Why is there so much sneering at Americans with European ancestry?

[BrBa]

I don’t understand! I identify with all my ancestors whether they came as religious refugees or early colonisers, were already indigenous to the region or brought in as slaves.

Yours
Swiss, German, Native American North, Central and South, Sephardic, Irish, South East African, Scottish, Acadian/French, and English

People don't make fun of Americans just for stating or being interested in their heritage — it's specific behaviour and language use in specific circumstances that elicits what usually amounts to an eye-roll at most.

(Apologies — I can't easily write perfectly idiomatic US English, so the following might sound a little off, but they're examples of the kinds of things people might say.)

Two Americans chatting together about their heritage:
US 1: "I'm mostly Danish with some German, you?"
US 2: "I'm Irish, and my husband's part Irish too."

Totally fine. Everyone in the conversation gets the context, which is that between two Americans, the American part goes without saying, and an outsider overhearing would get the context too.

A Brit talking to an American:
UK: "So what do Americans do at Christmas?"
US: "I'm actually Italian-American, so it's a little different — we have a lot of traditions going back to before my family came over here."

Also totally fine. Nobody's got any problem with that. The heritage is relevant and interesting and nobody sounds like they're claiming to be anything they're not.

US: "I'm trying to find out more about my Scottish roots — I've found out I'm also English, Irish, West African, French, but my great grandmother was from Aberdeen and right now I want to learn more about what that was like for her."

Still fine, the context shows that when they're saying "I'm French" it's in a family history and heritage context, and even though the Scottish connection is only one part of this person's background, there's nothing wrong with taking an interest in one particular part of the story.

US: Where are you from?
Irish: "I'm Irish, from Cork."
US: " You're Irish? I'm Irish! I love St Paddy's Day, d'you wanna see my shamrock hat? Chucky arla, amirite? Do you know my folk, the Sliggo Connors? What about those nuns, huh? Kiss me, I'm Irish, to be sure! So great to meet another Irish person here." [/mild exaggeration]

🙄

However America needs to realise the world doesn't revolve around America and that there is actually a huge world outside of their borders...

Come to think of it, they usually spell it "Patty's".

We will certainly take that under the appropriate advisement. Thank you so much for your concern and advice. 😂

Happy to be of service in the name of international relations😁

As does everyone, for their culture and state. But using language conventional for your culture and state is normal. Most people adapt when they mix / travel.

But this thread certainly shows that it's not just Americans who may struggle to accept the existence of cultural differences!

I think it's because they don't update their stereotypes. I'm not from the UK, but my gp were Canadian. I'd get so much sideways eyeroll if I described myself as Canadian.

Aww ... don't bother. Anyone who has been watching the news this week knows that the world revolves around Ireland. Aren't we lucky

I actually wasn’t patronising them. I thought I was putting across a fairly sympathetic view actually- if you are in the US- having similar roots is a good way if making friends, gives you that sense of belonging etc.

The problem is that issues and news reporting are fairly polarised over there. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that any UK politician generally strives for diplomacy. And that that neutrality has been learned following many conflicts.

I'm afraid I don't agree about the UK at all. Are British politicians particularly diplomatic and tactful? Have they been, historically? I don't see it at all. That's not in anti-British spirit. I honestly can't imagine why you would think that.

Its ridiculous and plain weird when Americans do this.

Biden claiming to be Irish so many hundreds of years later when he also has British and French heritage makes him look like a complete idiot.

Sunak seems fairly cautious and low-key but he's a bit of an aberration there, and he hasn't had much of a role on the world stage yet. Honestly don't see this.

General waspishness, aimed mostly at Americans with Irish ancestry. You can Google to see the number of threads that have popped up on this. There's also an element of looking down on Americans. The same people who get in a tizz about Americans being interested in and expressing their ancestry, likely have Ancestry/Find My Past subscriptions (big business in UK) and wouldn't even be capable of grasping the double standards hypocrisy of that.

I know exactly what the GFA is. I am Irish.

Eh?

I never said EVERYONE needs to agree. It's plain to see you're just out to ruffle feathers.

Not at all. I'm responding to the whole conversation quoted, but I did read your answer as agreeing Americans' views on ancestry were "weird", unlike your own.

Sorry if I misjudged you. But my comment stands for the posts you quoted, if so.

I was actually agreeing on the person I quoted about relating to where I was born. I wasn't being derogatory to America at all. I'm happy to have Irish and Dutch ancestry for all I know actually hope there's more thrown in but I can only relate to being Scottish.

Maybe don't jump to conclusions.

There's something to that. While it's perfectly understandable for people who have emigrated to wish to preserve aspects of their original culture, those cultures also evolve, away from the preserved version in North America (or anywhere else). When moving to Canada as a child, I didn't really recognise much of the "German culture" of the local German-Canadians, most of whose families had immigrated pre-war or earlier. To me, it appeared like some weird sort of Bavarian-Oktoberfest stereotype, not anything to do with modern Germany. So it felt very odd to hear classmates with German ancestry who didn't speak the language fluently and had never been to Germany call themselves "German", and it did feel a bit presumptuous. Now I'm weird in terms of my childhood cultural references being German, young-adult ones being mostly Canadian, and more recent adult onces being mostly British. Like some others on this thread, I don't completely seem to fit in with any of these.

In alphabetical order (going back to my great grandparents) I'm a mix of English, Irish, Roma, Russian and Welsh. I got the fairytales, the food and the traditions but I'm not Irish (even though they'd give me a passport) or Russian or Welsh. I don't even feel particularly English (lived there for 5 years as a very young child, never as an adult). Thus I admit I find it hard to understand people who identify so much with a country they've in many cases never visited. The stories I heard of Russia for example as a small child bear no resemblance to the Russia of today and my Russian family members have very different cultural references. One of my close friends co parents with a German American (great grandparents generation, he's never visited) and he assumed I must just have relatives from one country because I didn't overexplain my background at first meeting. When I answered his questions, he was annoyed that I don't identify as some hybrid and despite our original conversation being over 7 years ago, still brings it up.

My mil is Irish and identifies as such (grew up on the border with family on both sides). Dh doesn't consider himself Irish at all even though he has loads of family members living in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He works in a field which brings him into contact with many Americans and for some reason, people who are many generations removed from Ireland seem to take it personally that he doesn't identify as Irish. It came up recently with a St Patrick's day quiz (which he won) and he's not sure what annoyed the few Irish Americans more, the fact that they lost or that despite having an Irish parent, he doesn't see himself as Irish (it came up because they wanted to know how he won).

Speaking to an American who calls themselves Irish, I'd understand what they mean. It's the fact that many Americans seem to want me and dh and others to categorise ourselves in the same way and won't let it lie, which annoys me.

Perfectly said 👏 its the journey that many were forced to take , the survival and generational achievment that motivates people to proudly share their ancestry.
This in it's self explains the sneering and jealousy of those who's countries were the oppressers.They cant ever no the shared pride in ancestoral connections .

Ignorant statment much !

See I don't think that its in anyway as clearcut as that. If you read stories of the original "colonisers" and those of "emigrants" they're not so different at all. Just lots of ordinary people looking for a better life, an escape, a new identity, an advantage, wealth and riches, excitement and adventure, a chance to practice their religion etc etc

British through colours never if ever far below the surface.

Based on this thread, that means you are American...🤣

Yup.