So yeah there’s a difference obviously, and I live in the US so people around me always use it that way.
But when I see somebody in European media refer to the American people, or some country getting aid and/or bombed by “America” or “the Americans” it is almost certainly about the USA.
I think there are similarities with other regions if not single countries. Hopefully this isn’t an American thing too, but when somebody refers to Asian people it often means East Asian, and not somebody from Saudia Arabia or northern Russia.
I’ve noticed recently that our European family and friends have this pattern where they’ll call it America or the USA when they’re saying something positive or hopeful about the country, but then they’ll say “the States” or “the US” when being critical or showing concern. It’s very interesting and I wonder how common that is.
So yeah there’s a difference obviously, and I live in the US so people around me always use it that way.
But when I see somebody in European media refer to the American people, or some country getting aid and/or bombed by “America” or “the Americans” it is almost certainly about the USA.
I think there are similarities with other regions if not single countries. Hopefully this isn’t an American thing too, but when somebody refers to Asian people it often means East Asian, and not somebody from Saudia Arabia or northern Russia.
I’ve noticed recently that our European family and friends have this pattern where they’ll call it America or the USA when they’re saying something positive or hopeful about the country, but then they’ll say “the States” or “the US” when being critical or showing concern. It’s very interesting and I wonder how common that is.