I'm starting to envy the Australians

[Mr Pootle]

I've spent the last three days filling in, proof-reading, amending, reproof-reading and re-amending an application for a visa for China. Every time I have to enter a UK address I scroll through virtually all the countries in the world until I finally reach "United Kingdom". It's even worse for those who have to find "United States", and as for the Virgin Islands...... Oh to be Australian.
Still, without getting political about the pros and cons, if Brexit does lead to the breakup of the Union, England won't be too far down the list.

[RinkRat II]

       Yeah, although we're pompous, arrogant and rude, I always thought we should be at the top of those lists as we all refer to ourselves as Americans.
 They don't listen to me.

        Paul B

[Zoom Zoom]

Anyplace where I need to select country, I've just gotten into the habit of going straight to the bottom of the list and working my way up.

John Henry

[Lannis]

You think THAT's bad ... I live in Virginia, it's ALWAYS three pages down on the drop-down list ....

[n3303j]

Ten years ago when the drop down choice appeared in US adverts the USA choice was at the top, followed by all others in alphabetic sequence.

Guess it's since been judged politically correct that we are now in step with the alphabetic arrangement used elsewhere. Damn convenience for the major marketplace of the world. 

[ken farr]

I feel your pain.
I just can't seem to find 'Merica, anywhere....


kjf

[Mr Pootle]

 My surname's toward the bottom of the alphabetical list too. When being called forward for anything I've always had to wait for all the bloody MacWhatevers and Smiths to go first.

[Lannis]

My surname's toward the bottom of the alphabetical list too. When being called forward for anything I've always had to wait for all the bloody MacWhatevers and Smiths to go first.

That doesn't seem right.   How come "Smith" gets to go ahead of "Pootle"?

Lannis

[Mr Pootle]

That doesn't seem right.   How come "Smith" gets to go ahead of "Pootle"?

Lannis

Pootle's my first name.

[wrbix]

Boy.....talk about First World Problems!
Sheesh.

Even if labeled as a rant, this hardly registers on my concern-o-meter. 

[twowheeladdict]

Sometimes you can type the first letter and jump to that section of the list.  If the programmer followed standard practices.

[Lannis]

Pootle's my first name.

That's all right then.

I'll tell you about an even BIGGER problem, and that is that the waiter in a restaurant will often not tell you whether HE will take your bill and credit card and process it and bring it back, or whether YOU are supposed to take it up front and pay.   It leads to lost time and embarrassment and misunderstandings.

And THEN there's the thing when there's a jar of York Peppermint Patties at the front counter of the restaurant at $.25 each, but you don't know whether you're supposed to pay the cashier or put the money in a jar, they get upset if you do it the wrong way ...

Life gets so complicated ...

Lannis

[Cam3512]

Really?  THAT's why you envy the Aussies?

You need to get out more...

[Mr Pootle]

Really?  THAT's why you envy the Aussies?

You need to get out more...

There's no other possible reason.

[pete roper]

Oh there are many! But getting back to the original problem you could start a movement to amend the constitution and change the name of the United States of America to Aardvark Land. That would put you right up the top of the list!

Pete

[Knuckle Dragger]

My surname's toward the bottom of the alphabetical list too. When being called forward for anything I've always had to wait for all the bloody MacWhatevers and Smiths to go first.

You could always change your moniker by deed poll to Aaron Aardvark.  I'm sure that'd help.

       Yeah, although we're pompous, arrogant and rude, I always thought we should be at the top of those lists as we all refer to ourselves as Americans.
 They don't listen to me.

        Paul B

Surely if you were to describe yourselves as "American", then the form would by necessity be in Spanish as there's almost a 3:1 (actually 7:3) Latino to Caucasoid & others ratio.

[twowheeladdict]

Surely if you were to describe yourselves as "American", then the form would by necessity be in Spanish as there's almost a 3:1 (actually 7:3) Latino to Caucasoid & others ratio.

Where did you find that statistic, and what is it based on? 

I found this after a short search that contradicts what you posted.

[Lannis]

Where did you find that statistic, and what is it based on? 

He's possibly referring to the fact that the two continents (North and South) both have "American" in their name.

However, it would be unlikely that an Uruguayan, Bolivian, or Peruvian responding to a European border guard's request for "Nationality, please?" would respond "American".

Lannis

[trippah]

or how about Armadillia - since Texas is the largest state (except for that frozen northland appendage to Canada).  Perhaps we could swap everything South of the Saint Lawrence River..hmmm.   

[Huzo]

That’s ok mate...
Everyone does.

[Knuckle Dragger]

Where did you find that statistic, and what is it based on? 

I found this after a short search that contradicts what you posted.

Simple arithmetic.  No stats needed.  It's simply the proportion of Latino speakers in relation to the "anglophone, francophone & others" collective minority.

You surely don't subscribe to the theory that "the Americas" (itself a Spanish loanword) refers to only a single nation-state? That's ludicrously simplistic cultural arrogance in extremis. A bit like saying the crews of the Nino, Pinto & Santa Maria "discovered" America by landing in downtown Manhattan or North Carolina! 

There's about 3/4 of a billion Latinos (740,000,000 actually, compared to 315,000,000 non-latinophones) there in case you hadn't noticed.

[twowheeladdict]

Simple arithmetic.  No stats needed.  It's simply the proportion of Latino speakers in relation to the "anglophone, francophone & others" collective minority.

You surely don't subscribe to the theory that "the Americas" (itself a Spanish loanword) refers to only a single nation-state? That's ludicrously simplistic cultural arrogance in extremis. A bit like saying the crews of the Nino, Pinto & Santa Maria "discovered" America by landing in downtown Manhattan or North Carolina! 

