If the United States of America was renamed, what should it be?

To my knowledge (that is, a couple YouTube videos on the topic, this could be outdated/false information), there are some people who aren't happy that the U.S. names itself after the continent of America (implying that they have a right to all of America, manifest destiny to the max). Whether that is true or not, naming stuff is always fun, so what is a good name that is representative of what the U.S. is?

My personal suggestions:

  • The Liberty States
  • since Argentina is the only country named after an element (silver), why not another? Perhaps the U.S. could be named after gold, after the Gold Rush which I think was a big thing? That or an element that can be red, white, and blue. Speaking of...
  • The Republic of Red, White, and Blue

Please assume that stale carrot man isn't in office and that the U.S. is currently being a reasonable and humane country that actually stands for democracy, liberty, and freedom.

edit: Some people really want to make it about dry orange tomato man, which is not the point of this exercise. Also note that, yes, you could argue that the U.S. was always an imperialist power that replaced democratic leaders with dictators that were favourable to American interests, and that it certainly wasn't very nice to the native peoples.

42 points · 97 comments · view on lemmy.world

97 Comments

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 42 pts · 206d (1 reply)

"The Country Between Canada and Mexico Formly Known as the United States of America."

CBCMFKUSA for short.

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 206d

All I see in that is

MTHRFKNUSA!

howrar@lemmy.ca · 39 pts · 206d (2 replies)

Perhaps the U.S. could be named after gold

The United States of Aumerica

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 206d

amazing

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 206d

I actually giggled :)

devolution@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 206d

Eminem had it right. The Divided States of Embarrassment.

Pamasich@kbin.earth · 29 pts · 206d (9 replies)

I think the US naming themselves after America isn't really any different from the European Union naming itself after Europe.

It's "United States OF America", not "United States that are America". It's a bunch of united states that exist in America, not the states that make up America.

Please assume that stale carrot man isn't in office and that the U.S. is currently being a reasonable and humane country that actually stands for democracy, liberty, and freedom.

It's not like the US was a leader in those things before Trump. He didn't invent the issues, he just made them more visible. The US has always overthrown democratically elected governments to install dictators, and people have complained about its own election system for ages. There's a lack of consumer and labor protections, and the fact you only have two right-wing parties and anything left of center is considered extremist opinions doesn't help at all. It's honestly hard to imagine the US actually standing for democracy, liberty, and freedom, beyond empty propaganda.

atro_city@fedia.io · 3 pts · 206d (6 replies)

If they stopped calling themselves "Americans", it'd be fine, but they call themselves as if they owned 2 continents (and they behave that way too). A renaming would be very much in order. Liberteria, The States, Trumpia, Costa to Costa, Burgerland, whatever.

ChicoSuave@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 206d (3 replies)

What's funny is the old usage of American was a slur to denote people who came from the New World from old money and "classical" tradition. Now people like you are mad that it's now being embraced as an identity. Some folks can never be happy and want to share.

Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 205d

That old usage is still very much still in use in the UK. It's usually used to signify uncouth and crass behaviour with being loud and obnoxious.

Not every USian is, but those that follow those traits are usually USian.

Katrisia@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 204d

Europeans saw us that way. If it ever was a 'bad' thing, it was because of their elitism. It was a matter of time the reclaiming of our dignity and our validity. Many Americans (continent) did so during their independence efforts (mostly 18th and 19th century). I found this:

In linguistics, reappropriation, reclamation, or resignification is the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change (i.e., change in a word's meaning). Linguistic reclamation can have wider implications in the fields of discourse and has been described in terms of personal or sociopolitical empowerment. (Wikipedia)

atro_city@fedia.io · 0 pts · 206d

"My identity is neocolonialism and megalomania"

I'm super mad right now.

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d

"USians"

Holytimes@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 204d

And nothing is stoping the people of other countries in the Americas from calling themselves American.

Iv met plenty of people from European countries that have called themselves European. Why the fuck can they call themselves after their Continent but we can't?

How about you fuck off and not tell an entire people to change their name that they have used for hundreds of years just because you have a stick up your xenophobic asshole.

Yeah our leader is a right dipshit and a horrid human. But WE get to fucking decide what WE are called. Not you, so fuck off.

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 206d

Fair enough, actually.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 206d

Best take on this really dumb subject.

We have real problems to deal with, quit with this nonsense.

Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 206d

Country McCountryface

thoughtfuldragon@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 206d

Even without Trump in office it still could not be reasonably called the liberty states

als@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 206d (4 replies)

Mexico

abbadon420@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 206d (2 replies)

North-Mexico

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Are you referring to Southern Canada?

ciapatri@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 206d

Mexicanada

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 206d

Well, I don't think if you know this, but I'm pretty sure that name is already taken. New Mexico is already a U.S. state!

Little8Lost@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 206d

Cornlandia

Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 8 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Several different names for the 4 different countries it should split into.

