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02-07-2004, 08:56 AM | #1 | |
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me
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presidential heritage
Forgive my ignorance of american presidents but I was wondering how many of them could claim to be of british descent, there does seem to be a lot of anglo saxon names involved, Bush, Nixon, Carter, Wilson, Ford, Lincoln etc. Has there ever been a greek american as president or italian, spanish and so on.
Over here in England we always hear about old country identities in the U.S. but I've never heard any reference to british or english heritage, is this because people are ashamed of it or is there some other reason. Quote:
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02-07-2004, 09:22 AM | #2 |
Radical Centrist
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People in the US are [almost] never ashamed of their old country heritage, and I doubt any British heritage would EVER be a source of shame. One thing Americans are incredibly good about is not carrying grudges. The Japanese wanted to completely destroy the US only a half century ago, and today they make half our cars and we could not be better friends as nations. There were two generations that learned to hate Japanese people due to the war, but anyone who does today is considered very strange.
I think the only reason Brit and German heritages aren't as celebrated as some, is that they are so common, because they arrived so long ago. By the time the Irish, Chinese, Africans, etc. started coming over or being sent, the original northern Euros had settled in and started the culture. The other thing is that, 14 generations into the US, surnames are less and less likely to reflect a large portion of someone's heritage. My own surname probably reflects about an eighth of what I can trace back to cultures that existed 2-300 years ago. Consider Tiger Woods - an English surname if anything, he's part African, part Asian and who knows what else. We are becoming all proud mutts, and love and share the best parts of all our heritages. It's cool! |
02-07-2004, 10:17 AM | #3 |
lobber of scimitars
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Last night one of the 10 or so cops that spent time hanging out in my office had a very Irish first name, and extremely Italian last name.
Such cross-cultural unions have actually been very common in the US because of the common bond of the Catholic Church. (and yes, this STILL caused problems in some families. the Irish being earlier immigrants than the Italians for many years looked down on them).
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wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
02-07-2004, 12:56 PM | #4 |
still says videotape
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We here are more united by ideas than blood. For instance, "Whale Penis" is of particular importance.
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02-07-2004, 01:17 PM | #5 |
lobber of scimitars
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Is "Whale Penis" an idea or ideal?
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wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
02-07-2004, 01:59 PM | #6 | |
still says videotape
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Quote:
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If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis |
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02-07-2004, 02:15 PM | #7 | |
Person who doesn't update the user title
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Quote:
(For the record, I'm not.) |
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02-07-2004, 04:55 PM | #8 |
lobber of scimitars
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It is true, then, that the French have no shame ...
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wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
02-07-2004, 09:43 PM | #9 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
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I'm hardly representative of the French...for that matter, I'm hardly representative of the US.
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02-08-2004, 11:19 AM | #10 | |
Read? I only know how to write.
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Re: presidential heritage
Quote:
Wasn't his European ancestry name Bushdakouchous? Just more history he would like us to forget. |
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02-08-2004, 03:00 PM | #11 | |
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me
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what about W.A.S.P.s ?, I've heard references about them but have never really understood what they are all about.
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02-08-2004, 03:11 PM | #12 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
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W.A.S.P.: Los Angeles hair-metal band who was right up there with all the other big hair-metal bands of the 80s. I didn't care for 'em.
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02-08-2004, 03:18 PM | #13 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
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Oh...you wanted a serious response...
WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. It's a reference to the dominant group in American society, though Anglo-Saxon isn't accurate, and that dominance isn't as strong anymore. |
02-08-2004, 03:50 PM | #14 |
desperate finder
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Yes and don't forget the Mayflower...
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02-11-2004, 08:50 PM | #15 | |
The future is unwritten
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Quote:
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The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. |
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