To wonder when Americans lose their roots

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Curious to know (especially from US Mumsnetters) but when do Americans stop referring to themselves as having heritage from where their forefathers came from?

Whenever I read a bio on someone famous reference is often made to their roots - so for example German, French, Scots, Irish, French, etc..

Along with a fair number of people I have heritage stretching back to different cultures/places but after a few generations I would not refer to myself as Irish or French and it wouldn't tend to crop up anywhere outside of genealogy

Is there a reason they do it so much in the USA or am I mistaken in that assumption?

Thus Polish Americans often use language and other cultural things which are no longer used in Poland now.

This is also true for some expressions and usages in American English that came over with colonists, but are no longer used in the UK. Two prominent examples are "gotten" and "fall" for autumn.

Could you maybe tell me the names? Sounds interesting...

Your explanation hits the nail on the head IMO @Beekman. At first, I found it weird when Americans described themselves as “Irish” or “Italian”, but now I realize that it’s just pride in their heritage, which makes sense in such a culturally diverse country.

My DH doesn’t describe himself as XXXX-American though because he’s such a cultural blend!

It's the cos-play aspect of it and disconnectedness that doesn't understand or care how the ones with true nationality feel about it that is irritating. Mainly it's just bewildering and tedious to have to go along with the fantasy that we share significant connection (as everyone polite will do if you excitedly share this 'connection' personally). It is sweet but it's also quite dismissive and American-centric. I think that if you read through the thread many nationalities share the same feeling about it.

We have connections to a Scottish island with two main clans. The American money is gratefully received and you would be welcomed but noone feels kinship from this side and people are politely bewildered by the weird claims. Even if you live a lifetime on the island if you are not from an actual local family you are othered so some sharing of 1 percent DNA is ridiculous .

You yourself are guilty of seeing only the surface level if you think people are behaving or feeling as you describe.

Scottish American culture in particular has roots that are incredibly deep, leaving an indelible mark on the country's history and culture, with many leading figures and ideas shaping the US. The culture came straight from Scotland itself and via plantation Ulster. The liberal arts education model in particular was a fundamental contribution, but strains of religion were very important too, and of course music. Scottish American kids in 5th grade looking at a list of presidents and other important figures from their history can't help noticing how many familiar surnames feature - at least 21 of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence were descendants of Scots.

It's becoming more and more obvious that there are many MNers with a massive chip on their shoulders about America and Americans.

So it boils down to small-minded parochialism, with a nice big dollop of mean spiritedness.

I made a joke because we all know that the royal families of much of Europe are all related to each other, not so much as they are to the people in their country. Some exceptions being Mette Marit who married the crown prince.

The liberal arts education model in particular was a fundamental contribution.

Excellent point. Even the term "high school"
comes directly from Scotland, specifically from the Royal High School in Edinburgh.

For all the reasons people have already stated on this thread. It is silly. And they go on and on about it, which is no small part of my annoyance. It's so dull.

When British citizens visit the U.S., are they not typically treated quite kindly? I do not understand this annoyance if someone from the U.S. is enthusiastic about your country.

Although it was some years ago, we did save your ass from Hitler…maybe because so many of us felt affinity with the „old country“ that felt it worth saving from fascism.

I do think it's a bit disingenuous to say that immigrant groups identifying with heritage country is unique to US. UK also has definable ethnic/nationality areas of Poles, Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, Chinese, French & others. If you live in a neighbourhood with others of the same heritage, community centres, schools maybe, etc (eg. Lycees) it makes sense you're more likely to retain a sense of cultural identification.

It should also be noted that Jews and the Romany people are two groups to retain a strong cultural identity despite long-ago exile from Israel in the case of Jews, and departure from India in the case of the Romany.

I've noticed this too and researched the same question. The general reasoning is that they are not natives to America, their ancestors came to America and married non natives. Their culture all stems from Europe and they are proud of that.

If I moved to Japan and married another welsh person, raised a family there, my kids wouldn't be Japanese, they'd be welsh/british. If those same kids kept creating in Japan with non Japanese people for the next hundreds years, they still wouldn't be Japanese.

I'm Australian.
For 5-8 generations in every line my family go back to almost all Irish immigrants. 1 Scottish and 1 English.
We are Australian.

Judging by how much it gets discussed on Mumsnet, yes.

As a Scottish person I would say that she is what she says she is: Scottish-American.

