Here it's one of the Editorial pieces that I have recently composed. Some people might think that this is a UTOPIAN idea, but imagining the future simply constitute a happy hobbie of mine.
Here it's my written piece. Perharps any of you has any comments on it.
I hope you enjoy it!
UNITED STATES OF THE AMERICAS
Latin Americans from Mexico through Colombia to Chile think it is quite SIGNIFICANT to hold the idea of referring to the Americas as a single, unified, culturally-inclusive America. They all firmly believe that they are as Americans as those in the US, and would never object to also call Canadian or Jamaicans Americans as well. After all, Latin Americans are fully aware that most American republics were born out of the same idea of democracy, self-determination and freedom from European monarchical rule, and that they constitute an important part of Western civilization. For each Washington, Jefferson or Franklyn, there is a matching Latin American forefather; Simon Bolivar, San Martin or Jose Marti to name just a few.
A newly emergent political-administrative system of the 21st century is taken shape in different parts of the world; Europe is leading the way to a supranational, multicultural entity in which local sovereignties are surrendered for a larger, more stable and influential body that would maintain peace and prosperity.
Although, the secular ideas of the Enlightenment are European at their inception, it is not a secret that they have truly flourished, taken hold and beared fruit in American lands. The US is the poster child par excellence of the ideas of separation of church and state, freedom and liberty for all individuals. However, the other American sister republics are in no way strange to these ideals; they were indeed born out of the same ideals, with the same set of goals; at the same time in history, yet, for reasons beyond the scope of this discussion, are still attempting to fulfill these very same ideas.
The supranational model has also begun taking shape in Latin America; Mercosur and CAN (Andean Community of Nations) are two examples about the way this new model is gaining momentum in the US backyard. This Latin American model attempts to successfully merge the historical Americas’ ideas of democracy and liberty with the scheme of a supra-state. This model is arguably several steps ahead to the European model which still holds dearly its monarchical, culturally-monolithic, and monoreligious past. Americas’ nations have a better tradition of religious and cultural tolerance that has sprouted out the mixing of Indigenous, Africans, Europeans, Asians and Middle Easterns and their particular cultures.
However, to make this model successful, it is absolutely essential that the largest and most prosperous of the Americas sister republics also embraces and implements the ideal for a United States of the Americas, in which a single administrative, political and economic entity would stand together to face the new rising challenges coming from nascent influential states and supra-states, including China, India and the ASEAN economic bloc. The United States of the Americas scheme would undoubtedly guarantee that the Americas’ ideals continue to be relevant and influential for decades, if not centuries to come, and for the first time, Americans might be able to see fellow Americans of the South -----of the border, that is---- as closely related as they now see Europeans. It will then be no surprise to call a Colombian, a Guatemalan or a Bolivian a fellow American. The alternative would be the declining of what has made the US great in the world, and perhaps, of what has made the world progress faster than any other time in human history.
By ColomBuenazo on Jul 14, 2005, 09:39 in Friendly Talkzone.
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latintraveller says on Jul 14, 2005, 12:00: Every culture in Latin America is very prideful of itself If you have ever been to Colombia, you would realize that the people here are very prideful of their culture, and actually enjoy making fun of their neighbors and other cultures in the region. The same is true with many other countries in this region.
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utopiacowboy says on Jul 14, 2005, 14:11: Neither the Canadians nor the Mexicans want any part of this. And unlike the South Americans, to call them "Americans" is fighting words. They are happy to be Canadians and Mexicans. Maybe the South Americans can find contentment in their own national identities. Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult. 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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Mr. Hollywood says on Jul 14, 2005, 14:43: Sorry if it offends But I've been all over "the Americas" and the one thing that unites all these countries is their contempt for their neighbors. Costa Ricans hate Nicaraguans, Mexicans hate Guatemalans, everyone hates the US. Nationalism will trump regionalism every time.
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juanalejo says on Jul 14, 2005, 15:06: Nationalism I think the America´s is too long to come, the north and south will for many years reamain divided. I simply can not imagine people for the USA thinking themselves of friends and equal partners od neighbors of their poor back yard neighbors. I actually see much closer a united Latinamerica, we might fight and "hate" each other as much as paisas dislike the rolos. But I have lived abroad and next to the middle eastern people, no other multinational group of people get along so well as Latinamericans, when I went to university in the US, we were always together for everything, Argentinians, Brazilians, Venezuelans, Colombians Mexicans, etc. And if hate comes about the French hate the English, the English hate the Germans, the Danes hate the Swedes, and yet they seem to politically and economically get along quite well. So it a question of making our economies grow and then things become easier to blend together. And by the way Bolivar did a better job than we acknowledge as very easily the countries could have desintegrated even further if it was not because of his politcal moves.
