Great site! Cherokee Indian, Scottish, Irish descent, born in the South--100% American-American.

I'm a big fan of your idea and I think it is something we should all aspire to.

I never refer to myself as "African-American". The funny thing is, my sister does. I guess that rules out any chance for a liver transplant. :cool:

William - I agree with you wholeheartedly! That I am of Austrian-Russian-Spanish-Jewish heritage is simply factual. But, none of it really defines who I am: an American.

Dropping "the dash" does not imply anyone is ashamed or wants to forget their heritage. It only means that where we came from or what we look like really is irrelevant to our character and what we achieve in this life.

Good luck with the project! ;-)

redmag3,

this is not about telling someone how to define themselves. It is asking everyone to THINK about what that definition you use says to other people, TOO!

We want America to see us for the individual we are but we are so quick to assign a label to ourselves that GROUPS us into some collective hyphenated-American identity.

In America, your America can be what YOU make it. Your ethnicity and/or race does not have to define you. You define you.

Why tell America to see you as an African-American first but then get mad when America treats you as an African-American first?

Ethnic and racial heritage is a wonderful thing. Nationality is a wonderful thing. Don't use your ethnicity as your nationality, though.

Our ancestors fought and died to force this country to see us as the Americans we rightfully are. Why toss that trophy aside as a "tribute" to countries that have only a dominant gene to connect with us?

Being an American, living in America, believing in American ideals defines most of us more than the continent from which our great-great-grandparents MIGHT have originated.

We have the prize before us and we should embrace it and wear it proudly on our chest. We earned it. We deserve it. America deserves to hear that we also put our country before our ancestral homeland.

You may choose to call yourself what you want...this is America and that is guaranteed by our Bill of Rights (indirectly). But, others may choose to interpret that label as they see fit. Our Bill of Rights guarantees that, also.

Thanks for coming to the site and leaving your comment. P#@*%! it on to your friends. All opinions - civil of course - are welcome.

... its admirable that you want to create unity amongst fellow countrymen ... but by what right do you deny people their ability to define themselves?

... unilaterally imposed definitions of an outside (or minority) group ... that sounds an awful lot like racism, prejudice, colonialism, and bigotry.

... And America is none of those things, right?

what about the ones we call "Indians"?

Should they "drop the dash" and embrace the American dream?

Its synonymous to the British invading America, setting up their culture ... and then telling people to stop calling themselves American-Brits (as a way of maintaining a pre-existing cultural identity) ... why not just be British?

We need you all's help to keep this going. Visitors are still coming but we are not getting new comments!

Tell your friends and encourage the debate.

thanks

Every few years we change the politically correct way to refer to black folks. Why not “drop the dash” and just be American. Keep it going!

Dropping the Dash may make many American citizens feel a true sense of pride in America. We may be more willing to vote, go to war for our country, pay taxes, and make our country safe and unified.

i'm with you 100%, keep up the good work

I don't agree with this. I'm a proud Irish-American, and I don't think that should threaten anyone's sense of Americanness. It certainly doesn't make me any less American. I think it's the genius of America that we are all Americans, no matter what other kinds of ethnic other identity we may have in addition to that.

Live and let live, I say! If you want to drop the dash, by all means do so, but plenty of your fellow Americans love the dash! And we're no less American for doing so.

An excellent idea. We don't need no damn hyphenated-American. It's a crock cooked up by politicos and business. Fight them. Drop the dash!

Great movement, definitly worth the time to read.

The closest I can come to a label for myself is Californian. Heinz 57 works as well. It's time to drop the nonsense and call us what we are. :-)

Way to go! Enough labels! Americans unite no matter

I totally support the Drop The Dash concept!

This is perfect. I wish all AMERICANS had enough common sense to realize that one HUGE reason race is an issue because WE CHOOSE to make it one.

I'm glad to see someone trying to unite this country, instead of proving how "different" they are, how much worse or disadvantaged one group is over another. Be proactive - you're part of the solution, or you're part of the problem.

:-) I do believe that in all our greatest with those events posted in the pages of history that we have not yet touched upon the greatness we will have when we truly become a United States of America...when we can stand as one nation and see nothing but a brother or sister holding our hand in unity then we are the greatest nation on earth...God fearing and United!!!!!! God Bless America!!!!!1