The South Also Exists: Reclaiming the "American" Identity
(Note: In the past, I have championed the use of the term “Unitedstatian” to refer to citizens of the US—a direct translation of the official, and much more accurate, Spanish demonym “estadounidense.” However, given how clunky and linguistically unnatural it sounds in English, my digital archive and website have officially opted for the term “US American/s.” This choice is made for the sake of simplicity and international understanding, while firmly maintaining our respect for Latinos and all other inhabitants of the continent who are also Americans. America is a continent, not a single nation, and the US shall not deprive us of this right. The word “America” or “American” used to refer to the US and to US citizens in this article is only used when quoting sources, never by me. The views expressed in this essay are exclusively my own, and do not represent those of any specific political party, or social movement.)
“And they have already shouted at me a thousand times
For me to return to my land
Because there’s no room for me here
I want to remind the gringo, I did not cross the border, the border crossed meAmerica was born free, man divided it
They drew the white line so I would jump it
And they call me an invaderIt’s a well-marked mistake
They took eight states from us
Who is the invader here?
I am a foreigner in my land
and I do not come to wage war
I am a hardworking man.And if history does not lie here sat in glory the powerful nation
between valiant warriors, Indians of two continents, mixed with the Spanish.
And if we turn to the centuries: we’re more American
we are more American than the offspring of the Anglo-SaxonsThey bought without money the waters of the Rio Grande from us
And they took from us Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado
California and Nevada also flew away
With Utah they were not quite satisfied
the state of Wyoming was also taken away from usI am the blood of the Indian
I'm Latino, I’m mestizo
We are of all colors and of all trades
And if we take the centuries into account
Although it might hurt the neighbor
We are more American than all the gringos put together.”– Translation from “Somos Más Americanos” (We Are More American) by Los Tigres del Norte.
“With its ritual of steel
its great chimneys
its secret scholars
its siren song
its neon skies
its Christmas sales
its cult of God the Father
and of epaulets
with its keys
to the kingdom
the North is the one
who ordersbut down here, down
hunger at hand
resorts to the bitter fruit
of what others decide
while time passes
and pass the parades
and other things
that the North doesn't forbid.
With its hard hope
the South also exists.With its preachers
its poison gases
its Chicago school
its owners of the Earth
with its luxurious costume
and its meager frame
its spent defenses
its expenses of defense
with its epic of invasion
the North is the one
who orders.But down here, down
each in their hideaway
are men and women
who know what to grasp
making the most of the sun
and eclipses
putting useless things aside
and using what is useful.
With its veteran faith
the South also exists.With its French horn
and its Swedish academy
its American sauce
and its English wrenches
with all its missiles
and its encyclopedias
its war of galaxies
and its rich cruelty
with all its laurels
the North is the one
who orders.But down here, down
near the roots
is where memory
omits no memory
and there are those
who defy death for
and die for
and thus together achieve
what was impossible
that the whole world
would know
that the South,
that the South also exists”– The South Also Exists, Mario Benedetti
People in the United States, officially the United States of America, call themselves Americans, and it remains the official demonym for them in the English language. Outside of their box, however, they often become offended at how we in Latin America challenge their identity, and with good reason… who likes to be stripped of their identity by a foreigner? But the truth is, within the American continent, we are all Americans. And we have every right to be referred to as such not only by them, but by the languages of the world, which systematically strip us of our American identity by prioritizing the term for people from the United States, exclusively and without exception.
The United States is not America. Neither is Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, or Panama. At least, not by themselves. All of them comprise America. However, none of them appropriates the American identity entirely for themselves culturally and linguistically, except, of course, the United States. To Latin Americans, it’s absolutely outrageous. How could a single country, no matter how big or powerful, be arrogant enough to steal an identity all to itself?
All of the countries south of the Rio Grande have absolutely no right to call themselves American, at least not in English, and when they do, they immediately bring hostility and controversy to the table, as if challenging the sacred identity of the United States. This is all due to the powerful connotation that the American demonym has in relation to the United States, and the severe lack of opposition there has been to the term in other languages. This is a crime not only of the so-called European intelligentsia, but of Latin American nations failing to actively fight for the right to an American identity.
But how is it that merely one country can manage to appropriate the term for an entire continent and secure its linguistic and political rights purely for domestic usage, with little to no opposition?
If you, like me, see this not only as an outrage but as a legitimate geopolitical concern, I encourage you to keep reading. You will certainly find plenty of reasons to continuously challenge this established notion that citizens of the United States hold political and linguistic exclusiveness to the term and the identity.
This essay intends to point out the grammatical inaccuracy of the "American" demonym when used to refer exclusively to people who hail from the United States of America. But, as this is sadly not merely a grammatical issue, this article aims to explain the viewpoint of Latin Americans who feel justified resentment toward US imperialism—be it economic, political, military, or cultural. This is a part of a wider, more insidious problem: that of US cultural dominance, which is in itself a pillar of the ongoing Anglo-Saxonist cultural hegemony established in contemporary times.
1. A History of Terms and the Imperialism of Language
The United States of America—there are many emotions invoked when reading, hearing, or speaking these words. Their conjunction results in an absolutely ominous and iconic concept; like the best works of art, they leave no passion untouched.
People from the United States of America are referred to almost universally as Americans in most languages; in English, they’re Americans; in German, Amerikanische; in Russian, Amerikantsii; in Spanish, estadounidenses. But even in Spanish, a language that has a clear demonym for people from the US—fully supported by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy—we oftentimes say americanos. The global cultural influence is much too strong, and the fact that the word rolls off the tongue so easily definitely helps. Today, saying America and Americans in English invokes the Stars and Stripes instantly. But in the Spanish language, with more emphasis in Latin America, this usage has a much lower tolerance. It is considered extremely condescending and arrogant, especially in countries most directly affected by the damaging foreign policy of the United States.
