[Marxism] RE: Nuestro Himno -- Our Anthem

[Russell Morse <russell.morse@xxxxxxxxx>]

Joaquín says:
>... People bring home-made signs saying "I am
>America" and "This is America." Note that well, NOT "I am American," meaning
>I'm just like you, you're mistaken to reject me as different, but rather "I
>AM America" meaning, I too am part of this country, accept me AS I AM,
>respect my rights.

I'd like to suggest that asserting "I am America" (Soy America) or
indeed even "I am *an* American" (Soy un Americano) could have an
additional important meaning, in the sense where "America" means
something other than or in addition to the *United States of* America -
it could mean America in the sense of La Patria Grande, the Americas,
Nuestra America, LatinoAmerica - an assertion of pan-American nationhood
that encompasses both continents, a rejection of exclusionary
meanings of American citizenship, an aspiration toward a form of
citizenship in which one does not have to choose between the U.S. and
one's original homeland, a wake-up call to North American chauvinists
that hey, gringo, your "America" has changed - get used to it!

                
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