Wouldn't they? Doesn't where you grow up & the general culture have any bearing on that?

Most Americans were originally immigrants and as we see many are still attached to this identity : but does this make them non-American?

No one is “cos-playing”. They’re Scottish-Americans and care about that, they’re not pretending to be Scottish. Italian-Americans are under no illusions they are actually Italian. They’re into carrying on their Italian-American, not Italian, traditions and culture. Of course there is some crossover and nods back to where their ancestors or previous generations came from but there is no one is going around claiming they are actually Scottish, Italian, Polish or anything else.

Why though? How long have you lived in Scotland? What makes you scottish?

My paternal grandfather ( so not many generations before) was from new Zealand with a mosri mother. I don't go round claiming in a NZ er ( or NZ British)

They live in America, but their culture and values come from the UK or wherever their ancestors have come from and that's why they often say their Irish, Scottish or wherevers decent. I had to have a good think about it but I get it overall.

It should also be noted that Jews and the Romany people are two groups to retain a strong cultural identity despite long-ago exile from Israel in the case of Jews, and departure from India in the case of the Romany.

Good point @PrincessSophieFrederike .

Never. I do sometimes smirk when an American friend who's never been to Ireland calls themselves Irish, while I, who've lived there for several years on and off, have citizenship cos my mum was born there, and went most years throughout my childhood, don't have the nerve to call myself anything other then English 😂but Canadian DH says I'm being mean. I think cos-playing is kind of a shitty way to put it though. Everyone in North America except for indigenous and First Nations people is from somewhere, where that is matters to a lot of people, and that's just a cultural difference I don't see any point in getting upset about. My DH's family don't refer to themselves as anything but Canadian but some do it there too, and they know where they came from. So do I tbh, a big part of my ancestry is not English, but from several other places, and neither is my name. I don't call myself anything else but I know about it. I think it's pretty obvious why Americans, who are from a land of immigrants, are more attached to the concept. I also think that although it can be annoying, a lot of the way people talk about America on here comes from a reflex anti-Americanism that seems to make them feel big and clever.

I think there’s probably more than a smattering of romanticism involved (I’m not knocking it and really don’t want to offend btw). Most of us are a mix of all sorts but who doesn’t want to have the narrative of their ancestors taking weeks to arrive huddled and humbled from a poor village somewhere in Europe and have fought their way to surviving in America. Not to be bad, but it makes you more interesting and if you had just 1 great great great grandparent who did this why wouldn’t you tell the story and be quite proud of it. Possibly ham it up a bit. It’s a bit of storytelling. Didn’t Joe Biden have English heritage too - perhaps he thought it less sexy and windswept 🤣 I think it’s a bit of a stretch though to lecture somebody from that country about the place when you clearly don’t know as much as they would about it. Then again, they did get off their arse and emigrate so maybe they should get a pass with that as well.

Incidentally I have an interesting ancestry but frankly it’s only interesting to me and I wouldn’t bore the tits off all of you by repeating it here 🤣

It might help some of you sleep though?

I know an English family living in the UK with a Scottish surname. They are generations English and the Scottish surname is from centuries ago. But step into their English house and they have tartan everywhere. They all speak with a very plummy English accent. It’s bizarre. But not just the Americans.

but for those saying they’ve been brought up in England by an Irish mother and English father and don’t identify as Irish at all - I find that extremely sad. You’re half Irish and that’s a fact.

my kids are half UK-country, half-European and we live in England. They don’t identify as being English at all even though born and bred here. They say their half X and half Y brought up in England. We have never taught them that.

I’m surprised at just how rude some are being about the idea of someone saying they’re Scottish American. I don’t see people screeching about how people identify as British Pakistani even if they’ve never been to Pakistan.

Just because you don’t understand how culture works in another country doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Americans arrived in waves - Scottish, Irish, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese and so on. Those communities stuck together and formed their own unique cultures in the new America any many have continued even to today. Saying X American is referring the communities & culture they created there, not claiming any actual citizenship in X countries.

Some people are letting their anti American bias get the best of them.

Also, if you look at several immigrant communities in the UK, they maintain their native languages and cultural traditions. Why is it ok for them but not for Americans?

Or even those that are fourth generation Indian for example who are properly British etc al they still and will always identify as Indian because it’s a race. Why can’t American-Irish or American-Italians do that? It just means they know their roots. And explains the dark hair and olive skin, or the red hair and fair freckly complexion.