You never really seem to maintain your focus for very long, can you USA?

For example, you hate the Health Care bill but approve of all the parts of it. Your economy is vastly superior to what Obama was handed and every measure suggests that things would have been far, far worse without the measures he put in place. Yet, he is roundly criticised for 'ruining the country.'

I can hardly wait to see what tomfoolery is now waiting in the wings.

I wonder what those who voted TEA Party are going to think when their country's economy goes to hell when Rand Paul filibusters a bill to raise the USA's debt ceiling and the USA government starts defaulting?  What will they think if Paul doesn't?

As a country, you have the attention spans of gnats.

So what the hell should we call citizens of the United States of America?

Since I was a child, I have wondered why citizens of the United States of America got to claim the term 'American'. I spent some time finding out the historical reasons and they are quite interesting, but they do not explain why the practice continues.

The term, presumably coined by those who live in The Americas and are tired of citizens of the United States of America claiming that phrase for themselves, 'USian' has become popular on Teh Internets. So, I see this article:

I've started to see the term "USian" being used as a substitute for "American", and frankly it baffles me.

I am guessing that the reason some people choose to write "USian" instead of "American" is because they worry that if they don't specify the US, natives of other countries in North and South America might think they are being referred to as well? Or do they fear that if they use "American" to refer to US citizens only, other people in the western hemisphere will be offended by the implication that they are not American?

In either case, the distinction seems unnecessary to me. As a Canadian citizen raised in North America, I have never once thought of myself as "American" or resented not being included in that term, and I'm pretty sure most of my fellow Canadians feel the same. In fact, it seems to me that Not Being American is one of the three great Canadian national pastimes, right after hockey and going through the drive-thru at Tim Horton's. So there's no need to use "USian" to refer to the people of the United States, because when we hear "American" that's all we can or want to think of in any case.

But perhaps I'm mistaken about this. So I'm asking my readers who live in North or South American countries that are not the US to tell me how they feel about the matter:

What do you think of when you hear the term 'American'? Does it seem like it refers to you? Do you think it should? And what do you think when you see writers using 'USian' instead (Welcome to the Oakenwyld)?

I have heard from hundreds if not thousands of Canadians, Brazilians, and Argentinians expressing their dismay, so I do not know who the author above has been talking to about it. I also disagree that Canadians spend a lot of time 'Not Being American'. Anyone who thinks that Canadian and USA culture is very similar spends way too much time watching ABC and eating to McDonald's. I do not agree that 'there's no need to use "USian" to refer to the people of the United States, because when we hear "American" that's all we can or want to think of in any case.' I can and do think of other referents, but as I am a competent user of English, I can often discern the meaning from the context. 'USian' seems to me like a great compromise.

It strikes me as interesting that there is a backlash against using some term other than American to refer to citizens of the USA; that is somehow 'pejorative' or 'insulting'. A student of mine at the University of Winnipeg, many years ago, said this in class:

Of course we can continue to use the term 'American' to refer to people who live in the USA despite the fact that anyone who lives anywhere in North or South America is an American. On the other hand, we can go back and use the term 'people' to refer to men despite the fact that men and women and children are all people as well.

No objections there, right?