Cascadia (obviously) - in the west border line is the Rockies. Mississippi - all the flat corn states and those whose purpose comes from the river. Basically all the land between the Rockies and the Appalachians, but not including the great lakes states.
Southern states - all those East of the Appalachians but South of Virginia including Florida.
Northern states - all those North of Virginia and may include the lake states too but...

The lake states might just join Canada or go independent and call themselves Iroquois or something..

Alaska is Canadian, as it should be. Texas is Mexican (again), as it should be. Hawaii is now independent and tied to New Zealand, as it should be.

hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 205d

How about fucking landback?

cabbage@piefed.social · 6 pts · 206d (3 replies)

Go back to the original European name - Vinland/Vineland/Wineland. Though that might have been in Canada, technically.

Better yet, find some pre-Columbian name for the land that was used by the actual locals. I'm sure there's plenty of alternatives, and some of the most beautiful state names in the US came about that way. Maybe some Native American name for the Mississippi river could be a good starting point.

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 206d (1 reply)

The thing is, these tribes would only have had names for small bits of it, not the whole land as a whole.

Maybe we could lean into Columbus even more and and call it 'India' /s

AlexLost@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 206d

Yes, they had no concept of "owning land" because at the end of the day, that's ridiculous.

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 206d

The thing is, these tribes would only have had names for small bits of it, not the whole land as a whole.

Maybe we could lean into Columbus even more and and call it 'India' /s

RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 205d

I.C.E.land.

GlenRambo@jlai.lu · 5 pts · 206d (1 reply)

The Aristocrats.

flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 205d

ASStocrats, maybe!

atropa@piefed.social · 4 pts · 206d (2 replies)
[ removed ]
Zier@fedia.io · 1 pts · 206d (1 reply)

I Think you meant CCCP.2

atropa@piefed.social · 1 pts · 206d
[ removed ]
daslfc@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 206d

Trumpstein Island

FoolsQuartz@lemmynsfw.com · 4 pts · 206d (5 replies)

It kind of bothers me that it's called America in shorthand when the entire 2-continents are ALSO called America.

I like the names that people have for smaller sections of it, e.g Arcadia which i think means Washington and Oregon state? And New England. I guess nobody wants their country to be called 'new oldcountry,' though 😝

FelixCress@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 206d (4 replies)

It kind of bothers me that it's called America

It is not called "America", this is just what USians like everyone to call it.

FoolsQuartz@lemmynsfw.com · 4 pts · 206d (1 reply)

it kind of bothers me thst it's called america in shorthand

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d
[ removed ]
Holytimes@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 204d (1 reply)
[ removed ]
FelixCress@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 204d

And your being a xenophobic piece of shit not respecting what a country wants to be called.

I don't give a flying fuck what USians want to be called.

It is like one country claimed name "Earth" and insisted on them to be called Earthlings. America is a continent and people from Canada or Mexico are as American as people from USA., although I would understand they may not necessarily want to be associated with this name at present.

DosDude@retrolemmy.com · 4 pts · 206d (4 replies)

Everything is bigger in the USA. So, Bigland

EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 205d

Yugeland

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Big

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d

Biggus Dickus

edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 205d

I can get behind that if we pretend we did it because of the Tom Hanks movie

AstroLightz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 206d (1 reply)

United States of Britain or USB for short

/j

edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 205d

I think we've got it the wrong way around, someone should flip us over and see if that fixes things

SoulKaribou@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 205d

New Europa

alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 206d

Non United States of America

KingGordon@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 206d (1 reply)

I propose Hell Yeah Brother! as the name.

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 206d

It would make those documentaries that read out the boring legal documents far more interesting!

TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 206d

New India /s

vane@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 205d

Trumpire

abbadon420@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 206d

Gilead

jenesaisquoi@feddit.org · 3 pts · 204d

Literally anything at all, any name would be better than the arrogant misuse of the name of the continent as is today

Maybe pick a name the natives used, to honour their memory and culture

altphoto@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 204d

Its still the USA. Let's just vote for a government that works for us and not try to murder us.

JennyLaFae@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 204d

North American Union.

Setup like the European Union with each state promoted to country status.

RBWells@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 204d

South Canada?

North Mexico?

ZiggyTheZygote@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 206d (1 reply)

United States of Israel Divided States of America United States of Terrorism United States of Nazism

atro_city@fedia.io · 4 pts · 206d

Land of the Unfree

Home of the Slave

Braveria

Deniable Melting Pot

Capitalismo

Duolopy

So many options...

AlexLost@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 206d

The continent is North America. The Americas are both the north and south continents. As a Canadian, I don't give a rats ass. Just because Trump has the comprehension of a 3 year old we do t have to change things to make him feel comfortable. The are the United States of America, not the country of America. That's just short form because it's a mouthful otherwise.

ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 205d

Strong Badia. There's probably lots of chocolate.

susi7802@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 206d

Something that reflects its citizens, its spirit? Ignorantia? Protectionismia? Healtcarecrisia? Lackofeducationia? Dumbland?

Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org · 3 pts · 206d

ROAECC

Remnants of an ever criminal country.

And because they like having so many capitols.

