Curious about a concept in the BIP

[Nephew Twiddleton]

It's a natural part of the American dialect. I think it's not so much a part of America being a young country so much as a recognition that Americans come from a lot of different places, at least ancestrally, and it's an attempt to both embrace American culture and whatever background culture you want to continue to identify with. I don't see anything unreasonable about it. Actually in context it makes a bit of sense.

a) Historically recent immigrant populations to the US have been shunned by well established American populations (Irish, Germans, Chinese, etc in the 19th Century and Latinos, Haitians and Arabs in the 20th/21st). This of course leads to said immigrant populations holding onto their identity and banding together, even while trying to assimilate into American society.

b) Your genetic background still has some bearing on culture in the United States. For example, an Irish American and an Italian American are going to have some cultural commonalities, due to being American, and dissimilarities, due to having certain family traditions/expectations.

c) The immigrant culture, over time, gets bastardized enough with Americanness that it's sometimes important to tack that American on at the end

But seriously, people who identify strongly as Irish Americans make me laugh. It's very South Boston and a caricature that I was exposed to a lot in high school.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Well, they're damn good at making heavy metal, I can give them that much.  Some of the best metal bands around come from Finland. 

Yeah but we also like to kill ourselves way too much. It's like we just like to do it. Perhaps there is the connection?
There are two options, suicide or music.
It would explain this :http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/todaysfeatures/2007/September/todaysfeatures_September15.xml&section=todaysfeatures&col
Because what started to happen at the same time? Better albums started to appear everywhere.

Weird times I tell you.

I believe it.

Texas is a horrible state and we turn out tons of great musicians. I'm pretty sure it's because workers here have no rights and get treated like shit. If a person has a modicum of talent, they hone the shit out of it to keep from having to enter the slave labor force.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I noticed some Americans bringing up other countries as backup identities and I wondered whether people do that a lot over there.

Its a common bar in American BIP's

[Kai]

Or half Canadian, half Kiwi, conceived in India but born in Egypt and living in the Phillipines?

Nice to meet you. I'm a human.

[Adios]

Or half Canadian, half Kiwi, conceived in India but born in Egypt and living in the Phillipines?

Nice to meet you. I'm a human.

Prove it, bug man. 

[Cainad (dec.)]

I agree with Blight that it's basically just part of typical American dialogue for a lot of people, and it certainly does have a lot to do with the USA's history as a collector of immigrants from basically everywhere. There is some sense in identifying, at least to some extent, with one's Irish, German, Chinese, or Whateverthefuck heritage.

But, I also certainly agree that a lot of Americans make a ridiculous game out of it, trying to one-up each other in the Ancestral Lottery. You can win prizes for being a hybrid of two otherwise unmixed nationalities, for being able to trace your lineage back to at least 5 separate ethnic or cultural backgrounds, or for having something really obscure in your ancestry (even if it's like 6 generation back). It's dumb and 95% of the time it has exactly zero bearing on anything meaningful about the person, and it has about as much relevance as one's goddamn astrological sign. It only defines your personality as far as you choose to let it.

Normally I wouldn't care about this, but my mom and her sister have been going apeshit with the geneology thing lately, and it's been getting on my tits. I don't define myself based on whose spunk made it into whose EZ-Bake Uterus a hundred years ago.

[Nadezhda]

In Canada, your ancestral affinity is a big part of your cultural identity.  There is a line drawn, however, as to how much it has affected your actual "self."  For example, I'm a 3rd and 4th generation immigrant from my mom's side, from England and Scotland.  No one, however, holds dear any of the traditions or cooking or whatever from that past, and this side of the family is easily well on it's way to being "Canadian" or "North American" instead of focusing on the immigrational roots.  My dad's side of the family, however, is Russian.  Most of them still live in the Russianish areas of Canada, they all speak Russian (except for me and my siblings, because my dad decided to get the fuck outta dodge) still eat traditional foods...  If someone asks me what I am, I'm likely to say Russian (with the understanding that I'm also 100% Canadian)

It may be interesting to note that (we were told this in my Russian class) if you try to tell a Russian, in Russia, that you are Canadian, they will not accept that answer and keep asking until you tell them that your Dad was Russkie and your mother was Shotlandka, etc.  I'm not sue if it's the same with Americans or not.

