I am a U.S. American

UPDATE: I have also posted this on DailyKos and you can read the 50+ comments here.

The internet video sensation of the moment is Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina who brutally mangled an answer during her competition recently for Miss Teen USA. While her incoherent response is certainly funny to watch - it may also may have, however accidentally, contained a gem of idea. Read on.

Those of us in The United States usually call ourselves “American”. It’s short, simple and manages to put down everyone else who lives in North and South America. What could be better?

The only alternative I'm familiar with is the bureaucratic description of "United States Citizen". So while our neighbors to the north and south are also known as "Canadian" "Mexican", "Brazilian" and "Peruvian" - we are left to identify ourselves by a term either to arrogant or too technical.

Everyone is making fun of Miss South Carolina's inarticulate response and understandable so. Unfortunately, at that moment, she epitomized much of what the rest of the world thinks of us ... um… Americans. But she may have actually come up with something. Somehow the phrase "U.S. American" stumbled from her mouth and I think it is a great name for us ... um … United States Citizens.

"U.S. American" sounds good and is actually very catchy once you say it once or twice. It describes us much more accurately than “Americans” and sounds more naturally patriotic than overly basic “United States Citizen”. Also, we often call our country “U.S.A.” and “U.S.American” is a logical extension of that. Finally, "U.S. American" kind of looks like US (all of us) Americans, and that's a pretty good idea to be associated with in a national name.

So, Miss South Carolina worry not. Your frightened ramblings are now the subject of much mockery. But who knows - you may have actually brought us a gift - a much better way to describe the citizens of these United States.

UPDATE II: Maybe this is what she should have said.