Recently I've seen various versions of the word 'muricans used a lot on the forums (and probably in other places online). What does it mean? Is it just a rude way of saying "americans?"
My initial guess was that it is a way of referring to americans with a subtext that they are overly and unjustifiably patriotic and pro USA at the expense of anyone else. Here are the most recent search results:
On October 06 2013 03:57 Haiq343 wrote: Now Football (MURICAN) and baseball can have far more debilitating distance/obstruction/angles issues, but those sports are mad boring to watch in person anyway and aren't the main reason people go.
On October 02 2013 22:44 Alaric wrote: Also Soniv I don't get what it is with you 'muricans putting z everywhere. Realise -> realize, analyse -> analyze. Stop trying to be different, it makes y'all look emo people!
On October 02 2013 07:17 Undead1993 wrote: this seems easy, these muricans
On September 26 2013 05:22 MoonfireSpam wrote: I'm guessing you may be in university (college for you US guys and gals?) or college (uh high school for you Muricans?) just based on averages and the gaming demographic.
In case 1, the speaker has USA listed as his country. This leads me to believe that 'murican' is not being used as a derogatory term.
In case 2, the speaker has France listed as their country. The speaker is criticizing people listed as from the USA for using the American spelling of words ending in ise/ize. This leads me to believe that the use of "muricans" was at least somewhat derogatory.
In case 3, the speaker, from Germany, is talking about the lineup of players in the OP of a thread covering an sc2 tournament/event. It seems like the implication is that the american players are weaker than the non-americans because they are american, thus implying that the use of "muricans" is derogatory.
In case 4, the speaker is from the UK. Their apparent lack of patience for the fact that the US refers to university/college/high school differently than in the UK leads me to believe that their use of "muricans" is derogatory.
In at least some of these cases, the usage wasn't derogatory or wasn't intended to be derogatory, so I feel like this case study is insufficient to draw any conclusions. I move on to do what any educated person does when they are unsure of how to interpret a word usage: go to urbandictionary:
An impolite way of saying "American" (or a polite way of saying "Americunt") while wanting to project a sense to dislike towards that country and its inhabitants. "Those Muricans think they can just push everyone around. What a bunch of arrogant imperialistic bastards!"
So I'm wondering if that's true... if using the term 'murican' is usually intentionally rude and intended to project a sense of dislike towards the USA, or if my conclusion is wrong. Please weigh in.
I think it started off as a way to mock the overly patriotic and uneducated portion of our political right, but now it has evolved and is just a derogatory term towards us in some cases.
It's derogatory, but it can be used self-deprecatingly as in (1) or lightheartedly as in (4). The spelling is supposed to mimic the pronunciation of poor, uneducated white Southerners.
If morons type 'teh' instead of 'the', 'sauce' instead of 'source', 'dunno' instead of 'don't know', 'fag' instead of 'user', 'gay' instead of '4 Gate', 'imba' instead of 'I suck and I don't want to find out how to fix it'... then 'Muricans' can hardly be surprising.
Murika is satirical or derogatory, usually used after talking about some story or policy or tragedy that flies in the face of the American Dream or is overly patriotic, like supporting another war. And also used in simple jest when being excited about something of little importance, typically used for comic relief.
I've never really heard non-Americans use it that much to be honest. I do hear it a decent amount here, mostly from people who listen to exclusively or mainly country music, attend a church of some variety, are overly fanatic about at least one High School, College, and professional football team, drink a lot of cheap beer, drive huge trucks, chew tobacco, and own at least one object with a confederate flag across it. Or some sort of assortment of these things. And they always seem to mean it in the way that I think most of the people you investigated are making fun of. Namely, an over-patriotism to the extent of prejudice and a declaration that the USA is the greatest country in the world and fuck whoever doesn't agree.
I don't mean to offend anyone who does any of those things, I generally like most of those people that I know.
It seems to me that the use of 'murica from Americans, if not used ironically which is also pretty common, is essentially a badge that denotes them as the kind of people foreigners like to make fun of from outside the US.
