Sunday, January 3, 2010

English or British

While watching the Formula 1 races during the year when Lewis Hamilton became world champion at the end of the season, a commentator had remarked "It had been quite awhile since an Englishman was World Champion. Lewis Hamilton could be that Englishman."
I have many people feeling uncomfortable that a black or mixed black could be an Englishman.

They had always thought that an Englishman must be a white. English as in English race (which by the way, can be quite difficult to define). They would rather refer to Lewis Hamilton as British.

Well, anyway, to clarify the usage of the word "English", a person who is born in England and is a citizen, is English, regardless of his racial origin. Same applies to the definition of an American. But we do hear of blacks being called Afro-Americans. So you have Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Native Americans, etc. What say you!