In school, we are taught that America is a melting pot, of stripping away old affinities in order to BE AMERICAN, whereas Canada is a potpourri or potluck of different cultures coming in harmony and smiles to be a big happy, diverse family, yaaaay.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

My dad's side of the family, however, is Russian.  Most of them still live in the Russianish areas of Canada,

Which is everything outside of Windsor and the maritime provinces.

TGRR,
Knows your ways, commie.

[Payne]

My dad's side of the family, however, is Russian.  Most of them still live in the Russianish areas of Canada,

Which is everything outside of Windsor and the maritime provinces.

TGRR,
Knows your ways, commie.

What'd you expect from someone called Nadezdha?

She married Lenin and broke up The Beatles.

[Nadezhda]

Well okay yeah

My brand of Communist is the Doukhobours, who said "The Church is corrupt, fuck you." and burned all their weapons and became vegetarians to piss off the rest of Russia (and it worked.)  After being imported to Canada (to colonize the prairies and beyond to choke out the Native Americans) their children were sent to residential schools, so the fundamentalists among them got naked and burned down public buildings.

Fuck yeah, communism.  Coocookachuuuuu.

[Nadezhda]

WAIT NO

I am teh Rushhen, which means itz in my blood to be a SHAMAN.  I ARE SIBRRRRIAN SHAMEN!

[Don Coyote]

WAIT NO

I am teh Rushhen, which means itz in my blood to be a SHAMAN.  I ARE SIBRRRRIAN SHRAMEN!

[The Good Reverend Roger]

WAIT NO

I am teh Rushhen, which means itz in my blood to be a SHAMAN.  I ARE SIBRRRRIAN SHAMEN!

[Wyldkat]

I read the book YEARS ago.  I think I was still in college and simply remembered that it was an interesting book that involved science and shamanism and that I enjoyed reading it at the time.  Now I'm going to have to find time to reread it, research the concepts and see exactly how far out there the author actually is!  That amount of time might take awhile to find...

As to who in Northern Europe still follows shamanism, some of the Lapps in Sweden still follow their old beliefs and practices.

Are you a Lapp? Are you from Sweden directly?

My mother immigrated from Finland.  She is a Swedish Finn from generations of Swedish Finns who can trace their ancestry back to Sweden.  I am 50% Swedish.

No, you're not. I'm betting you've never even BEEN to Sweden. Having Swedish ancestors doesn't make YOU Swedish, jerklips.

I have been there and Finland several times during my life thus far and as soon as the boys are old enough they are going to be going there too, to meet relatives and see the country their Mormor grew up in.  She's pushing for the trip soon, but the little Bear is still way to uncomfortable in new situations to deal with it.  I was brought up with many of the practices, foods, and customs of that area.  I even know some Swedish, believe it or not.  Not much, nothing like my cousin who immigrated to Sweden and speaks several different languages, but still more than none.  I'm trying to get my mom to teach the boys enough to be fluent.  I never said I was Swedish.  I said I was 50% Swedish, which is very true.  I am also 25% Polish and 25% German, with a little French from somewhere at some point.  I'm also 100% American.  *shrugs*  Go melting pot.

[Phox]

I read the book YEARS ago.  I think I was still in college and simply remembered that it was an interesting book that involved science and shamanism and that I enjoyed reading it at the time.  Now I'm going to have to find time to reread it, research the concepts and see exactly how far out there the author actually is!  That amount of time might take awhile to find...

As to who in Northern Europe still follows shamanism, some of the Lapps in Sweden still follow their old beliefs and practices.

Are you a Lapp? Are you from Sweden directly?

My mother immigrated from Finland.  She is a Swedish Finn from generations of Swedish Finns who can trace their ancestry back to Sweden.  I am 50% Swedish.

No, you're not. I'm betting you've never even BEEN to Sweden. Having Swedish ancestors doesn't make YOU Swedish, jerklips.

I have been there and Finland several times during my life thus far and as soon as the boys are old enough they are going to be going there too, to meet relatives and see the country their Mormor grew up in.  She's pushing for the trip soon, but the little Bear is still way to uncomfortable in new situations to deal with it.  I was brought up with many of the practices, foods, and customs of that area.  I even know some Swedish, believe it or not.  Not much, nothing like my cousin who immigrated to Sweden and speaks several different languages, but still more than none.  I'm trying to get my mom to teach the boys enough to be fluent.  I never said I was Swedish.  I said I was 50% Swedish, which is very true.  I am also 25% Polish and 25% German, with a little French from somewhere at some point.  I'm also 100% American.  *shrugs*  Go melting pot.

Yay for pedantry and non-answers.