i hate the feelin’ when you’re looking at me that way
cause we’re north americans
but if we act all shy, it’ll make it ok
makes it go away.

LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum

Some Americans I have met shy away from the fact that they are from the United States. New Yorkers and San Franscisco residents make an emphasis that they are based in the respective cities and not in the rest of the US. Alaska and Hawaii are not part of the US in minds of their residents too. A girl from Alaska argued with me that Alaska has nothing to do with the USA, as it is not even on the mainland after all. Some Canadians are also offended, when you make a mistake about their origin (American and Canadian accents are so similar). I stopped guessing people with obvious American accents as Americans and assume that they are North Americans instead. This way there is little room for offending anyone. An even more extreme example is Americans who camouflage as Canadians, although I have not met any of those personally. It is sad that the USA, once such a great nation, became so uncool that its residents go into length of distancing themselves from their own country. On the other hand this seems to be a case of selection bias. Americans who are likely travel are also the ones who are disappointed in their country. I guess if you go to the heart of United States, you will meet a completely different set of values. I will test this theory one day.