NPR's Weekend Edition asked people "Who is an American?" in Philadelphia. It's a great story idea and thought-provoking which dovetails nicely with us here. From the story that accompanies the audio:
Independence Park Ranger Tom Degnen concedes that the United States doesn't always live up to its own ideals. But he says an American is someone who keeps trying anyway.
"It's someone who takes to heart the language in our founding documents," Degnen says. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The nation is founded on those principles. We had a hard time living up to them fully. But there has been that effort, and I think an American in the best sense is conscious of that."
So what do you think? Who is an American?
6 comments:
Reality Based suggested this topic yesterday with this comment:
"This morning on NPR they were in Philadelphia asking the question, "Who is an American?"
The question has stuck with me all day because I don't quite know how to answer it. This country is such a unique place it is hard to pin down an answer. I think something about abiding by the Constitution would figure into my answer somehow.
What do you all think?"
Well, according to the dictionary an American is:
"a native or inhabitant of the United States"
So, either you were born here or you live here. I do see the value in being American in the way you think and act, but I think then instead of "being American" you "believe in America".
I'm open to other ideas though!
I don't know Doug, It seems that there are folks who live here because of what it represents as opposed to simply residing here. My grandmother was an immigrant. She never took citizenship but registered every year as a green card holder until her death. I think she was in this country for 70 years. She was never a citizen yet she was here because in her words "why the hell would you want to be somewhere else?"
So maybe "what makes a citizen" is different from "who is an American?"
I'll tell you one observation about Americans: Just about everyone, from all walks of life, has some quirky hobby that requires a lot of skill and knowledge.
For example, your UPS driver might restore antique cars. Your neighbor makes medieval-era chain mail in her basement for shows. Your lawyer is a gourmet baker and your waitress an accomplished guitarist.
No, it isn't always true. But it's more common than you might think.
So what else makes Americans a little different?
How about how different we are from one another? We don't have a state religion. We aren't the same color. We don't even speak the same language sometimes.
I remember talking with a friend from Denmark and the sudden realization we both had of just how heterogeneous Americans are compared to the Danish.
Maybe one word has to be considered: That word is "choices". Americans have "choices". Jay's post at 10:03, July 29 made me think about it.
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