the word american removed from ps textbooks

Ok here is my take on the whole kaboodle. There has to be a point where it stops. We can only "make nice" so much then it becomes so burdensome that I get offended over have to not offend someone. Why don't we just take everything out of everything so that no one is regarded to as anything but human? We aren't US citizens, we aren't American's, we aren't southerners, Floridian's or Asians. We are human. If someone gets offended about being called human (unless the genetically aren't) then just tell them at that point that thye have issues and leave it at that?
But me personally? If it's an orange it's called an orange. If you live in North America or South America you are American. What normal, decent person is going to get offended by that anyway? Jeepers.
What I think too is that the people who are being "offended" need to grow up a bit. Life isn't peaches and roses and since when is it everyone elses job to make their life easier? No one makes mine easier. Everytime I see the bumber sticker saying "We still Lay" it offends me. You think they are going to take that sticker off for me? Nope. If I had a bumper sticker that said "We still Pray" you think it would offend them? Probably. Am I going to take it off? Nope.
Everyone just needs to learn to let it go in one ear and out that other.
I do realize that there are cases where you don't want to use certain verbage (like calling someone with autism a retard) but saying autistic person or person with autism means the same thing.
Anyhow...there it is!

 

No, they mean very different things. Saying "autistic person" says that you see the person as autistic first and a person second. Saying "person with autism" says that you see them as a person despite their autism. It may not mean different things to you, but if you were the person with autism or the parent of a person with autism you would likely see the meaning differently. If it means something different to those being spoken of then why not use the person-first language?

 

Come on. She was just pointing out how someone with a different take on the issue might feel. I think there's a good case for US citizens continuing to use the term American but I think the good case isn't a get-out-if-you-don't-like-it one.

I think rather that it's not simply how American identify themselves but how those of us outside the US identify you. When we speak about US citizens we use the term Americans. I can't think of another term that would serve.

 

I wish I could view the link. I have a suspicion you're spot on about this. If links like this are going to be posted here maybe they could be approached with more scepticism before we all jump off the deep end?

If a news report or YouTube video makes you emotional or gets you upset over an issue consider that perhaps thats the point of the video and there may be some manipulation going on.

 

I stand by my original statement. If a person doesn't want to be an AMERICAN, they are welcome to give up the title and get out. Sorry, but I'm rather passionate about this.

But I think your second paragraph is right on. People of this country are thought of as AMERICANS by the world. We are not called "United Statespersons". That's not going to change.

 

Mamaof3peas, I agree... who cares if South Americans call themselves Americans? They are. I still have to look at the link, but all of this makes me soooo glad I homeschool my kids! Public schools are just getting out of control.

 

I must add that I have no problem with people saying "person with autism" rather than "autistic person". For me, I never say "autisitc person". At most, it woud be "he/she has autism", but generally stuff like that just doesn't matter. "He/she" is a person. Who cares whether or not he/she has autism?

 

Yes, the world will likely continue to view the term American as a term to describe people from the USA. But it is more correct to refer to US Citizen as citizens of the USA than "Americans." Textbooks should go the more correct route.

 

Then do we need to stop saying Canadians and say "Citizens of Canada" or refer to Russians as "Citizens of Russia"? AMERICAN IS CORRECT!!!

 

This does seem ironic to me...isn't that sentiment "anti-American?" Aren't we as US citizens entitled to whine and state opinions about what we are called and how we are governed? Weren't the founders of our country outspoken in their opinions and in so doing they brought about great change?

 

I always thought anyone from the America's could use the term American, and go into more detail if they felt like it or if prompted. Am I wrong?

 

Totally different situation. There is only 1 Canada and only 1 Russia. There are many many countries in the American continents. Outside the USA I have heard many people refer to themselves as being from the "States" more than I have heard them calling themselves "American."

 

im sorry, but i get so sick of everyone classifying stuff from fox news as biased or "bad reporting"!! what is the deal, dont you get it"?? CNN and most other news networks are liberal!! they are biased as well. so if by saying "links like these" you mean any link that states an opinion, than i guess that means we better just stop posting any links at all. any report is going to have a touch of biased, and they simply stated the facts, the word to be banned, and the replacement. that part was totally unbiased. they did state they thought it was a form of indoctrination, and i agree with them. and call me a stupid person, or person who is stupid, means the same and hurts the same. i have a son who is autistic. it doesnt bother me to put it that way. only an idiot would think i meant that autism came first before him as a person.

i agree with jackie! you dont want to be american, than leave! we love our country , we are proud to be americans, and im just sick of all the liberals trying to change our country for the worse!

 

LOL!!!:love:

 

Isn't Canada one of the countries of the Americas? So Jackie's argument about Citizens of Canada would apply.

 

I'm not a liberal, and I do tend to like Fox news, but this was over-the-top biased. It isn't indoctrination to change what textbooks say any more than keeping them as they are. It depends on the perspective you want to get across in the textbook. Either way can be considered indoctrination.

I've worked with children with disabilities for many years and using person-first language may not make a difference to you, but it does to some people. I just don't see why they are making a big deal about using nicer language.

All news reporting is biased. Fox News is biased. CNN is biased. The newspaper is biased. The link did much more than state facts. It was very biased. Even facts stated in a mocking tone can be biased.

 

Uh, don't you mean "Only a person who was idiotic would think I meant that autism came first before him as a person."....... Let's get it right!

 

Not following you here....Canadians can use the term "Canadians" because there is no other country or continent called Canada.

 

No, it's the same thing. We are called The United States OF AMERICA. We have been called AMERICANS for 200+ years. And NOW they're going to tell us it's wrong? As Dawn said, when people in other countries refer to us, they refer to us as AMERICANS. That's what we ARE! And I really don't give a darn about the "persons with idiotic tendencies" who get their little feelings hurt. GET OVER IT!!!

 

From Wikipedia under American

American(s) may refer to:
A citizen or something of or from the United States (see also Names for U.S. citizens)
A citizen of one of the nations of the Americas
A person who considers himself/herself to be ethnically American (see American ethnicity)
The indigenous peoples of the Americas
In casual usage, American English: the version of English spoken in the U.S.

The whole point of this is textbook usage. Textbooks should be more specific than "American" because "American" can refer to citizens of one of the nations of the Americas. It isn't about hurt feelings, but correctness.