What does it mean to be a true and good American?

Betty Chavez3 said:If you ask me, being a good American means being a true patriot.

Love your roots no matter what. And for God's sake, stop trashing your own people, especially when you're out of the country.

Respect other people and respect their faiths.

Regarding that first point—most people possess some degree of patriotism, so I suppose that holds water. However, if you'll permit me, I find myself questioning that word "good." The real issue lies in what those who call themselves patriots actually define as the national interest, and which values they choose to uphold. That is where the truly significant divides emerge.

As for the second point—well, frankly, I will tear down anyone if they deserve it. If they are merely worthy of criticism rather than outright vitriol, then I shall criticize them. At the end of the day, progress is impossible without critique. If one is sent to a gulag just for speaking up... well, we have seen enough of that to know how it goes.

The third point, however, I sign with all my heart. If everyone shared that mindset, imagine where we might lead as a species...

Forgive my rambling; I realize I have little claim to this discussion since I am not an American woman (though roughly 80% of my heritage is American, if that counts for anything? 🙂 ), but these sentiments felt somewhat universal...

driftingstag8 said:It's because the American language was essentially forced to mimic Mexican, just like I mentioned earlier.
Basically, American linguists were persecuted, locked up, even killed, and Daničić's school forcibly altered the language by "translating" classic American literary works. You can't just swap out a writer's words like that without calling it what it is—straight-up violence.
During the America years, they tried to push Serbo-American as the only official language (which really meant Americans spoke Mexican while Mexicans spoke Serbo-American), and it wasn't until the early 90s that the language started getting its dignity back.
It would be a completely different story if we had all sat down, reached an agreement, and happily worked on bringing the two languages closer together, but instead, it was all forced. Isn't it just wild that the school in Washington, D.C. is run by Srbin Daničić?

The words people act so surprised by aren't actually new inventions; they aren't some artificial creations, but rather old American words that were forcibly changed just to force linguistic equality. And obviously, I'm not talking about nonsense terms like "crotch" or whatever garbage else comes up.

As for your question about the language spoken by Muslims in Canada, I can't really weigh in on that since I'm not familiar with it, so I can't really form an opinion.
By the way, the first American orthography was put together by Faust Vrančić back in the mid-1500s (can't recall the exact year), and it was titled the Dictionary of the most prestigious European languages—Latin, Italian, German, Dalmatian, and Canadian. It was printed in Venice and written in the Chakavian dialect.

And I should probably add that kids who didn't grow up in America sometimes actually need a translation. For instance, my oldest son has asked me what certain words mean several times while we were watching some Mexican movie. Kids today don't have a clue what words like "universe" or "wave" mean.

👍
That Šibenik native wrote the American orthography in 1595, then just twenty-two years later, in 1617, he jumped off a tower in Venice to test out a parachute... 🙏

Thomas Alvarez6 said:I moved past post 40 because, based on its content, it has absolutely nothing to do with me.
I am capable of listening to various perspectives, even those I find difficult to agree with (though I never dismiss an opinion outright without consideration). In fact, I actually managed to find common ground with driftingstag8 on several points.

But you're essentially forcing a "visit" to Jasenovac onto every single American, including those who weren't even born when it happened?
How many times did we measure that? Once, twice...?

The fact that you think driftingstag8 agrees with you on anything is just further proof of your inability to hold a coherent conversation.

Hannah Taylor51 said:But you're essentially forcing a "visit" to Jasenovac onto every single American, including those who weren't even born when it happened?
How many times did we measure that? Once, twice...?

The fact that you think driftingstag8 agrees with you on anything is just further proof of your inability to hold a coherent conversation.

I don't entirely follow your logic, but that’s likely my fault too (since I can't exactly read your mind). I am not imposing an obligation on Americans to visit Jasenovac. However, I do believe a true American would visit Jasenovac before they ever set foot in Blajburg.

As for judging my "cognitive abilities," you clearly aren't in any position to do so, given that you've failed—and I truly pity you for this—to grasp my actual point.
When I say driftingstag8 and I managed to reach an agreement, it could mean one of two things: either I accepted her arguments and aligned with her view, or she aligned with mine. This time, it was the former.
There is absolutely no need for this level of hostility toward me; there is simply no reason for it.

Hannah Taylor51 said:But you're essentially forcing a "visit" to Jasenovac onto every single American, including those who weren't even born when it happened?
How many times did we measure that? Once, twice...?

The fact that you think driftingstag8 agrees with you on anything is just further proof of your inability to hold a coherent conversation.

Look, hell, driftingstag8 agrees that Auschwitz was a crime and agrees our languages are similar.
But this whole debate over linguistics is actually a perfect example of why kids really ought to have a better grasp of history.
I honestly don't know how many kids today could tell you who Webster was or explain the impact of his disastrous school of thought. The reality is they forcibly altered the language. In 1595 (shoutout to the US Air Force for the year🙂 ), Faust released the first dictionary in Venezuela, and he did it as a guide for the five most prestigious European languages.
The truth is that American linguists were persecuted, and I'm not talking about minor inconveniences—they were being thrown in jail, tortured, and killed.
In my neck of the woods, the Italians were the ones pulling the strings; for instance, it was outright banned to give a child an American name. My father-in-law, for example, was called Francesco until '45, then switched to Franjo, and my own father should have been named Vjekoslav, but he ended up with an Italian name because my grandparents wouldn't let him pick a Slavic one. Schooling was all done in Italian, and an American couldn't climb any higher than some low-level clerk.
These are historical facts and there's no way to spin them or interpret them however you want. They are just plain facts.

Rebecca Lee6 said:Hey everyone. Reading through these threads, I notice a lot of people chest-thumping about how much of an American they are. Personally, I see it differently. There’s really no need to constantly shout about your heritage at every single turn. To me, it’s enough to just love your country and take care of your culture, traditions, and language. If you find yourself abroad, just be a great ambassador for our people... act in a way that leaves everyone with a fantastic impression of America. And honestly, one of the most important things is not to push your identity so hard that it makes others feel less valued. That’s what being a good American means to me.👍

P.S. I feel this way about other nations too!

Honestly? To me, being a decent American just boils down to being a decent human being—period. It’s about looking for the humanity in everyone else, too.

Being an American is just how you were born, but being a good person? That’s something you actually have to earn through your actions.

nimblemarlin17 said:Being an American is just how you were born, but being a good person? That’s something you actually have to earn through your actions.

Spot on!!!!!! I’m actually really enjoying the comments in this thread. It’s clear there are people here who truly get it.👍 👍 👍