What is an American?
llllllllllllWhat is an American? I don’t mean a citizen of the United States, Canada, or Mexico, or someone with a Green-card, I mean what the general population of America proceeds as an American. We have Native Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, Hispanic Americans, even Canadian and Australian Americans. So what is just, an American?
llllllllllllUnfortunately, in popular culture, in Textbooks, and in official Government word documents, an “American” is a white person, generally of the Christian faith, and a descendant of and Irish, English, or French or German group or family. An American also means a person who acts of this “nature” and way. So What is an African American? Or a Hispanic person? In most cases, the average “American” would say “ A darker person, or black” for African Americans, and “Tannish, or dark” person for Hispanic Americans. But in reality… these people are not African, Chinese, or Hispanic they are Americans, plain, Americans.
You see, Americans to what the normal people are, are not what true Americans are. Everyone in America is an American, we are all equal citizens. And no matter what, this is going to stay true.
llllllllllllBut why do people think differently? Is it racism- no most people aren’t racist to others. Is it prejudice? No, most people aren’t. It’s called stereotyping. And, yet most deny it, it is a common fact that divides everyone on our planet- we generalize about someone by their color. It’s the act of “talking black” or “Mexican” or sounding like a “Chinese person”. People just don’t get it. Race, color, size, weight, doesn’t mean anything. Just throw it out the window. We’re all just people, right? Well, no. We give each other labels. African, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, White, and even call each other Popular, Goth, Emo, Prep, nerds, stupid things, and put people into categories by color, size, weight, and fitness level. Everyone does it. But is it right? No. Should it be right? No. What should be realized is that we are ALL people, we are ALL Americans, and we are all us. No-one is an “African American” or Hispanic American or anything like that- just, American.
llllllllllllWe fight for the same reason, we live for the same reason, we work for the same reason, we ARE for the same reason. Color, race, chuck it out. Size, height, chuck it out. We all are one. We all are us. We are, America.
So next time you think about saying “African American” or “Native American” just say American, because that is what we really are.
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