Real American?
I keep hearing this term. It has even been applied to me.
So, just what is a real American? I mean, all sorts of absurdities occur to me. Is it one who was here originally and almost got wiped out by the late-comers? That's gonna exclude a whole bunch of people, and besides, I have heard the term applied to many who are obviously not aboriginal.
Perhaps immigrants are real Americans. Perhaps it's a process, a becoming, an elevation to real American status. I'm not sure. And if there are real Americans, there must be real non-Americans, or virtual Americans, or traitorous Americans.
It might be a mind-set: Real Americans think this and do that. For example, I am an unrepentant hippie-liberal to many. But when I reveal that I am a Viet-nam vet, all that previous hippie stuff is forgiven, and I become a real American. Real Americans serve in the armed forces, virtual Americans dodged the draft. Not-quite-real Americans make movies and spout liberal politics. I am so confused. If we only count real Americans as deserving of citizenship, we have increased the illegal population ten-fold. Did I mention absurdities in the first paragraph?
You, dear reader, should know by now that I hate labels when applied to people. Try and stick one on me. I support all sorts of liberal ideas such as collective bargaining, no capital punishment, make love not war. I have a feeling that other real Americans support these issues, also. However, I also support all my gun-toting neighbors and relatives. Capitalism works. I support our soldiers and those that were troops (veterans) much better than all the chicken hawks in Congress. Give this site a read, and you will realize that all the vets we have honored are getting screwed by the bureaucracy (Veterans' Administration) and our elected representatives. It's called the RAO Bulletin Update. It's a lot to wade through, and AOL regards it as a non-computer friendly site (AOL blocks it through its spam and pop-up blocker). If you want to know how your representative votes on vet issues, this site will tell you how to check.
Perhaps being a real American depends only on how others perceive you. Do you go around thumping your chest, touting real Americanism? (not even sure Americanism is a real word) Do real Americans realize what they really are?
As I said at the begining: Absurdities abound; one could even dance to various tunes of real Americanism. Do you know a real American when you see one? Has this term ever been applied to a woman?
BRB is Write (and is real)
I keep hearing this term. It has even been applied to me.
So, just what is a real American? I mean, all sorts of absurdities occur to me. Is it one who was here originally and almost got wiped out by the late-comers? That's gonna exclude a whole bunch of people, and besides, I have heard the term applied to many who are obviously not aboriginal.
Perhaps immigrants are real Americans. Perhaps it's a process, a becoming, an elevation to real American status. I'm not sure. And if there are real Americans, there must be real non-Americans, or virtual Americans, or traitorous Americans.
It might be a mind-set: Real Americans think this and do that. For example, I am an unrepentant hippie-liberal to many. But when I reveal that I am a Viet-nam vet, all that previous hippie stuff is forgiven, and I become a real American. Real Americans serve in the armed forces, virtual Americans dodged the draft. Not-quite-real Americans make movies and spout liberal politics. I am so confused. If we only count real Americans as deserving of citizenship, we have increased the illegal population ten-fold. Did I mention absurdities in the first paragraph?
You, dear reader, should know by now that I hate labels when applied to people. Try and stick one on me. I support all sorts of liberal ideas such as collective bargaining, no capital punishment, make love not war. I have a feeling that other real Americans support these issues, also. However, I also support all my gun-toting neighbors and relatives. Capitalism works. I support our soldiers and those that were troops (veterans) much better than all the chicken hawks in Congress. Give this site a read, and you will realize that all the vets we have honored are getting screwed by the bureaucracy (Veterans' Administration) and our elected representatives. It's called the RAO Bulletin Update. It's a lot to wade through, and AOL regards it as a non-computer friendly site (AOL blocks it through its spam and pop-up blocker). If you want to know how your representative votes on vet issues, this site will tell you how to check.
Perhaps being a real American depends only on how others perceive you. Do you go around thumping your chest, touting real Americanism? (not even sure Americanism is a real word) Do real Americans realize what they really are?
As I said at the begining: Absurdities abound; one could even dance to various tunes of real Americanism. Do you know a real American when you see one? Has this term ever been applied to a woman?
BRB is Write (and is real)
posted by brbiswrite at 8:31 AM
1 Comments:
I would like to throw out this definition of a Real American:
A Real American is one who has a firm understanding and is at peace with his own convictions, defends those convictions with vigor and defends the right of others to hold differing opinions. A Real American does his duty when it must be done, defends the weak, his country, and his flag. A Real American loves his country for its faults and its greatness.
By the way, you can substitute his for her in that definition. Women can be Real Americans too!
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