The Unassuming Man Who Built a Model Railroad Empire

I'll accept the tongue-in-cheek and not write what I was going to. :-)

How about if they are from North America, "North Americans" and if they are from South America, South Americans"?

Actually, the Caribbean Islands are part of North America as is Greenland.

From that ultra-reliable source, Wikipedia ;-) :-

North America occupies the northern portion of the landmass generally referred to as the New World, the Western Hemisphere, the Americas, or simply America (which is sometimes considered a single continent[11][12][13] and North America a subcontinent).[14] North America's only land connection to South America is at the Isthmus of Panama. The continent is generally delimited on the southeast by the Darién watershed along the Colombia-Panama border, or at the Panama Canal; according to other sources, its southern limit is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico, with Central America tapering and extending southeastward to South America

After all, they are different continents.

"MartinS" >> How about if they are from North America, "North Americans" and if

Persackerly.

"MartinS" wrote

I think there are plenty of British people who object to being part of the EEC, but I don't know anyone who objects to being referred to as European.

John.

EEC ? is that like the EU :-)

Cheers, Simon

Let's not forget the famous, perhaps apocryphal, British newspaper headline once read "Fog in Channel; Continent Cut Off".

Was listening to Arthur Smith on radio 4 Today program the other day on the North South devide (England that is). He was saying that its a game we play about steriotypes and nearly all of us are willing players in it for a laugh. There was always those who got upset but it was usually cos they felt themselves to be inferior in some way. However now lots of people will claim theyre upset by proxy - ie it doesnt insult them but can be claimed to upset someone else. What seams to upset many foreigners is that us British are quite happy in our nationality, not necessarily because we are superior, but it gets mistranslated to appearing to be smug.

Cheers, Simon

Plus I don't think many people outside the UK understand that we are the first in the queue to take the mickey out of ourselves (because it saves a lot of queueing) and don't get it when we apply the same to other nationalities/regions.

Strangely, the French seem to understand the rules of the game best - when The Invade And Conquer France Society made the headlines in the late

70's due to Sealink refusing to give a discount on a ferry for the invasion, a French Mayor offered to put on a buffet if they got there.

It's a bit ironic that a few years later the first ship to arrive at the Falklands was..... a Sealink ferry! I wonder if the MOD got a discount?

Cheers Richard