Earning its independence in 1776, what is now referred to as the United States of America was comprised of many colonies that used to belong to the British, Dutch, French, and Spanish Empires. North America—which for simplification was simply referred to as “America” in Europe—was a vast and resource-rich territory disputed between these empires. The Founding Fathers, knowledgeable, humanitarian, and reason-driven men, created a nation with a constitution that ensured the liberty and prosperity their people had been denied through colonial exploitation. It served as a model for many other nations, including my own. Our Founding Father and national leader José Gervasio Artigas became directly inspired by the Revolutionary War and the US Constitution, so much so that the flag of Uruguay is modeled after that of the US. The motto of my country became “Tiranos Temblad,” Spanish for “Tremble, Tyrants.” Yes, I am proud of my country, in the same way people from the US are proud of theirs.
Unfortunately, the US deviated from the wonderful course its Founding Fathers set for it. It became worse than the colonialist empires which had exploited it. It became a war machine thirsting for conquest and expansion, justified through a “Manifest Destiny” and a self-righteous doctrine of “American Exceptionalism.” It became a force to reckon with and fear, and a major player in geopolitics—a sphere shaped for centuries only by European powers.
He who has power, more often than not, ends up imposing his way upon the world. This is no different regarding the usage of the “American” demonym. Even popular US linguists acknowledge this problem. According to Grammar Girl:
“This isn’t a new problem. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage says the first objection occurred in 1791, and in his 1963 book, The American Language, H. L. Mencken wrote, ‘As everyone knows, the right of Americans to be so called is frequently challenged, especially in Latin America, but so far, no plausible substitute has been devised, though many have been proposed, e.g., Unisians, United-statesians, Columbards.’”
As noted in discussions by academics like Thomas Holloway at the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas, the ambiguity of the word "American" is deeply problematic. In Spanish and Portuguese, americano/a reflects a broad affiliation with the Western Hemisphere. To avoid this ambiguity when speaking English, many—myself included—have historically adopted alternative terms. The inventor of the term Usonian, US architect Frank Lloyd Wright, famously stated in 1927: "We of the United States, in justice to Canadians and Mexicans, have no right to use the title 'Americans' when referring to matters pertaining exclusively to ourselves."
Yet, US writers consistently dismiss these concerns. In a notoriously arrogant piece published by Slate titled "I’m From America. Stop Complaining, South America," author Chris Kirk embodies this linguistic entitlement perfectly. After recounting how a Colombian woman correctly pointed out the imperialism inherent in usurping the word "American," his response boils down to: “We’re not going to stop using ‘America.’ We should not stop. Get over it.” Kirk attempts to mask this arrogance under the guise of convenience, arguing that calling the US "America" is "not malicious" but simply "intuitive and convenient." He claims it harms no one because "the idea of 'America' as a continent doesn’t have many practical applications beyond soccer tournaments and plate tectonics."
This staggering dismissal proves the exact point Latin Americans make. To reduce the shared cultural, historical, and geopolitical reality of an entire hemisphere to "soccer tournaments" is the very definition of imperial hubris. Language is never just about convenience; it is about power. As Costa Rican thinker Joaquín García Monge and Uruguayan essayist Alberto Zum Felde have maintained, language determines how a speaker orders, sees, and conforms to the world. Our language is our spirit and our authenticity. When a dominant power forces the rest of the hemisphere to abandon its right to an identity, it enforces a mental and cultural colonialism. To accept it is to accept our own erasure.
2. A Multipolar Resistance to Unipolar Language
To understand this linguistic theft, one must look at the broader geopolitical strategy of the United States. During the ideologically-vacant years of the post-Cold War era—better known as the 90s—capitalism imposed itself as the unrivaled predominant system. Neoliberalism extended its grip throughout Latin America, and Che Guevara’s most feared nightmare came true: corrupt politicians sold off their nations, leaving the people to fend for themselves. Families were forced into economic exile, fleeing across borders or oceans just to survive.
But just as the US seeks to enforce a unipolar political world, it enforces a unipolar cultural narrative. It uses mass media, game localization, environmental text translation, and linguistic dominance to drill "America" into the minds of all citizens of the world, framing itself as the sole protagonist of history.
This behavior is not isolated to Latin America. We see the exact same cultural supremacy wielded against Russia and the former Soviet sphere. Western media systematically flattens Russian history and cultural nuance, reducing complex geopolitical realities to caricatures in their entertainment and political discourse. Just as the US monopolizes the concept of "America" to erase the sovereignty of Latin nations, the Anglo-American bloc weaponizes global media to demonize Russian identity and assert an unquestionable, unipolar worldview.
However, the world is shifting. With the rise of the Pink Tide in Latin America and the relentless push by Russia for a multipolar geopolitical reality, the US unipolar grip is being challenged on all fronts. Leftist movements in Latin America—like those championed by Hugo Chávez—have been a thorn in the wealthy US businessman’s shoe precisely because they demand sovereignty. The struggle in Venezuela today stems directly from a class struggle that the US tries to tip in favor of its own interests.
The US will fight with every means available—political, economic, or cultural—to maintain global dominance. Legitimizing themselves through speech and repetition, they do not want to be just one more country in America. They want to be all of America.
If we remain submissive, if we don't question the consensus they have formed, this erasure will persist. It is up to us, through our media, our archives, and our daily speech, to reject this. Latin Americans, who shouldn’t be referred to as such unless in contrast to Anglo-Americans, should protest and request the right to be simply Americans—nothing more, and nothing less.
Long live America, and long live Americans.