On October 07 2013 05:10 wingpawn wrote: If morons type 'teh' instead of 'the', 'sauce' instead of 'source', 'dunno' instead of 'don't know', 'fag' instead of 'user', 'gay' instead of '4 Gate', 'imba' instead of 'I suck and I don't want to find out how to fix it'... then 'Muricans' can hardly be surprising.
So what point are you making here? You associate those silly word choices with the types of people who the word 'murican' is mimicking the annunciation of?
On October 07 2013 05:10 wingpawn wrote: If morons type 'teh' instead of 'the', 'sauce' instead of 'source', 'dunno' instead of 'don't know', 'fag' instead of 'user', 'gay' instead of '4 Gate', 'imba' instead of 'I suck and I don't want to find out how to fix it'... then 'Muricans' can hardly be surprising.
'Muricans' doesn't refer to all US of A citizens, only if at least three out of those categories apply to you:
[_] You drive a fat scooter. [_] You're a creationist. [_] You believe the bible is God's word. [_] You have never even read it. [_] You own fire-arms. [_] You have, at one point, eaten fast food out of a bucket, like a farm animal would do. [_] You think arse-sex is morally reprehensible. [_] You have no idea about geography or history outside of the states. [_] You think the Rolling Stones and ACDC are American bands. [_] You agree with the statement: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas. [_] You agree with the statement: "The French don't even have a word for entrepreneur." [_] You believe killing people is okay. [_] You believe embryonic life is sacred.
You see, we're talking about a really specific type of person.
On October 07 2013 05:55 SixStrings wrote: Here's how it goes:
'Muricans' doesn't refer to all US of A citizens, only if at least three out of those categories apply to you:
[_] You drive a fat scooter. [_] You're a creationist. [_] You believe the bible is God's word. [_] You have never even read it. [_] You own fire-arms. [_] You have, at one point, eaten fast food out of a bucket, like a farm animal would do. [_] You think arse-sex is morally reprehensible. [_] You have no idea about geography or history outside of the states. [_] You think the Rolling Stones and ACDC are American bands. [_] You agree with the statement: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas. [_] You agree with the statement: "The French don't even have a word for entrepreneur."
You see, we're talking about a really specific type of person.
I think I understand where you are coming from.
What I don't get is why the word is used so much in irrelevant circumstances though.
I attended high school until I was 17. You mericans attend high school until you are 18.
What is the point of using the word merican there? I feel like the speaker loses credibility.
On October 07 2013 05:55 SixStrings wrote: Here's how it goes:
'Muricans' doesn't refer to all US of A citizens, only if at least three out of those categories apply to you:
[_] You drive a fat scooter. [_] You're a creationist. [_] You believe the bible is God's word. [_] You have never even read it. [_] You own fire-arms. [_] You have, at one point, eaten fast food out of a bucket, like a farm animal would do. [_] You think arse-sex is morally reprehensible. [_] You have no idea about geography or history outside of the states. [_] You think the Rolling Stones and ACDC are American bands. [_] You agree with the statement: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas. [_] You agree with the statement: "The French don't even have a word for entrepreneur."
You see, we're talking about a really specific type of person.
What the hell is a fat scooter, and I've known many a redneck to profess their enjoyment of some backdoor loving. Tsk tsk, your caricature needs some work.
On October 07 2013 05:04 Chocolate wrote: I think it started off as a way to mock the overly patriotic and uneducated portion of our political right, but now it has evolved and is just a derogatory term towards us in some cases.
Based on my observations, that would be the case. It's worth to note, that in Alaric's case, it's probably more of a jab towards a fellow poster than anything else, since both of them frequent a common subforum.
