Why does this redirect to the U.S.A? Why not Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Equado, Peru, Argentina, Boliva .ect --Princess Dharma (banned) 08:44, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Because those places are commonly called Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Equador, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, etc., while the United States of America is commonly called America. While you might be semantically correct that all those places are found on continents called America, it's best to keep things simple. -BearDog 08:57, 9 February 2007 (PST)

I don't think it's fair that people from the U.S should be regarded as the ONLY Americans. --Princess Dharma (banned) 09:02, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Sign a petition. There's two continents over here. If you must lump everyone together, at least use North Americans and South Americans, which specifies what you are talking about. Otherwise we might as well all just call ourselves Earthlings. But that's just geeky. Many Venezuelans would be deeply insulted if you just called them Americans. -BearDog 09:18, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Princess Dharma is right here. The same thing is done with the fan location categories. I have changed this page to a disambig.    Jabberwock    talk    contribs    email   - 09:20, 9 February 2007 (PST)

But she's not. It sounds like the politically correct thing to do, but it's not right. Has anyone ever come to this page looking for anything but an article on the United States? No. Nobody ever searched for Peru starting with America. The entire world knows that America is a country on the continent of North America. Why create a disambig page that makes things more ambiguous? -BearDog 09:25, 9 February 2007 (PST)

America is ambiguous, thus the need for a disambiguation page. I think if you'll review our constitution you'll find that it starts out with "We the people of the United States", not "We the people of America". Your opinion is noted, however the community had this same discussion last year regarding fan location categories and it was decided not to use the term Americans to describe fans in the United States.    Jabberwock    talk    contribs    email   - 09:33, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Check the Wikipedia article on the Americas and use of the term American for more information on the subject. --Princess Dharma (banned) 09:48, 9 February 2007 (PST)

I understand the PC aspects of it, and it seemed to calm some of the inflammatory aspects of the site, so that's great. But the fact is that term America is not used ambiguously. It's very specific. I'd agree with the argument if we were "United Statesans", but we aren't. Why tell a nation of 300 million what they can call themselves? If someone wants to refer to the people of an entire continent, they use the name of that continent: "Australians", "Europeans", "Asians", "Africans", "North Americans", or "South Americans". Why lump two together with a term is already commonly used with specificity? Nobody's pushing for "Eurasians". I get the reasons behind it, so I'll leave the page alone, and let it go with this: To artificially make America ambiguous to appease an argumentative few is insulting to something that I care about. -BearDog 10:11, 9 February 2007 (PST)

• But I wouldn't like it if a Chinese said to me you can't be Aisian because I live in the United States of Asia --Princess Dharma (banned) 10:15, 9 February 2007 (PST)
  • That's hypothetical, and this is real. I do live in the United States of America, I am an American. I'm not telling anyone else what to call themselves. I'm pointing out what they already call themselves. Why are you telling me what I should call myself, and my neighbors? It's irritating. Trying to solve a problem where there isn't one makes new problems. -BearDog 10:23, 9 February 2007 (PST)

A lot of people who live in the Americas and not the U.S like being under the umbrella of American is all I'm saying.--Princess Dharma (banned) 10:27, 9 February 2007 (PST)

• That simply isn't true. -BearDog 10:32, 9 February 2007 (PST)

No? Check out the Latin American section of this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_the_word_American--Princess Dharma (banned) 10:34, 9 February 2007 (PST)

That's a broken link. -BearDog 10:35, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Darn. Use of the word American in Wikipedia or talk to the mod God Emporer of Hell who has his own issue on the subject Princess Dharma (banned) 10:37, 9 February 2007 (PST)

I do think this is all a bit much. Bush always says "My fellow Americans...", whilst people in Canada would probably define themselves as Canadian, likewise Mexican, Brazilian. I don't think America going to USA is offensive or inappropriate --Nickb123 (Talk) 10:39, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Yet it is unfair to disconsider Mexicans, Canadians Brazilians their status as inhabitants of the land known as the Americas. Making them American. Princess Dharma (banned) 10:42, 9 February 2007 (PST)

No that makes them North Americans, or South Americans. There is no continent simply called America, or that argument would carry more weight. -BearDog 11:15, 9 February 2007 (PST)

I think a petition would be a good idea. Most on the site know were I stand on the debate. But since we settle everything else with a poll, why can't we solve this with one?--CaptainInsano 11:32, 9 February 2007 (PST)

• Well, if we are taking a straw poll or something, I'll make my stand on this as well. This is the silliest debate I've ever seen, and I agree with Cap and Beardog on this, and not just because I'm an American (I'm totally not one of these "America-pride" types, I have a multicultural background). I have many South, Central and Latin American friends, and none of them would call themselves "American". This is not Wikipedia where you'd be looking up all sorts of thing about geography, but Lostpedia, where you look up things pertaining to Lost, and what you'd be looking up would most likely be fan-related info by countries, or show-related info by countries, not by continent. I think it's too over-the-board PC also. --PandoraX 11:37, 9 February 2007 (PST)

Straw PollEdit

Who gives one the entire reason this arguement started was because America should be a disambig page as Jabberwock stated yet it redirected to the U.S.A in LOST. I doubt anyone fully cares and I was just backing up my opinion on the subject which I accept has no real place/value on Lostpedia. Can this case close now?--Princess Dharma (banned) 12:02, 9 February 2007 (PST)