Difference between revisions of "America"
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(not *quite* synonymous with the USA) |
(→Overview: dishonor link; slight reorg) |
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Let us define some terms for further discussion, then: | Let us define some terms for further discussion, then: | ||
| + | * The {{USA}}: the place where American ideals coalesced and where Americanism was born (and from whence it is exported), for better or for worse | ||
* [[Americanism]]: the culture of America as it is (rather than how we might wish it to be), from the beautiful to the ugly | * [[Americanism]]: the culture of America as it is (rather than how we might wish it to be), from the beautiful to the ugly | ||
| − | * [[American | + | * [[American dishonor]]: stains on America's [[honor]] which need to be remembered lest they be repeated |
| − | + | * [[American ideals]]: the ideals towards which Americans strive, and which people all over the world find inspiring about America | |
Revision as of 03:19, 20 February 2008
Overview
Although the word "America" technically includes all of North America (i.e. the US plus Canada and Mexico), the several countries of Central America, and the many countries of South America, it is almost always used as a synonym for the United States (of America). Furthermore, it is most often used when discussing the culture and people of the US, rather than the US as a geopolitical entity. In this usage, "America" is at least as much an idea as it is a place.
Let us define some terms for further discussion, then:
- The United States: the place where American ideals coalesced and where Americanism was born (and from whence it is exported), for better or for worse
- Americanism: the culture of America as it is (rather than how we might wish it to be), from the beautiful to the ugly
- American dishonor: stains on America's honor which need to be remembered lest they be repeated
- American ideals: the ideals towards which Americans strive, and which people all over the world find inspiring about America