On October 07 2013 05:55 SixStrings wrote: Here's how it goes:
'Muricans' doesn't refer to all US of A citizens, only if at least three out of those categories apply to you:
[_] You drive a fat scooter. [_] You're a creationist. [_] You believe the bible is God's word. [_] You have never even read it. [_] You own fire-arms. [_] You have, at one point, eaten fast food out of a bucket, like a farm animal would do. [_] You think arse-sex is morally reprehensible. [_] You have no idea about geography or history outside of the states. [_] You think the Rolling Stones and ACDC are American bands. [_] You agree with the statement: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas. [_] You agree with the statement: "The French don't even have a word for entrepreneur."
You see, we're talking about a really specific type of person.
What the hell is a fat scooter, and I've known many a redneck to profess their enjoyment of some backdoor loving. Tsk tsk, your caricature needs some work.
That's a fat scooter. And obviously I mean male-to-male arse sex.
The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
I use it satirically but I feel as if most use it as a derogatory term. But I agree with you that I've been seeing it in rising frequency on the forums.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
I don't think many people think of Americans in general as "ignorant of world affairs".
It's just that you have no real reason to follow politics of minor countries. Do you know anything about current foreign policies in Albania? Didn't think so. But you can bet your ass that Fatmir Krasnicki (the Albanian equivalent of Joe Sixpack) knows about USA politics.
Not because Fatmir is more educated or interested than Joe, but because American politics have a much larger impact on a global scale.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
I don't think many people think of Americans in general as "ignorant of world affairs".
It's just that you have no real reason to follow politics of minor countries. Do you know anything about current foreign policies in Albania? Didn't think so. But you can bet your ass that Fatmir Krasnicki (the Albanian equivalent of Joe Sixpack) knows about USA politics.
Not because Fatmir is more educated or interested than Joe, but because American politics have a much larger impact on a global scale.
I saw this hilarious Albanian rap video where it's a bunch of hicks rapping about being gangsters and waving muskets around, but I cannot remember the name of the artist for the life of me. It was really funny though.
I don't think it means redneck. It's a sarcastic american nationalism.
Like so: *someone says Reagan was a bad president* Ronald Reagan broke down the berlin wall riding a bald eagle while eating apple pie, what are you a commie? THIS IS MURICA.
It's more hyperbole than an actual critique of any uneducated, physically unfit, homophobic, conservative, whatever stereotype you want to make. I don't even think it necessarily has to be conservative, just has to be about anything "american" (eg baseball, apple pie, ford made trucks, etc)
As a Canadian, I hear this term used specifically as a pejorative towards a particular kind of American citizen - one who could be seen as exemplifying stereotypical American traits such as excessive patriotism/nationalism, an obsession with firearms and concealed carry, or christian fundamentalism as pertaining to foreign policy or domestic education. This latter category is a bit hard to explain, because it's not like we don't have fundamentalists here in Canada, but to go on and try to justify, say, removing evolution from the school curriculum because of biblical scripture would be seen as a very 'Murican sort of thing to do.
It's important to note that the term 'Murican as colloquially used carries really strong classist undertones here. It's often used specifically to target persons who would likely self-identify as rural, 'redneck', or more poorly educated. An example could be the phrase (as I've heard) "MURICA FERRRRK YERRRR", which is (I guess) some kind of amalgamation of the Team America motto and the "dey tuk err jerrrbs" from South Park.
TLDR: definitely used as a pejorative/derogatory, but fairly mild. Seems to be used mostly to target 'rednecks' and Republicans.
I like that you did a blog on this As far as I know the term murican was first used by northern americans to poke fun at southern conservatism, however the international community seems to believe that it is an actual offensive insult. I have only ever heard it used in a lighthearted and joking context edit: sc4k said it pretty well
Use of it all depends on the context as shown in the examples; no sense in trying to denote a single meaning for it. Could be a positive, neutral, or negative thing.
But I think we can all agree that itsjustatank is most definitely not a true murican. Though I can't disprove his claim of freedom.
I've seen it as satire for someone who's overly patriotic and/or redneck. It also pops up when America gets in the news for military action/stupidity/breaking international laws. Australia has a similar slang 'Straya', that represents a laid-back bogan patriotism but is nowhere near as pejorative as 'Murica'.
