This question has to be exploding in the mind of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and not limited to power folks but including every minority in this land. Why do they hate us so much?
The term...” Real American” has been thrown out to try and and make people feel inferior and not worthy. Webster’s definition of American.
Full Definition of American1: an American Indian of North America or South America
2: a native or inhabitant of North America or South America
3: a citizen of the United States
Now that is it. The whole definition. Genuine and real is a matter of perspective to some degree. Real gold can be defined as 10K, 14K 24K or plated but we are talking people and not minerals here. There are degrees of substance regarding inanimate objects. We are talking flesh and blood citizens who ARE American. Real Americans is a dog whistle used by republicans and trying to imply citizens that are not real Americans actually stands against every single thing people have fought and
died for since the formation of the country.
One may be a better citizen than another and even that depends on who is calling out the observation. The truth is, there are richer or poorer citizens than others. All citizens may not share the same family values or religious beliefs or, educational goals, or even language or vocabulary skills. Citizens do not all share the same political beliefs but all of the above does not disqualify them as REAL AMERICANS.
Despite all the differences that may separate us individually, there is one thing that is an absolute and that is We are Real Americans. People should stand up and correct the people trying to devalue our citizenship.
I used to wonder why the Republican party does this divisive thing and then it came to me. The real American bullcrap is not only code for petty bigotry but it also is a way of controlling the vote. How long before only REAL AMERICANS get to vote? I believe this to be true. It would not matter how long you served your country, or fought in combat, or attended church, or sat on juries or volunteered your time or paid your taxes. It would not matter. If you do not echo the same mindset of a republican platform, to these haters, then you are not a real American.
In the past, many have gotten it wrong. The rounding up of the Japanese. The African American slavery and ongoing racism. The hatred of the GLBT community. The non believers of any religion. The blind prejudices of women and any minority group. These have all been an ongoing fight to protect equality and freedoms but we have fought back on all of these issues.
We the people are REAL AMERICANS even though we have been deemed as phony or possess no love of country. How dare these people who hate try and say we are not real Americans. There are labels these haters use and are horrendous. The words matter. There is an N word for black. There is a K word for Jews. There is an F word for Gays. There is a W word for hispanics. The list goes on and we have heard them all. We are tired of the ignorant and hateful suppressing the vote and questioning our love of country. I fear to some degree that some people vote republican to prove they are real Americans and that is just mind blowing.
Stand up and claim your right as an American and challenge those who call into question the validity of that right. YOU ARE AMERICAN. I am AMERICAN. I will not let anyone devalue me or my brothers or sisters. I will call haters out on any corner, any public domain, any time and any place toe to toe who call into question if I am a real American or not. Expect it. I will do it. I expect everyone of us to do it because too many have fought and died for the right to be called an American. VOTE. Express your right as an American. This Real American crap is a dog whistle and code word and it needs to stop and stop right now.
I will now use the term as much as I hated it back in the sixties but it fits in this case. For those who think this country is so far gone, that the democratic party has lost the way to greatness, that hate and discounting We The People is the way forward, and those that divide us, and call us unpatriotic or say we are not REAL AMERICANS, I say to those haters ,LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. The republican party cannot make you or me an UNREAL American. I loved the line from An American President. “ Why do people who claim to love America, hate Americans? I guess for the same reasons, people who claim to love God, clearly hate his instructions.