Steve@communick.news · 2 pts · 206d (3 replies)

Could go all KFC and just make the full offical name be "USA".

I'd like something original. Something that captures the spirit of the country. Something like "Glorificia" maybe.
"♫ I'm proud to be a Glorifican! Where at least I know I'm freeee ♫"

Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org · 3 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Where at least I think I'm freeee ♫"

ftfy

Steve@communick.news · 1 pts · 206d

Sure, but that is the line in the song.

hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 205d

If you want to 'capture the original spirit of the country', maybe you should go with Genocidia.

hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 205d (3 replies)

The US can never be "a reasonable and humane country that actually stands for democracy, liberty, and freedom", since it is an empire built with the blood of stolen people on stolen land.

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 205d

Fair enough actually.

surewhynotlem@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 204d (1 reply)

Eh.. If we were generally a kind and prosperous nation, with healthcare, a strong working class, free education, and a decent system of reparations to drive equity, that whole stolen land thing would probably be overlooked.

And we'd all be riding free unicorns.

hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 204d

Still, it shouldn't be overlooked.

lemmy_acct_id_8647@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 204d

Name it whatever. An alarming number of Amerikkkans can’t read anyway

cv_octavio@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 205d
[ removed ]
dogbert@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 206d
[ removed ]
aarRJaay@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Russia.

zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com · 3 pts · 206d

USSA

LeSeiko@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 205d

Trumpistan

Gobbel2000@programming.dev · 2 pts · 205d

The Empire

_stranger_@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d

I'd want the whole thing, but I'll settle for "This place is not a place of honor"

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Banadia

FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d

Oops, sorry, *Danadia. Or Nexico.

sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 204d

NeoneoAssyria

lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 204d (2 replies)

Please assume that stale carrot man isn’t in office and that the U.S. is currently being a reasonable and humane country that actually stands for democracy, liberty, and freedom.

How absurd. Why not choose a name for the USA that is timely and appropriate? Or, if you're going to embrace fantasy, why not choose a name for the US that assumes it's not a country but in fact some variety of small vibrating egg?

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 204d (1 reply)

Because I already have enough U.S. politics from the internet...

The small vibrating egg does sound way more interesting though, let's talk about that instead. What makes it vibrate? How is it so small? What will happen to the egg after the vibrations? How many varieties are there??

lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 204d

Because I already have enough U.S. politics from the internet

I feel you. I wish i could turn it off.

The egg thing was inspired by an old movie (maybe woody allen). But if the USA were such a vibrating egg, i would call it “Shekky shekky brekky,” or SSB for short.

lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 204d

Donald Trump's Personal Toilet

nf999@lemy.nl · 1 pts · 205d

Epstein island, just because they have tot open up the epstein files

RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 204d

The Patriotic Republic of Democratic Free Republicanistan.

Of course it won’t be democratic, or free, and the patriotism is punitively mandatory.

HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 203d

The official name for Mexico is the United Mexican States, a similar name to the United States of America but focused on the region of Mexico, the area which has Mexico City and the State of Mexico.

The problem with applying this to the USA is that, unlike Mexico, the USA was a collection of various colonies with different political and religious traditions coming together rather than the more unified viceroyality of Mexico.

Using words like Atlantic or Piedmont wouldn't work well as the words described the colonies as is but the nation was partially rebelling to be able to settle lands on the other side of Appalachian Mountains.

Columbia might work as the word was used as a by label for the USA, so the United States of Columbia. This would likely cause Gran Colombia to choose a different name for their country.

Outside of Columbia, I can't think of a name which would act as a label in which all colonies would agree.

EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 205d

Why not Columbia?

No, no Colombia (🇨🇴)!

Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 206d
[ removed ]
FelixCress@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 206d (2 replies)

Trumpland

Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 206d (1 reply)

Don't give him ideas!

FelixCress@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 206d

This one would actually be funny 😂

msokiovt@lemmy.today · -4 pts · 206d (5 replies)

The United States of The Vatican, because the Vatican owns the US... and they have since 1776.

sbeak@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 205d (2 replies)

...I thought the majority of Americans were Protestant?

sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 204d

This person regularly posts about this and honestly it makes no goddamn sense to me. I'd love to see how deep the rabbt hole goes though.

msokiovt@lemmy.today · -1 pts · 205d

In theory, yes. In practice, we were always Catholic inwardly.

sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 204d (1 reply)

Hey so I have run into you before and witnessed this take. I disagree to be clear but I am honest to god very curious what your evidence for this is.

msokiovt@lemmy.today · 0 pts · 203d

I can lead you to some videos on YouTube (through Invidious links, to protect privacy) about it.

Video 1: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=tVsb09Dggt4

Video 2: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=og87QKHfPaE

Video 3: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=jdAoZmRm-DI

Video 4: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=KU2JpUYtMyY

Video 5: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=Xn8TeQe643U

They're all from David Wilcoxson (nickname of Nikao), who's a protestant historicist who teaches prophecy fulfillment from a historical standpoint.