What is an American?

I sketched a diagram several months ago but never got to revisit it. It was after hearing a discussion on the radio of what it is to be an American. I think it was a discussion on whether Barack Obama or John McCain was the more “American” of the two. That got me thinking about the general question of who/what is an American? So I made the following diagram:

An American can be thought of in one of the following 4 buckets:

1. ENERGY

An American is someone who contributes to the United States through his/her energy. It’s a view that is all about production. A good example of this view is Rosie the Riveter. Henry Ford and Fredrick Taylor’s ability to harness human energy may be one of the reasons why Americans are who they are today.

2. POWER/CONTROL/WILL

An American is someone who is able to align the masses. One of my favorite historical moments is when Jesse Owens participated in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Albert Speer (Hitler’s designer gone awry) once said:

“Each of the German victories and there were a surprising number of these made him (Hitler) happy, but he was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens.”

In this bucket, the experiences of men (the way people think and feel) are given much weight. This is the place in the “Cross of Pain” where various views are contested (i.e. liberal v. conservative), where one contemplates about what the American Dream might mean (i.e. “Is anyone/anything hindering me from achieving the American Dream?”), and where recognizable leaders become possessions to the American who finds personal meaning in various cultural/societal/political agents.

3. ACTION

An American is someone who acts with the right/proper character in his/her environment. Have you ever heard the phrase, “he acts like an American”? This might not mean much to some people, but I remember my grandparents telling me that when they were in the Korean War, some of their fondest recollections are of American G.I.’s giving them candy bars or some U.N. sponsored cornbread. In some ways, an American is the character in Norman Rockwell’s vignettes of America.

What does it mean to act American? Although many people complain about the rest of the world not liking Americans, some of the noblest and kindest people in history have been Americans. From “Southern hospitality” to American volunteers helping out in third-world countries, it is this spirit of service that I’m pointing out in this bucket. The firemen, law enforcement, military, as well as the neighbor who is willing to let you borrow an egg when they’re out of the house are all American. 9/11 saw many Americans come together through their actions.

4. IDEA

Another kind of American is captured by Edward Everett Hale in his short story, The Man Without a Country. It’s a fiction story about a man who hates America and is sentenced to never set foot on U.S. soil ever again. He is to be transported from one Navy ship to another and is never to have any updates about the U.S. Although unrepentant at first, as the years go by, he falls in love with America only to utter the words, “here you see, I have a country!” on his deathbed.

In this bucket, America is an idea that is inseparable from the American. Physical distance does not deteriorate that spirit. Think of Nelson Mandela on Robben Island for all those years – he never stopped being a South African. Or of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights – he never stopped thinking about his fellow man. An American is someone who hopes and believes in America, the idea.

Afterthoughts

It’s not easy to define an American. And I think that’s constantly changing. For example, it took African Americans over a century to be considered an American. The same with women.

The places seem to constantly shift from one bucket to the other. What does that mean? Do we keep on expanding until we reach a threshold where anyone can become an American? Or as some of the buckets show, sometimes, being an American does not necessarily mean that it is about the passports and legal documents (by no means is this a reference the the latest controversy surrounding Barack Obama). For example, Edward Hale’s short story came out during the Civil War when people didn’t even know if there was going to be an official United States of America after the smoke from the artillary finally cleared. These are hard questions. Hard questions, indeed.