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South America
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| ierxium |
That is South America. So guess what term is used to refer to people in that area? Could it be "South Americans"?
Just a thought. :) |
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| Lira |
Despite of the standards, South Americans (hereafter "us" or "we") could preserve our history or value our past by changing our name.
Let's face it, America is to vague. Three continents with the same name? That's like calling Europe "North-western Asia" (and it actually is), and we're connected to Central/North Europe just by Panama... and the Americans built a channel there anyway, so we can just say we're now a separate continent (by the way, are Texans South Americans? It would make sense if they were the ones called that way). If Africa can get a name because of the Suez channel, so can we! Unfortunately, the name "Antartica" is already taken, and "Australis" sound too much like "Australia" (both names having something to do with South), so let's focus on something else.
When the Europeans first got here, they thought they were in "Asia", but this name is taken as well, bugger. Brazilian Native Americans used to call our land "Pindorama", which is a lovely name. How cool would it be to be a Pindoramian? Anything we did would be Pindoramic. I foresee an empire being called "United Pindoramic Provinces"... UPP! Argentinians wouldn't like it though, them bastards, because probably Argentinian Native Americans had some other name for the continent and they think they're better than anyone else in the continent, but deep inside they would be green in envy, because who wouldn't like to be a Pindoramian? I know I would!
As for the people, let's see. We all speak European languages (Portuguese and Spanish and Dutch and English and French...), most of us have European surnames... but we can't be Europeans, as the Europeans are already known as Europeans. heh. Western people? hmmm... Europe then would become Central people and Asians, Eastern People. Fair enough, but why would Europe be the centre? And also, we somehow seem not to belong to the so-called "Western Civilisation" so once again, we can't have that name, which is becoming annoying already. Well, Europeans are very picky about their heritage, and many Europeans who came here were of Latin heritage (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French... Rumanians didn't bother). So we stole the name from them, and today they seem to have forgotten they're Latin too. Weird.
It would be okay if we were only European, or if it were named after the first person who came here (Amerigo Vespucci sure wasn't, so the name America is not an option either). However, there were the native Americans who weren't Europeans, the Africans who aren't Europeans, Asians who aren't Europeans, and Argentinians, who believe they are Europeans (poor lads). Why should we have an European name? All these people are somehow related anyway (except for Argentinians), so why bother being so picky? I know I can't be arsed to do that.
You know what? Just call us people. Even Argentinians. And call our name, Pindorama, that's what it was anyway.
edit: corrected some spelling mistakes :) |
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| LiquidX |
| Mmmm what's wierd is that in Europe and everywhere else in the world.. there is no South America as another continent.. South America and North America is .. AMERICA as a whole.. 1 Continent all together. It's here in the US that they teach this as 2 separate continents.. which is, merely, false. ;) |
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| BadBadNeil |
Does it really matter? We probably call it that because the strip between the north and south is so narrow and small.
In africa the only thing not joining it to the middle east and asia is the suez canal. Does that mean africa is really a part of asia and europe because they are all connected? Is asia a part of europe or europe a part of asia because they aren't separate by water? No.
It is just how it is. |
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| ierxium |
I understand most of the history behind the name and everything related to this continent.
What has bothered me for some time is that some people use South American to refer to people in the South of the US of A. Of course US of A is the United States of America. So I guess is correct to refer to the people in the south as South Americans. It's just that whenever I hear that term I always think of people in the South like Argentinians.
The names are a big issue. I've read some essays in which the authors choose their favorite name/term for people in the continent. It's understandable, a term is necessary to refer to the people. I don't think that way. But there is a need for labeling and grouping whether you agree or not.
So we have two South Americas. |
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| BadBadNeil |
| Really? I've never heard anyone refer to the people of the south of the USA as South Americans. I usually hear "southerners" or "deep south" |
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| ierxium |
| Yeah, lately not so much though. I also hear those two terms. Seeing how Dave Piazza refer to the southeners are South americans reminded me of that. |
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