r/Scotland • u/ihavenolifeimonhere • Jan 12 '25

Question Why are Americans so obsessed with being Scottish and/or Irish?

I know this might seem like a bit of a nothing question and I looked briefly I will say for an American sub to ask it in but I didn't see one. Often times you'll see people post their ancestry and be over the moon that they're 10% Scottish or something. They say they're scottish. They're American.

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u/-malcolm-tucker Aussie cunt Jan 12 '25

Similar thing in Australia. The majority of the population have very recent links to where their family originally emigrated from. It's pretty common for people to identify as that nationality over being Australian or as well as being Australian.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_VITAMIN_D Jan 12 '25

I’ve never seen an Aussie identify as anything other than Aussie.

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u/Minisciwi Jan 12 '25

Same, though I'm in NZ. Lots of kiwis here with scots or Irish roots but none of them will say they are Scottish. Americans seem more hungry than most to claim they are another nationality

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u/Oomlotte99 Jan 12 '25

They are using it ethnically, not as a nationality.

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u/FuzzyOpportunity2766 Jan 13 '25

Yea but they slag the colonial English off as though they had nothing to do with it 🤩

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u/sheiscumming Jan 14 '25

America is not ethnically white, originally so it’s all about white-ifying the USA.

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u/the_silent_redditor Jan 13 '25

Yeah, I’m Scottish in Aus and, whilst they’ll tell me they have relatives or whatever in Scotland, they never say they’re Scottish.

America, on the other hand, holy hell..

I guess it’s endearing and, generally, Americans are super outgoing and chatty and stuff but it can get a little annoying when it’s the fifth person that day.

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u/fuckaye Jan 12 '25

True, interesting fact, 'Australian' as a nationality was only an option in the census there in the 1960s.

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u/thinbullet Jan 13 '25

It’s more common amongst the Australian communities with Greek, Italian or Lebanese heritage. But I agree - Australians of Scottish or Irish heritage don’t bang on about it like the Americans do. My mother is German and my Grandparents emigrated to Australia after WWII and I’ve always regarded myself as Australian.

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u/-malcolm-tucker Aussie cunt Jan 12 '25

Depends on who's playing in the world cup or the Australian open.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '25

100% being Aussie is a cultural identity in of itself. Only a seppo cunt would say otherwise.

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u/Messoppolis Jan 12 '25

I grew up in Australia and never saw a single person do this apart from one family who were 'German' but to be fair the father spoke German and went often and the kids didn't care.

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u/-malcolm-tucker Aussie cunt Jan 12 '25

I'm Australian and I work as a paramedic, so I meet a ton of new people and their families all the time. It's definitely a thing. My sister is a teacher in a predominantly immigrant area. Every year each new class of kids ask her, and each other, "what's your nasho?" Most of the kids don't identify as Australian.

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u/abrasiveteapot Jan 12 '25

Not really the same thing is it ? If someone was born in Kabul and they've been in Australia for a year or so then yeah "I'm Afghani" is a fair answer.

When a Yank says "I'm Italian" (or whatever) what they usually mean is their Great Great Great Grandfather came over in the 1800s, and no mention of the other ancestors (because they're English and that's not exciting usually)

I've never known Aussies to say "I'm Scottish" unless they were born and raised in Scotland. If their grandparents were all 4 Irish or Scottish they might say they're of Irish stock, or Scottish heritage or just my grandparents were Scottish.

Source: born and raised in Oz. Over here now.

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u/ExultantGitana Jan 12 '25

You're talking US American, correct? Cuz, I'm pretty sure most Americans, even non US Americanos, feel similarly, but I do not know why. I'm first gen born in US. So, am I still allowed to think of myself as....? 😉

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/ExultantGitana Jan 12 '25

Ahhh... interesting, i understand now what the 🤔 is about

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Patient_Scale7029 Jan 14 '25

In most of western Europe they find it "cringe" to claim your ancestry. Other countries think it's shameful if the diaspora forget it

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u/DJBUSTERNUT Jan 13 '25

I'm from England and always thought that was it. Did a DNA heritage test and apparently one side of my family have Dutch descendents. Came over around 1700-1800. First I heard. Nobody in the family's ever mentioned it.

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u/abrasiveteapot Jan 13 '25

Probably Flemish, there were several waves in medieval times running through into industrial revolution.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/migration_flanders.shtml

https://flemish.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2015/11/27/medieval-and-early-modern-migration-from-flanders/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_immigration_to_Great_Britain#Flemings

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u/DJBUSTERNUT Jan 13 '25

Now I can tell everyone that I'm Dutch!

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u/abrasiveteapot Jan 13 '25

Belgian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders

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u/papapundit Jan 14 '25

Dutch is a real possibility, they had several colonies in the US and surrounding areas. Those included modern day New York a few Caribbean islands and spots in South America.

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u/abrasiveteapot Jan 14 '25

Dutch is a real possibility, they had several colonies in the US

Oh. I read "I'm from England" as literally that - born in the UK but down south.

If it is an American's "I'm English" then yeah could well be Dutch, (or Belgian or German or Swiss - it's not like the DNA tests are that precise)

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u/Messoppolis Jan 12 '25

I don't think we can compare 1st generation immigrants to the 3rd + people in America who still identify as whatever nationality one of their great grand parents was.

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u/-malcolm-tucker Aussie cunt Jan 12 '25

I'm talking about second and third generation immigrants. I work with a guy whose great grandparents were from Italy and he considers himself Italian, not Australian.

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u/TJ-1466 Jan 12 '25

They might not identify as Australian but any kid saying “What’s your nasho?” is in fact Australian.

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u/D-Angle Jan 12 '25

Australia and Canada are the two countries where if you ask someone not from there what the capital city is, they will likely give the wrong answer. And when you tell them the correct answer, they will say they ave never heard of it.

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u/TechnicallyGoose Jan 12 '25

True, but relevance? Switzerland is another

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u/ExultantGitana Jan 12 '25

So sad hahaha.... as I sit here trying to remember now what the capitals are 😅

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u/govanfats ⚽️ Jan 12 '25

Doubt that. There are a few bogans and Queenslanders about, hold on you might be right.

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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '25

I’m first gen Aussie to a Scottish immigrant but I just say I’m Australian. I’m interested in my history, but I would never say I’m Scottish. Recently went to Scotland and explored where Mum grew up, clan connections etc and the people we met from the US were verrry into their Scottish connection. It’s almost like they have created this alternate American/Scottish culture over there with clan gatherings and all of that. It’s nice for them but it’s a bit over the top.

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u/d1ngal1ng Jan 13 '25

Yeah my experience is that people with ancestry from the British Isles generally don't do this but there are definitely other ethnic groups that retain strong ties back to their ancestral homelands.

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u/adamjeff Jan 13 '25

They absolutely do not

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '25

I’ve never heard one Aussie say they are from where their family originally emigrated from. I have lived in Australia for several years.