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I’ve never seen that? We are still in Europe the European Union wasn’t created until 1958 and the continent pre dates it by centuries. Not every country in Europe is in the E.U but they are still part of the continent. They are both totally separate. If you asked the average Brit if they were European they would have said No for all those decades we were in the E.U. It’s not a new revelation for Brits.

and that´s normal, we all do. By the way, for me is really strange when they announce some tours as UK+Europe: was it like that before brexit?

I hear you. I appreciate all of your posts about this and perhaps I do come at it from my cultural perspective. I don’t see it that we don’t think we are a part of the continent it’s just we don’t refer to ourselves as European. If some asked someone in the streets of the U.K. which continent are we a part of……then of course we would know. We just don’t frame it as “we are Europeans” we always say British or English/Northern Irish/Scottish/Welsh. Its just not a common term over here and never has been. But I always read posts from international fans in here and I have certainly learned a lot as we have had the debate.

I think most people think of their home country first and continent second anyways?

Tnx god I don't follow the news. What a boredom! And that when the world is going down.

by the way, is it been only here, or the media coverage of Francisco´s passing has been too much? it hs reminded me of when Lady Di died! or when they realise who was going to be the next queen...it´s been too much, even his farts where amazing!!! and something similar is happening with the new one...I guess they don´t have news? they are all the time talking about he being american, he been spanish, he being black, he being super human, he being super anti trump, he not choosing Francisco II to avoid sounding to radical, he dressing back as the classic popes...

people are not saying they are americans all the time, in the same way they don´t say they are mammals or homo sapiens sapiens. But if you asked them, they know they are. Anda gaga is an euroamericunt!

In Southeast Asia when "America" is mentioned people automatically think of the USA first, not the continents. Can we all at least agree on one thing: Gaga is an AMERICUNT?

Exactly this.

You said "as time goes on that America the country is slowing taking precedence in people’s minds when they hear/read something that says American over the continent". Correct me if I'm wrong @Beastialg but from what I'm reading nothing of what he said agrees with that. What I understood from his comment is that (on daily situations) people in Argentina don't refer to themselves as Americans, not because they don't see themselves as Americans or much less because they think of gringos or yankees but because they refer to themselves as Argentinians. He even said that in media reports the new Pope is considered as the second American Pope because Francis was the first, as he was Argentinian and therefore American. Like Ulizos said and probably explained it better than I did, in the other countries in America people consider themselves as Americans by definition. It's not part of the regular conversations because people don't tend to refer to themselves by their continent first. But belonging to that continent is assumed. I totally understand you live in a country where a big chunk of the population thinks they are not part of their continent but that's a bit of an exception when you look at the larger picture of the world.

Canadians: Canadienses Mexicans: Mexicanos USA Americans: Norteamericanos o estadounidenses. (And yankees in a more informal way) North America is Canada + USA + Mexico though. The teach us that in school. And they are norteamericanos, but it's mostly used for people from the USA.

I don't think I was even "unaware" of the fact that all the people of the Americas are Americans, its more that if someone says he or she "is American", one would immediately think that he or she is from USA. I was more interested if the people in the Americas identify in some way with the continent like we do in Europe.

FYI I'm not really passionate about this topic, I just find it interesting people from the US and Europe (?) are unaware of this. America existed long before the USA existed I don't know about Argentina, which is an entirely different country, but if you ever want to annoy a Mexican (from Mexico, not Mexican born and raised in the U.S. because they were taught geography in the U.S.) and get an eye roll, tell them they're not American.

I'm from Mexico, I have only lived in the U.S. for work for the past 4 years. We don't call ourselves American, but we are American, by definition, and that's what gets under our skin. We even have songs about it. This one translates roughly to "We are more American than you are"

I know there is but a member has already said they live in Argentina and nobody calls themselves American so I don’t think it’s all non-English countries hun. But we have debated brilliantly !!! I will leave it there. x

I'm glad to find a Madonna forum where members genuinely care about important issues in our world.

What about Canadians and Mexicans? When you say "norteamericanos" don't you include those too? For a Bulgarian if you say "North American" you include the Canadians and Mexicans...

Only in English. There's a larger world out there. Native English speakers are roughly 6% of the population. For the rest of the world America is the continent.

I absolutely agree but do you think as time goes on that America the country is slowing taking precedence in people’s minds when they hear/read something that says American over the continent ? Especially with America the country dominating so much of popular culture and news across the world. If America the country wasn’t such a prominent presence in the global stage there wouldn’t really be any confusion between what people think about when they hear “American”…… I am not saying it is right or wrong just an observation. Like Madonna pre-1983 in most people’s minds who came into contact with the word they thought of Madonna & Child, the sacred Madonna and associated it with the Catholic faith. Today of course most people think about Madonna the artist. The Catholic Madonna of course came first but the word is now synonymous with Madonna the star. I feel perhaps it could be the same principle for America the continent and America the country. The continent came first and still exists, but the term American is becoming more and more synonymous with the country. I am not changing history, geography or culture I am just making an observation….. Perhaps?

Which was ridiculous in the first place. Like I said, it's like, say, Norway Sweden and Denmark suddenly deciding to become The United States of Europe and claiming the name European just for themselves and start calling the rest Mediterraneans, Eastern Europeans and so on.

Don't know about rest of South America, but here in Argentina for sure we call people from USA, norteamericanos most of the time. Also estadounidenses and yankees. Here in Argentina, most media call him the second American Pope, the first North American Pope (Primer Papa norteamericano)

Thanks for this insight from someone who actually lives in Latin America. That’s an interesting perspective to add into the debate the fact you say Argentine people don’t call themselves American. I did think that originally. Out of curiosity can I ask you in Argentina (or the part of Latin America you now live in) how has the media declared Pope Leo, as the first or second American Pope?