There's about 3/4 of a billion Latinos (740,000,000 actually, compared to 315,000,000 non-latinophones) there in case you hadn't noticed.

So, basically take your word for it?  OK now I understand the name. 

[Knuckle Dragger]

So, basically take your word for it?  OK now I understand the name.

Only if you want to.  Or you could maybe look it up yourself....  it's not that difficult.  Pretend all you wish - stats can (& have) been manipulated to agree with just about any spurious assertion.  Nevertheless, the 3/4 billion Americanos with a Latino lingua franca are a pretty compelling proportion.  You surely don't assert they no longer exist?

There's only about 1,500,000,000 anglophones in the ENTIRE WORLD, or roughly 20%.  Of these, only around 360,000,000 actually use English as a "first language". They don't all live in the Americas either:  a mere 250,000,000 actually do, of an approximate 1 billion total population!  But please don't take my word for it... look it up yourself. 

Thank you for casting aspersions about my nom-de-plume.  How original and droll!  The suggestive innuendo is noted:  it's infantile & pathetic.  Doing so actually highlights the tenuous nature of your own argument.  The last line of defense in a weak & unconvincing thesis.  Personal slights are demeaning to both the victim and perpetrator.

Debate the issue by all means.  Attack my argument if you wish.  Rip it to shreds.  Tell me I'm talking arrant nonsense.  Deny my numbers if you can.  But please don't descend into playground politics.

[twowheeladdict]

Only if you want to.  Or you could maybe look it up yourself....  it's not that difficult.  Pretend all you wish - stats can (& have) been manipulated to agree with just about any spurious assertion.  Nevertheless, the 3/4 billion Americanos with a Latino lingua franca are a pretty compelling proportion.  You surely don't assert they no longer exist?

There's only about 1,500,000,000 anglophones in the ENTIRE WORLD, or roughly 20%.  Of these, only around 360,000,000 actually use English as a "first language". They don't all live in the Americas either:  a mere 250,000,000 actually do, of an approximate 1 billion total population!  But please don't take my word for it... look it up yourself. 

Thank you for casting aspersions about my nom-de-plume.  How original and droll!  The suggestive innuendo is noted:  it's infantile & pathetic.  Doing so actually highlights the tenuous nature of your own argument.  The last line of defense in a weak & unconvincing thesis.  Personal slights are demeaning to both the victim and perpetrator.

Debate the issue by all means.  Attack my argument if you wish.  Rip it to shreds.  Tell me I'm talking arrant nonsense.  Deny my numbers if you can.  But please don't descend into playground politics.

You don't site sources which makes you another argumentive person trying to dazzle with unsupported "facts".  Do you work in publishing or public relations?

[Huzo]

You don't site sources

Cite
             Argumentative

[Huzo]

I've spent the last three days filling in, proof-reading, amending, reproof-reading and re-amending an application for a visa for China. Every time I have to enter a UK address I scroll through virtually all the countries in the world until I finally reach "United Kingdom". It's even worse for those who have to find "United States", and as for the Virgin Islands...... Oh to be Australian.
Still, without getting political about the pros and cons, if Brexit does lead to the breakup of the Union, England won't be too far down the list.

What if you lived in Zanzibar ?

[twowheeladdict]

Cite
             Argumentative

Try typing on a phone.   

[twowheeladdict]

One last thing for Mr. Knuckle to think about.

People of the United States of America are called Americans.
People of Canada are called Canadians.
People of Mexico are called Mexicans.

People of North America are North Americans.

Same as South America.  No one there identifies as American.  They identify with their country and then South America.

Same for the countries that make up Europe and the rest of the continents.

Entonces, mételo en tu pipa y fúmalo.

[rocker59]

One last thing for Mr. Knuckle to think about.

People of the United States of America are called Americans.
People of Canada are called Canadians.
People of Mexico are called Mexicans.

People of North America are North Americans.

Same as South America.  No one there identifies as American.  They identify with their country and then South America.

Same for the countries that make up Europe and the rest of the continents.

Entonces, mételo en tu pipa y fúmalo.

This ^

[reidy]

Mr Drager, sorry I don’t know you well enough to call you by your first name. I have a confession to make, as it would appear that I may have misinterpreted the meaning of your name. I noted that you put your location as south island of Oz. I naturally assumed you were talking about Tasmania or as it was originally known Van Diemen’s Land (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen%27s_Land) . As this was the name given by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1692, I simply assumed you may have had Dutch heritage. From there it was a logical jump for me to make to this:
Draeger Name Meaning -North German (also Dräger) and Dutch: occupational name, from Middle Low German dreger, drager, Middle Dutch drager ‘porter’, ‘carrier’; sometimes ‘guarantor’, ‘negotiator’. North German, occupational name for a wood turner, Middle Low German dreyer, dreger. ( https://www.ancestry.com.au/name-origin?surname=draeger )

As for your first name I again made some unfortunate assumptions. I concluded that since the English colonised Van Diemen’s Land in 1798, which was to become known as Tasmania, and become part of Australia in 1901 upon federation, you may have had English heritage. As most of you would know, but I will mention for clarity, Knuckles is an old Norman name.
Knuckles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Knuckles is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The name Knuckles came from the given name Nicholas. Nicholas derives from the Greek Nikolaos, which is made up of the words nikan, meaning to conquer, and laos, meaning people. ( https://www.houseofnames.com/knuckles-family-crest )

Therefore I jumped to the conclusion that that in an effort to blend the English and Dutch heritage the “S” was simply dropped from the Knuckles. As for the extra “G” in your last name it was very common for non-english names to be misspelt upon arrival to the colony. This was often the case with names that had accents above the letters as these were not in common use in the English language. I simply thought that you were a man proud of your heritage and was shocked that others may try and imply otherwise.

Steve