I could say I am a United States of American, but I prefer to say I am an American. People from Estados Unidos Mexicanos are called Mexicans and although Mexico is in N. America, Mexicans are not referred to as Americans. Yes, technically America goes practically from pole to pole, and you’re not wrong to say someone from Mexico is technically an American. But only a pedantic playground lawyer would insist that it’s wrong for me to be called an American. That’s just how people in and out of the US use the word. Hawaii isn’t geographically American, but people from Hawaii are Americans. It’s not some assertion of hegemony over the Western Hemisphere (Monroe notwithstanding). And if you are talking about Mexicans, why would you not say Mexicans? Words can mean more than one thing and often do. The word American can and does mean more than one thing.
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