Friday, July 6, 2018
Sorry Peruvians Youre Not Americans
Sorry Peruvians Youre Not Americans
I first had this argument over 10 years ago and I was flabbergasted. I wasnt trying to be mean or rude or look down on Peruvians, I just simply couldnt understand what they were getting at. Lets do a quick exercise.
- Britons are from. . . . Britain
- Chinese are from . . . . China
- Danes are from . . . . Denmark
- Latvians are from . . . . Latvia
- Russians are from . . . Russia
- Peruvians are from . . . America
The issue that some Peruvians have with this is that they say that there are only five continents: the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australasia, and Europe. Due to this anyone from the Americas is American. Now depending on who you talk to youll find out that there are 4-7 continents in the world.
Most Peruvians are proud to call themselves Peruvians, but some of them may claim to be Americans. Blame it on their culture. The issue I have with this is that people dont refer to the continent theyre from. For example, a Kenyan isnt going to say, "Im African". Theyre going to say, "Im Kenyan". Or they might take it a step further and refer to the city theyre from, stating that theyre from London or New York.
Peruvians also have another issue with this and thats due to language.in Spanish, Americans are called "norteamericanos/as" if you want to translate it directly it would be North American. However, there are three countries in North America: Canada, the USA, and Mexico. In Spanish, Canadians are called "canadienses" and Mexicans are called "mexicanos/as".Peruvians are called "peruanos". If you dont speak Spanish, you should start learning. Itll help you assimilate to the culture and youll be able to communicate easier.
I guess well just have to agree to disagree, but to the Peruvians who insist that theyre "American" I tell them to go to the USA with no visa or no green card and to tell the immigration officer to let them in, because after all, "theyre American".