I happen to live here, and honestly, I prefer the term "Merkin".
Because maybe we're aquatic Americans. Did you think of that? Living the "Salt Life"?
Also, it may be a term used by some Americans to describe other Americans - without realizing the irony that many people from around the world seem to view all Americans in that way.
Of course, if I'm outside of the United States, I'm Canadian. Because they seem to attract less dislike. (Not Quebecois, though. Eff the Quebecois. And yes, I'm half-Canadian, so it works, eh?)
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
The word nigger does not come from the Niger river, it is a bastardization of the word black. It's in no way similar to the word nigger either, at this point you appear to just be making shit up for no reason. Nobody thinks Americans are universally stupid, savage or racially inferior. You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
'Murca is a satirical expression used to feign an uneducated pride in some stereotypical American achievement, hence the exclamation with an accent used to denote a lack of education. Here are two examples, one of the expression in its original usage and one showing how 'murca is used as satire.
"We just had free and fair elections, America, land of the free" "I just shot a kid for trespassing on my yard, fuck yeah, 'murca"
You can do a similar thing for other nations if you wish. For example "I'm not sure how I'll afford to feed my 10 kids, better have more, I love the glorious socialist people's republic of Sweden"
That's not niggers either. Nigger is a completely different word.
It started out as a derogatory term for "typical" Americans (ie uneducated southerners) as viewed by non-Americans, but it's since evolved into just Americans in general because people think it's just a funny way to say it. It's just one of those online words that originally meant something more specific, but it caught on and everybody said it so much that its meaning has been lost and it's just used for everything now.
Some people still use it in a derogatory fashion, but in a lot of cases you'll see people using it to just mean American in general without any harm intended.
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
The word nigger does not come from the Niger river, it is a bastardization of the word black. It's in no way similar to the word nigger either, at this point you appear to just be making shit up for no reason. Nobody thinks Americans are universally stupid, savage or racially inferior. You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
'Murca is a satirical expression used to feign an uneducated pride in some stereotypical American achievement, hence the exclamation with an accent used to denote a lack of education. Here are two examples, one of the expression in its original usage and one showing how 'murca is used as satire.
"We just had free and fair elections, America, land of the free" "I just shot a kid for trespassing on my yard, fuck yeah, 'murca"
You can do a similar thing for other nations if you wish. For example "I'm not sure how I'll afford to feed my 10 kids, better have more, I love the glorious socialist people's republic of Sweden"
That's not niggers either. Nigger is a completely different word.
Thanks for the nigger-correction x)
However, it seems to me you lot are over interpreting the 'murica. Isn't it simply the closest the average American will get to correctly and fully pronouncing "America"?
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
The word nigger does not come from the Niger river, it is a bastardization of the word black. It's in no way similar to the word nigger either, at this point you appear to just be making shit up for no reason. Nobody thinks Americans are universally stupid, savage or racially inferior. You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
'Murca is a satirical expression used to feign an uneducated pride in some stereotypical American achievement, hence the exclamation with an accent used to denote a lack of education. Here are two examples, one of the expression in its original usage and one showing how 'murca is used as satire.
"We just had free and fair elections, America, land of the free" "I just shot a kid for trespassing on my yard, fuck yeah, 'murca"
You can do a similar thing for other nations if you wish. For example "I'm not sure how I'll afford to feed my 10 kids, better have more, I love the glorious socialist people's republic of Sweden"
That's not niggers either. Nigger is a completely different word.
Thanks for the nigger-correction x)
However, it seems to me you lot are over interpreting the 'murica. Isn't it simply the closest the average American will get to correctly and fully pronouncing "America"?
Huh? you meant it's because if the ave US citizen accent or because you think the ave American is too stupid to pronounce the word correctly?
