Who's American?

First, notice that's who's and not whose.

Who's - whose - what's the difference?

Ah, it's so frustrating, isn't it? All these things that sound the same but mean different things.

Who's = Who is

Whose = Belonging to someone

Whose red hat is this? And why did they leave it in my car?
Who's the bald man over there? The one running over here?
Is this his hat?

Who's the woman over there with the full lips and the warm brown skin and the curly hair?
Is she an American?
Who's the young boy over there with almond eyes and the thick black hair?
Is he an American?
Who's the old man with the amber skin and the dark eyes and the long, pointed nose?
Is he an American?

Who - is - an - American?

Good question.

Are they brown, white, pink, green?
Straight hair, nappy hair, blonde hair, red?
Freckles, fat, thin, eyes wide, narrow, almond, hound-dog, bushy eyebrows, small feet?

Born on the 4th of July?

Ask an immigrant or visitor to the U.S. this question.

How do you think he or she will respond?

Ask an American this question.

What will they say?

Will an American who lives in San Francisco say the same thing that an American living in Billings, Montana? How about an American from Miami? New York? St. Louis?

Ava, Missouri?

Hawaii?

Is Obama an American?

Quick - close your eyes and think, "American!"

What do you see?

Blonde?
Blue-eyed?
Fair-skinned?

Jennifer Aniston! :-)

Who were the first Americans?

Who were the first immigrants?

Which ethnic groups have the longest roots in this country?

Do roots matter?

Today, I'm not giving answers, just asking questions.

Answers I'll offer another time.

Hey! I put the direct object first.

Direct Object - Subject - Verb
Answers - I - will offer

Is that okay?

Now that's a question I'll answer .

Yes, it's okay.

Is it typical?

Not so much, anymore.

If you want to play it safe, do the typical way: Subject - Verb - Direct Object.
As in: I ask questions.

What's playing it safe as an American?

What's playing it safe?

Playing it safe: not taking any risks.

What's playing it safe as an American?

What's a safe way to be an American?

Do you have to listen to Rock-n-Roll? Hip-Hop?

Do you have to know all the words to the Star Spangled Banner?

Can you eat chicken soup with a chicken foot floating in it and be an American?

Do Americans ever take care of their aging parents?

Can you be an American and live with your cousins?

Can you be poor?

Can you make mistakes in English grammar?

We all walk around with ideas in our head.

Sometimes we call these ideas concepts.

Some picture of what something is.

This is a cat - it has whiskers, a long tail, and it's sitting in my lap.

(And one really is, right now. She is slim, black, and silent. Her front legs are wrapped around mine and her eyes are shut tight against the light of the computer screen.)

This is a dog - it has whiskers, a long tail - sometimes, and it barks.

This is an American.

Quick - who did you see?

You?

Me?

Here's an article about some Americans: Equality A Long Fight.

One of the Americans Mr. Nolte mentions was a professor of mine.

Professor Takaki wasn't flashy in the classroom. He spoke in a quiet way.

Only his mind was loud.

Working like a locksmith, he opened door after door in our minds by asking questions.

What is this?

Why is that?

Who are we?

You can read more about Professor Takaki here.

You can learn more Professor Takaki, yourself, myself, and millions of people, many of them Americans, by asking yourself these questions:

Who's American?

Whose ideas decide?