A little more than a year ago, after I published a column about the most harmful myths surrounding immigration, I received an email from a reader who asked about my use of the word “America” to refer to the United States. . American state. She said:
“When we say ‘America’ to mean the United States, we deny the very existence of many countries in North, Central, and South America. Similarly, we deny the very existence of the people who live in those countries. As an immigrant from those countries, I am reminded of colonialism, imperialism, and expansionism. This is not right!
Too many people will dismiss this criticism as representing, at best, a sterile “woke” obsession with the “right” word, and at worst an authoritarian impulse to regulate the speech of others. I know. But I don’t agree with those opinions. As a teacher and a journalist, I am reminded daily that words frame people’s lived experiences and imbue them with meaning.
I don’t like to punish people with bad words, but I believe that words, good or bad, can change the world. So, to me, trying to persuade people to use words that I think lend themselves to more productive meanings is a legitimate and worthwhile endeavor. And I’m definitely not alone in this. How do “anti-woke” conservatives react when someone uses words they don’t like about faith (“Christmas”?), history (“Indigenous languages”, etc.) or things they hold sacred. See if you react quickly. Day”? ) and patriotism.
So I took readers’ criticisms of my use of “America” seriously. Not only did I not have a problem with the proposition that some words are better than others, but I was also curious about how people who enjoy a certain level of power (such as journalists) wield language as a weapon. He was also very sensitive to the question of whether he could do it. Denigrate a particular community. My column aims to combat misinformation about immigrants coming to America. The last thing I want is for my language to alienate them.
However, I was not convinced by that argument. The United States is the only country with “America” in its name. The national identities of other countries in the Americas, from Canada to Chile, are too strong to fear assimilation into the United States. And there are practical issues as well. “America” is the only proper noun for the “United States of America.” I’m not going to write “United Stater” instead of “American.”
At the time, I responded to a reader and told him so. But I promised to keep thinking about this issue. And that’s what I’ve been doing. So last month, I invited her to meet me in person and tell me her story. Nicole Graves, a former teacher and Canadian immigrant who taught English to foreign speakers, agreed.
She told me that for years she had been running a one-man campaign to convince people to be more careful in their use of the word “America.”
“When we pledge allegiance as new citizens, we pledge allegiance to the United States of America. We’re not pledged allegiance to America,” she said. “I’ve spoken to citizenship judges. I’ve written letters to the president and vice president. Most people I talk to one-on-one say they’ve never thought about it. Some say, ‘I’ll be careful from now on.’
Graves would like people to call the country “The United States of America” (with or without the “American”), not just “America.” But she, too, is stumped when it comes to alternatives to “American.” And that’s okay. You don’t have to fully work out a solution in your head before pointing out that we have a problem. In fact, as far as I know, nowhere in the “ivory tower” or in radical left circles is an alternative with much support.
Names that represent large groups of people include: It pleases some people, offends others, has a lot of complicated history, and means different things to different people. Those who are not allowed to wear them can claim their rights, and those who are forced to wear them can refuse.
“America” is in good company here. Consider the can of worms opened with names like “European Union,” “Columbia,” “Virginia,” “Indiana,” and “Amherst.”
So what should I do?
I went to María José Botelho, a professor of language, literacy, and culture at the Amherst College of Education in Massachusetts, for help. She also didn’t offer an “American” alternative, but suggested her three-step course of action, which I think is reasonable.
1. Accept the fact that names like “America” are always “vessels for power relations and historical moments.” They are not “just names”.
2. “We need to get serious about how we name ourselves and ask ourselves, ‘Is this how we want to be identified?'” Clearly, across a very diverse country Although no consensus can be found, [we should try]”
3. When using the word “American,” use the word “American” to “reinforce the perception that the name became popular because of our country’s imperialism and the peoples who colonized our borders.” “to alert the reader to the historical complexity of the world.”
Any other suggestions are welcome at razvansibii@gmail.com.
Razvan Sibii is a senior lecturer in journalism at Amherst College. He writes a monthly column on immigration.