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
The word nigger does not come from the Niger river, it is a bastardization of the word black. It's in no way similar to the word nigger either, at this point you appear to just be making shit up for no reason. Nobody thinks Americans are universally stupid, savage or racially inferior. You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
'Murca is a satirical expression used to feign an uneducated pride in some stereotypical American achievement, hence the exclamation with an accent used to denote a lack of education. Here are two examples, one of the expression in its original usage and one showing how 'murca is used as satire.
"We just had free and fair elections, America, land of the free" "I just shot a kid for trespassing on my yard, fuck yeah, 'murca"
You can do a similar thing for other nations if you wish. For example "I'm not sure how I'll afford to feed my 10 kids, better have more, I love the glorious socialist people's republic of Sweden"
That's not niggers either. Nigger is a completely different word.
Thanks for the nigger-correction x)
However, it seems to me you lot are over interpreting the 'murica. Isn't it simply the closest the average American will get to correctly and fully pronouncing "America"?
LOL
I'm not sure if you're trying to purposefully be ignorant, but people from the US have all different accents. Think of it as the difference between Castillian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Nobody calls the people from Spain too stupid to pronounce their own language because they have a "lisp" when saying certain words that may have an "s" sound in Latin America (there's an origin to this mostly concerning the Greek letter theta, but it's not really that important).
Suggesting that people have difficulty pronouncing the full name of the United States of America is just ridiculous. Maybe there are some back country rednecks in the deep south (and even then, you'd be hard pressed to find people that couldn't pronounce their own country's name), but the vast majority of the United States population is smart enough to fucking pronounce America.
Youre giving far too much credit to the average American. There was a poll done a few months ago that said if you make 94,000 or more you dont qualify for obama care. Yet over 58% of families polled said they had no idea how to figure out if they qualified or not, with the only condition being if you made less then 94,000 dollars to qualify.
On October 07 2013 06:06 ninazerg wrote: The actual origin comes from former President George W. Bush's Texas accent, saying "Amurica", and the term was initially used to mock the Bush-mindset (or perception thereof) concerning the ideas of American Exceptionalism and Pre-emptive War. Although both concepts are relatively far apart, it seems clear that former President Bush believed in both, lending credence to the broader international opinion that the US was more inclined to engage in a pre-emptive war against the will of the international community because of a belief in American Exceptionalism. This is perceived as the ultimate act of arrogance on the part of the United States, and although it is not clear if former President Bush's belief in American Exceptionalism was intertwined with his belief in pre-emptive war, I think the human tendency to oversimplify has led certain people to believe that the United States has a mentality of "We can do whatever we want, because we are the greatest nation in the world, and the best at everything". The term "Murica" is used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, often as an ad hominem conjecture, to not only disparage the "Bush mentality" but the entire nation of the US in general.
I've personally seen the term being used by mostly Western Europeans and Australians, but also some Americans. The term itself is eerily similar in origin to the slang term "nigger", which is based on the regional origin of the slaves brought from the Niger river region of Africa to America, although, to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers". There is a very profound historical context that separates both terms, but the origins and meanings are quite close, both alluding to:
- Generally stupider than the rest of people without realizing it. - A group of people with an inability to be educated. - A lower group of people who resort to savagery if not restrained from doing so by more 'enlightened' human beings. - People who have a sense of pride that is unwarranted.
I should also note that the term "Muricans" is directly almost exclusively towards a perceived sense of American ignorance, rather than the perceived arrogance of US citizens.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
The word nigger does not come from the Niger river, it is a bastardization of the word black. It's in no way similar to the word nigger either, at this point you appear to just be making shit up for no reason. Nobody thinks Americans are universally stupid, savage or racially inferior. You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
'Murca is a satirical expression used to feign an uneducated pride in some stereotypical American achievement, hence the exclamation with an accent used to denote a lack of education. Here are two examples, one of the expression in its original usage and one showing how 'murca is used as satire.
