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[penguinofhonor]

Spoiler: offtopic, this is the main topic of the thread by now, really (click to show/hide)

Calling USians Americans fuels our "best country in the world" ego, plain and simple. "We deserve the title more than anyone else because we're better." None of the other countries want it because they're used to it, but that doesn't make it right.

[Duuvian]

But if we start being something different, we'll have to change the words in our songs!

[Heron TSG]

United Statesians? That doesn't make any sense. How about 'United States of Americkish People' or something more appropriate. Did you know, actually, that Mexico's official name is the United Mexican States? How does it make you feel that you're calling Americans the only USians, when there are multiple United States.

[scriver]

Usasists. Usasians. Usaish. Usaese. Or South Northern Americans. That's complicated enough, I think.

[Siquo]

Yeah, I don't call Chinese people "People's republicans" either. But on the other hand, even China doesn't have the gall to call themselves "People's republic of Asia".

The only other countries who have done that are Australia and (to a lesser degree) South Africa. I still need to find good names for them. SA has 11 official names, so I can stick with Suid-Afrikaans for them (close enough to my mother tongue for me to understand), but essentially that means the same so I'm still in doubt. Australians... just Aussies, I guess, as "Commonwealther" can mean "Canadian" or "Kiwi" as well. Tricky business, this.

Point being, the USA should've picked a proper name. Or just go back to being a colony again since you're messing up the place lately .

[Urist Imiknorris]

I think the name was originally chosen because of the belief that the USA would eventually encompass all of the Americas.

All of them.

[Siquo]

Hence: gall.

Arrogance doesn't sit well with Europeans; we shall not be outdone by a former colony in that aspect. 

[Heron TSG]

The United Provinces (later to become the Netherlands) were named because they consisted of provinces, not because they were a union of every province in the world. Similarly, the USA was named because there were numerous states (13 colonies) that were uniting on the continent of America. You can't very well say, "Let's call the whole thing The Democracy of Rhode Island" when only a part of the country is Rhode Island.

[Siquo]

The United Provinces (later to become the Netherlands) were named because they consisted of provinces, not because they were a union of every province in the world. Similarly, the USA was named because there were numerous states (13 colonies) that were uniting on the continent of America. You can't very well say, "Let's call the whole thing The Democracy of Rhode Island" when only a part of the country is Rhode Island.

Oh that's a good idea. I'm going to call the US "Rhode Island" from now on, once for every time someone asks me if I'm from Holland. And I've got a large backlog.

Thanks, barbar, for this ingenious idea! 

[Blargityblarg]

Australians... just Aussies, I guess

'Ocker' or 'Skip' both work, at least for Anglo-Australians.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Australians... just Aussies, I guess

'Ocker' or 'Skip' both work, at least for Anglo-Australians.

Where did you get those?

[codezero]

I think I beat you to the word Usains actually, on this very forum. But I realise now it is correct to call yanks americans. Or yanks. Unless you are discussing the whole american landmass then you could just say yanks. How are we expected to know the linguistic nuances of someone elses civil war? Or how about seppos?

@siquo I don't see where you're coming from with australia. It's a continent and a country composed of 8 states and territories. I just don't see the link between us calling australia australia and the US calling the US america?

btw you can call us aussies diggers or battlers or true blue 

[Sowelu]

Usasists. Usasians. Usaish. Usaese. Or South Northern Americans. That's complicated enough, I think.

Except that we're not.  Mexico is a part of North America.  We're more like Central North Americans.

[Siquo]

@siquo I don't see where you're coming from with australia. It's a continent and a country composed of 8 states and territories. I just don't see the link between us calling australia australia and the US calling the US america?

Papua is a part of the australian continent, as is Timor and parts of Indonesia, you insensitive clod!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_%28continent%29

So, you got skips and abbies, I can live with that (well, not counting the Indos and Chinese but they already have good country names).

[scriver]

Usasists. Usasians. Usaish. Usaese. Or South Northern Americans. That's complicated enough, I think.

Except that we're not.  Mexico is a part of North America.  We're more like Central North Americans.

Yeah, but you're not exactly central either just because there's something further south. It's more like South Central to Central North Americans.