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utopiacowboy says on Jul 15, 2005, 07:48: Have you actually talked to any Mexicans? Do you know any Mexicans? Or is this just based on what you've read? I probably know more than a hundred Mexican citizens and while some of them will take out American citizenship for practical purposes, they retain their Mexican citizenship. Even the illegals who come here to work (and I know many) all want to go back to Mexico. If you travel in Mexico (and I don't mean the tourist dependent resort areas) you will encounter anti-American feelings frequently. So when the question is presented - would Mexicans want to be part of a greater United States of Americas, the answer would be an unqualified NO. Do Mexicans like many South Americans want to be referred to as "Americans" - again the answer is NO. Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult. 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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Albatross says on Jul 15, 2005, 07:54: Remember the Alamo... WARNING: generalizations ahead... “Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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boomer says on Jul 15, 2005, 08:23: Mexicans want what??????????????? GringoDeLouisian.............sorry but your theory doesn't hold water! Utopiacowboy is correct. The Mexicans (illegal's) aren't happy here and come here only for the work (money and the benifits). There are mucho Mejicano here where I live and growing every day! About 90% illegal. My wife is a translator at her work. We deal with these people every day. Every Friday, the money order sales go through the roof. They all send the bulk of their paychecks back to Mexico and they all say the same thing. They can't wait to get back home to Mexico! orgullo_de_colombia 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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elmodefoque says on Jul 15, 2005, 09:06: IMHO this entire thing about South American trying to wrap themselves around the word AMERICAN is silly; we did not earned that name, gringos are the TRUE Americans, we are either South American or plain ol Colombian or what ever but not “Americans” The gringos or their British descendants slaughter a whole mess of Indians and enslaved a whole mess of blacks, pillaged and plunder to built this country (USA/AMERICA) to what it is now, the number one super power, we on the other hand had the Spaniards, that’s our tough luck, and we gotta live with that. Imagine you’re sitting in a classroom in France waiting for a visit from “American” students and in walks a bunch of little south American indios, those French would be upset,”pepe le pew quoi le enfer cet? Something like that, not that they have great love for Americans but for everyone out there in the world, AMERICAN is a modefoqur from USA!! I'll get there, when I get there! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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suipacha says on Jul 15, 2005, 09:34: Elmo, I agree. This "Americans" crap can be filed under regional INFERIORITY COMPLEX If you don't believe me just check out the spanish language forum. You'll read tons of baseless anti US vitriol mostly written by people who have never been or aren't allowed to come back. "A single sentence will suffice for modern man: he fornicated and read the papers" 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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ColombianoX says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:00: "we did not earned that name, gringos are the TRUE Americans, we are either South American or plain ol Colombian or what ever but not “Americans”" ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad' 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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suipacha says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:02: ColX if you love Colombia so damn much. Why don't u renounce your US citizenship and go live there. Then travel around the world and tell me how often you're called an American. "A single sentence will suffice for modern man: he fornicated and read the papers" 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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elmodefoque says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:52: Another example. What if a couple years back Ali Babba, Sadam Hussein’s minister of defense for Iraq came up to him and told him, “Hey!, your royal pain in ass, the “Americans” are saying that if you don’t stop messing around with WMD’s they’re gonna come here to kick our ass and send us back to the stone age? What the f__k are they talking about we aint got no WMD’s” said Sadam “Anyway, which Americans are those, the corrupt Americans from the third world or the Americans with the unlimited F-16’s and b-52’s? If is the third world Americans, tell them to go f—k themselves, but if is the other rich , vicious, Islam hating, armed to the teeth AMERICAN modefques then tell them, they ‘re welcome to come and see for themselves” I gotta go, chaooo I'll get there, when I get there! 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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ColombianoX says on Jul 15, 2005, 11:56: "ColX if you love Colombia so damn much. Why don't u renounce your US citizenship and go live there. Then travel around the world and tell me how often you're called an American." ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad' 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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utopiacowboy says on Jul 15, 2005, 14:59: You must be associating with an exclusive group that want to live here indefinitely. Almost every Mexican I know wants to get his butt back to Mexico as soon as he can. Whether they actually accomplish that goal, who knows, probably not, for many of them. As for the Latinization of the US, I am all in favor of that, but it is not going to happen in our lifetimes. Even by 2050, if present trends continue, only 25% of the US population will be Latino. Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult. 0 funny, 0 helpful. |
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KyleKC says on Jul 16, 2005, 23:36: On this subject... We must not forget both our continents were named after an Italian, and not someone of British OR Spanish descent. Also, as the Brits moved in and the colonists killed the native americans up north, the Spanish were down in Mexico/Central/South America doing the same thing much earlier, either by conquering, or by spreading disease which the native peoples of these lands had no defense. The native populations that did survive were further decimated by the Spanish policy of interbreading...so I gues we are all kind of messed up. The only thing I truly think is that I or anyone else should be able to walk one end of this part of the world to the other...from USA to Argentina without having to worry about being harrassed, kidnapped, killed, or arrested. As far as the Mexican question is concerned..the only thing I hear from the poor Nortenos who come here seeking work and a better life is how much more difficult it is to get back and forth across the border since 9/11....and lets not forget those Mexicans that do come here, whether legal or not, are but a drop in the bucket of the millions who migrate to the US every year. Has our melting pot become a volcano...yes. I do find it funny that it is easier for a Mexican to get into the US than a Colombian, even though the Colombian has a college degree, but then again, our beauracracy has always been kind of a joke when you try to get them to think logically.
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ColomBuenazo says on Jul 18, 2005, 11:29: TOPIC DERAILMENT How is it that the discussion of a well thought-out, unifying idea became an immigration debate on Mexicans/latinos?
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Peter Miami says on Jul 18, 2005, 12:02: I am in total agreement with morphus. The United States love it or get the F# at K out of here. We do not want anybody that does not want to be here. If not just let me know who you are and I will kick your a$$ out of here.
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terco panzone says on Jul 18, 2005, 15:13: GringoDeLouisian I'm from south texas. I don't know if you'r talking about illegals or legal immigrants, but the illegals I have known are only here to make money. they send it home, and usually have plans to return as soon as they can.
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