"We just had free and fair elections, America, land of the free" "I just shot a kid for trespassing on my yard, fuck yeah, 'murca"
You can do a similar thing for other nations if you wish. For example "I'm not sure how I'll afford to feed my 10 kids, better have more, I love the glorious socialist people's republic of Sweden"
That's not niggers either. Nigger is a completely different word.
Actually, you're right about the Niger thing. I forgot that it was named by the Spanish, not the Africans. As for the M-word, as a proud American-American, I find it deeply offensive and politely ask that you would not use it. I can see that we disagree about this matter, but at least, we were able to maintain a sense of civility and politeness that is so often missing from disagreements over the internet.
I refuse to accept that using the word 'murca to illustrate a funny American stereotype is as offensive as calling a black person a nigger, you're out of luck there.
On October 08 2013 06:58 KwarK wrote: I refuse to accept that using the word 'murca to illustrate a funny American stereotype is as offensive as calling a black person a nigger, you're out of luck there.
Good, because I never said it was as offensive, or even close.
But you are offended by the suggestion that we might think you're ignorant of world affairs and cultures just because you're American and not because of your explanations about how the Romans took their word for black from the name of a river near where some black people lived and then the world had no name for the colour black from the fall of the Roman Empire until the arrival of the slave trade? Don't worry, I don't think anyone is going to think you're ignorant of world affairs and cultures just because you're American.
Oh, would you get off the river thing? Jesus Christ. The root word for 'black' existed since Latin, but wasn't used as a racial term (negros) until the 1400s when the Spanish began exploring Western Africa. But I suppose you already know that, since apparently, you're so well-versed in etymology and world history that everyone else is a moron compared to you. I guess you also know that in Tuarag, the river is called Egrerew Nigerewen, which means "Great River". I guess that may have had something to do with the name, but I don't know, I'm just that dumb poster who has the audacity to say that two derogatory slang terms may be based on alternations of the names of the people.
On October 09 2013 09:10 tofucake wrote: Well yes he is. He's got a degree in history and Greek language.
murca is not something to be offended by
stop being ridiculous
Yeah... never said that, but okay.
On October 08 2013 08:05 ninazerg wrote: But I suppose you already know that, since apparently, you're so well-versed in etymology and world history that everyone else is a moron compared to you.
On October 08 2013 08:05 ninazerg wrote: But I suppose you already know that, since apparently, you're so well-versed in etymology and world history that everyone else is a moron compared to you.
On October 07 2013 15:26 KwarK wrote: You seem to have just gone full moron there. Wow.
On October 08 2013 07:11 ninazerg wrote: I never said it was as offensive, or even close.
As far as what you highlighted, how would you get the impression that I "think Murica is offensive" based on that? I just don't appreciate being called a moron when they have a differing opinion, which isn't about whether or not Murica is "offensive" or not. It's derogatory the same way that being called a "poopyhead" would be derogatory. For most people above the age of 5, that's not very offensive in the slightest. If someone disagrees that "Murica" is A. derogatory and B. an alteration of a name that could be used as an insult, then fine. But going "You seem to have gone full moron there. Wow." would certainly not be acceptable for almost anyone using teamliquid. If anything, that's where the "shots were fired", but I'm basically a target because I can't fire back.
The funny thing is, Kwark's beef has mostly been about my assertions about the Niger River, so let's lay out some fun facts:
- The root word for "Negro" comes from the Roman word for 'black' - The Romans didn't call black people 'black'. They called them Aethiopians. - The name of the river in Tuareg is Egerew Nigerewen. - It is generally speculated that "Niger" is an alteration of the original name of the river. Mungo Park refers to the river as the "Niger" river in his journal. - Ptolemy refers to a river in Africa that may have been the Niger River, the "Ger river" - European explorers often gave names to regions they had explored differing from those regions' actual names - for example, China was "Cathay", Silla was "Korea", Thailand was "Siam", Myanmar was "Burma", and of course, the native Americans were called "Indians", and the islands Columbus explored are called The Indies to this day. - The region of the Egerew Nigerewen was called "Niger", derived from the word "Negro" for "black", because the people there had dark skin. - The Portuguese were the first Western Europeans to buy slaves from the region, but it was the Spanish who began purchasing "Nigers" from kingdoms like Ghana and Mali (who had an active slave trade already) to begin transporting slaves to the Americas. - The notion of black inferiority spiked in relevancy around the 14th century, and the English referred to all Africans as "Negros" or "Nigerians" or "Nigers", and the word just continued to evolve from there, embroiled in racism.
