 2016 19:06:48 GMT
No
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Post by straggler on Oct 12, 2016 19:11:22 GMT
No
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Post by scrappyoutlaw on Oct 12, 2016 19:11:31 GMT
Sorry, I was just trying to understand this line you drew. I read your entire post. To me it's not such a black and white answer. Wasn't trying to ruffle your feathers. You're right, using the voting analogy was not wise, as it is not a black and white answer. I apologize. I guess I hadn't connected all the dots. I think I see where you were trying to go with it, but I didn't fully understand. I liked your input, it was interesting to read your thoughts as someone who has been through the naturalization process. I've honestly never given that level of detailed thought to who I consider American. I suspect it's a much tougher answer for some than others. |
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Post by mlynn on Oct 12, 2016 19:20:43 GMT
No, I would not. After thinking about it, I would not consider people here legally to be Americans unless they became citizens.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 1, 2024 23:36:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 19:26:34 GMT
Hell no.  |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 12, 2016 19:39:33 GMT
No, I would not. After thinking about it, I would not consider people here legally to be Americans unless they became citizens. I have a good friend that was a citizen of another country who married a U.S. citizen, obtained a visa and moved here. Even she said she didn't feel right calling herself an "American" until she passed the U.S. citizenship test. |
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scrappyesq
Pearl Clutcher
You have always been a part of the heist. You're only mad now because you don't like your cut.
Posts: 4,029
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Post by scrappyesq on Oct 12, 2016 20:35:13 GMT
I think there is a difference between being culturally American and being a citizen. Undocumented people who are culturally American? I don't have issue calling them Americans. A person who was brought here as a small child and grew up here? How could such a person be anything but American? The twist to that is someone who was born here but comes from a family of immigrants. I know more than my share and they all identify themselves as West Indian or Jamaican or Trinidadian. Not so much a commentary on legal citizenship as it is a source of cultural pride.
For me personally, I know where I was born and where I can vote and that's how I identify myself.
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onecolanut
Full Member
Posts: 118
Nov 22, 2015 19:35:03 GMT
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Post by onecolanut on Oct 12, 2016 20:36:58 GMT
Absolutely NOT.
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Post by Zee on Oct 12, 2016 20:42:06 GMT
"illegally undocumented" is a nonsense term. You can't be illegally undocumented. You can be undocumented (you snuck in), or you can be legally documented (you have the right to be here) or illegally documented (you have false papers).
Good God, I hope "illegally undocumented" doesn't catch on.
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Post by refugeepea on Oct 12, 2016 20:42:29 GMT
I haven't read all the responses but I consider American and United States Citizen to be the same thing. So, if they are here illegally, no not an American. It's not something I would fight about with a person who was here illegally either.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Oct 12, 2016 21:03:06 GMT
"illegally undocumented" is a nonsense term. You can't be illegally undocumented. You can be undocumented (you snuck in), or you can be legally documented (you have the right to be here) or illegally documented (you have false papers). Good God, I hope "illegally undocumented" doesn't catch on. You beat me to it! What a word salad, complete with all the wrong ingredients. |
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~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,876
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Post by ~Lauren~ on Oct 12, 2016 21:10:10 GMT
No, they are no more Americans than I am British simply because I spend time in England.
They are illegal aliens.
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Post by gritzi on Oct 12, 2016 21:27:40 GMT
I agree 1001%!!
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Post by disneypal on Oct 12, 2016 21:28:00 GMT
No, 'American' is a term I reserve for American citizens. I wouldn't refer to someone as American unless they were a citizen. For instance, I have a friend that legally immigrated here from England. I thought of her as "British" or "English". She has lived in the US many years (legally). Two years ago, she decided to become a citizen so now I think of her as an American. An example: I wouldn't move to France and say that I am French unless I decided to become a citizen there. I believe (IMO) that citizenship is what constitutes your nationality. Save |
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Post by tampascrapper on Oct 12, 2016 22:03:37 GMT
No, 'American' is a term I reserve for American citizens. eta - yes, that also means that I don't refer to legal immigrants as American either. I agree with this ^ |
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Post by monklady123 on Oct 12, 2016 22:05:47 GMT
It doesn't matter if a non-American is here legally or illegally -- if they haven't passed the citizenship test and been sworn in then they're not American. That's what makes them American, not whether or not they're here legally.
disclaimer: Someone probably said this already but I don't feel like reading through the whole thread. lol
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Post by tampascrapper on Oct 12, 2016 22:05:50 GMT
Absolutely not. And I'll go a step further and say that I consider them a criminal. There are ways to enter this country legally. It is not as if our borders are closed and we don't welcome immigrants. But we have laws and there is no reason that we should not uphold the laws that we as a country have established. Even though I know it is not the popular opinion but this is how I feel as well. |
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Post by pierkiss on Oct 12, 2016 22:11:59 GMT
No.
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Post by cookiemum on Oct 12, 2016 22:15:00 GMT
No. In order to be considered "American", you must be a citizen.
I'm biased. We moved to Australia, went through the legal channels and became citizens so now we have dual citizenship. As a result I have no empathy for those who circumvent the process. Prior to becoming a citizen, I was an American living in Australia - even as a permanent resident. Dh & I did not become Australian, and neither did our children who were both born here and knew no other way of life, until we became citizens.
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River
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,507
Location: Alabama
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:04 GMT
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Post by River on Oct 12, 2016 22:18:18 GMT
I see it the same as most people here have already stated, American = US Citizenship
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Post by cajeanne on Oct 12, 2016 22:23:34 GMT
Thank you for all your comments. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with the view that you need to be a citizen to be called an American.
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 12, 2016 23:46:59 GMT
The way I see it is I am a United States Citizen but I am also an American. Canadians along with Mexicans, Brazilians etc. are Americans as they are on the American continents. Just like Chinese are Chinese and Asian, Italians are Italian and European. Asia and Europe are continents. Americans are not just in the United States.
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Post by wezee on Oct 12, 2016 23:51:59 GMT
NO!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 1, 2024 23:36:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2016 0:13:20 GMT
The way I see it is I am a United States Citizen but I am also an American. Canadians along with Mexicans, Brazilians etc. are Americans as they are on the American continents. Just like Chinese are Chinese and Asian, Italians are Italian and European. Asia and Europe are continents. Americans are not just in the United States. We've already hashed this out. Find a Canadian or a Brazilian who calls them self an American and it might be relevant. But the real issue is someone who is here illegally, not where their home country is. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Oct 13, 2016 0:17:12 GMT
American = Citizen of the United States I don't think that people who do not have citizenship consider themselves American, anymore than I would consider myself French if I moved to France, but did not obtain citizenship. I agree with this  I do too. |
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smcast
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,302
Location: MN
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Post by smcast on Oct 13, 2016 0:28:24 GMT
No.
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Post by Sharon on Oct 13, 2016 0:46:21 GMT
Absolutely not!
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Post by femalebusiness on Oct 13, 2016 0:55:30 GMT
The way I see it is I am a United States Citizen but I am also an American. Canadians along with Mexicans, Brazilians etc. are Americans as they are on the American continents. Just like Chinese are Chinese and Asian, Italians are Italian and European. Asia and Europe are continents. Americans are not just in the United States. We've already hashed this out. Find a Canadian or a Brazilian who calls them self an American and it might be relevant. But the real issue is someone who is here illegally, not where their home country is. It's relevant because I am technically correct. However, I agree that American is most often associated with United States citizens. People who are in the United States from other countries without proper papers are not illegal. They are undocumented. |
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My original pea date was November 1999 and my number was 1803
