Rachel Fugate Blog #4 Amurican Roots

My concept of America has been pretty strong since my birth. I grew up in the mountains of Appalachia where from since I was little I was told be a good American. Sometimes in the south, we can receive mixed signals and our view of certain things such as racism or nationality is skewed. Such as this new slang word I have been hearing, “Amurica.” I have no idea what exactly it is supposed because I have heard it used here to describe the growing intensities and negative connotations that are being put on the concepts of being America. But then I hear it at home and it is used to praise things that our country is doing. So is an “Amurican” a good term or a bad term.

            To me being an American or Americaness is exactly how Dr. Haley. A truly inspiring woman she is. To hear her speak is to hear a woman who has known ages that I have never known. I was inspired by one of her finally wisdoms that I could not have even seen with my knowledge of the actual world. She was talking about a tree and the roots that are underground. There is no way to stop them from tangling together and becoming mixed and linked. We are all from these roots, all completely linked together in this country and within the world and we cannot forget that. No matter if your black or white or any shade in between we can all say that we are American. We all claim that title and live it, accepting both the good and the painful.

            Anderson mentions the different countries and nationalities that make up the American pool, Spanish-American, African-American, Euro-American. But notice we all still hold the American, we identify with the United States, a country that has since its beginning been a struggle to create an identity. Our identity. So whether you follow sense of “Americaness” or “Amuricaness” you and I both must remember that we are still connected. I guess my question would be why we still need the distinction between these two?