In my original post, I said:
to be fair, there is significantly less persecution and oppression involved (if any, besides basic mockery) to "Muricans" as there is to "Niggers"
So while I accept your disagreement with what you perceived as "being ridiculous" from me, I think you simply did not read the thread, and came to the wrong conclusion about what I was saying. I wasn't even trying to make a "point", except perhaps that "Muricans" could be used in a derogatory manner. I don't care about the word, personally. That being said, I don't think I should've been called a "moron" by a teamliquid moderator. It baffles me how that is acceptable, but I also understand moderators are privy to certain rights not granted to regular users. But of course, that's still frustrating. I didn't mean to offend KwarK or anyone else, so I would certainly apologize if that is the case. I don't expect an apology in return, but it would still be appreciated.
I always found it funny how people can be offended by stuff like this. Yeah, murican is a derogatory term making fun of Americans by taking the stereotype of a dumb fat redneck and applying it to all americans. Everyone in the US who is offended by it are probably not like that, so it's meaningless to be offended about.
It's the same like in Sweden, immigrants call native swedes "svenne" which is derogatory as well, meaning dorky, boring, standard etc. Now, being considered a dork might not be as bad as a dumb redneck, but still, the point is to not apply it to yourself. Just because someone calls you something doesn't mean it's true, which is even more so true in the case when someone calls your nationality something which is obviously a stereotype.
On October 11 2013 16:08 Tobberoth wrote: I always found it funny how people can be offended by stuff like this. Yeah, murican is a derogatory term making fun of Americans by taking the stereotype of a dumb fat redneck and applying it to all americans. Everyone in the US who is offended by it are probably not like that, so it's meaningless to be offended about.
It's the same like in Sweden, immigrants call native swedes "svenne" which is derogatory as well, meaning dorky, boring, standard etc. Now, being considered a dork might not be as bad as a dumb redneck, but still, the point is to not apply it to yourself. Just because someone calls you something doesn't mean it's true, which is even more so true in the case when someone calls your nationality something which is obviously a stereotype.
I generally agree with the idea of not needing to get insulted just because someone says something that can be insulting. I once read in a fortune cookie 'he who allows himself to be insulted, deserves to be' and I believe there is some truth there.
However, there is a difference between someone calling you a big fat doodoo head and someone referring to you as 'the rapist' instead of your name because 4 years ago someone spread a rumor that you raped someone even though it turned out to be false.
Neither of my examples are meant to parallel the 'mericans' discussion, but just show that how people can be expected to react to disparaging remarks depends on context and usage.
On October 07 2013 05:04 Chocolate wrote: I think it started off as a way to mock the overly patriotic and uneducated portion of our political right, but now it has evolved and is just a derogatory term towards us in some cases.
I agree with this statement. Although when I call someone 'Murican' i usually do it affectionately and playfully mock the patriotism that Americans are known for. Tbh I would far rather be an American than be from Southern Africa.
Additionally, I would like to state that I am, in no way, offended by the term itself because it is meaningless without context, but I am very slightly offended by the perception that I am ignorant of world affairs and other cultures because I am American.
I don't think many people think of Americans in general as "ignorant of world affairs".
It's just that you have no real reason to follow politics of minor countries. Do you know anything about current foreign policies in Albania? Didn't think so. But you can bet your ass that Fatmir Krasnicki (the Albanian equivalent of Joe Sixpack) knows about USA politics.
Not because Fatmir is more educated or interested than Joe, but because American politics have a much larger impact on a global scale.
EPT
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