Why I Decided to

No Longer Use Hyphens

When Describing Ethnic Americans
W hile I was writing an article, the ethnicity of a group came up, and I
once again set about typing the normal format: "Italian-American”.

I've Never liked that hyphen.

Lots of reasons, but just understand, it has always disturbed me.

So, I the hyphen and put in the plus + sign,

so, it would read Polish+American or African+American.
That made me feel much better!
It is doubtful this is original with me, but now, it IS my way of
making the point, in text, that I believe in a greater United States
of America, where all citizens add to the greatness of our nation.
Not by combining/assimilating/melting-in-a-pot-way, but simply
adding another voice, its wisdom and culture, to the output of
a people who do not define their nation by ethnicity,
or individual interests, but by common shared ideals.
Here are just two of the shared ideals of those original founding patriots:

E Pluribus Unum - Out of many, One. At the time of our country's

birth, this founding motto was often accompanied with a visual
metaphor of a hand holding a beautiful bouquet of field flowers, each
unique, adding inseparably to the multitudinous riot of different flowers,
creating a pleasing whole.

And a second set of ideals: I hold these truths to be self-evident, that

all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.

Do people still believe in the principles and ideals present at America's

birth? An America that put their ideals first, above their own individual
interests. Forget party, are you an American first?

Join me if you wish, ignore your spell-checker and whenever asked about
the plus sign, just say, 'America is strengthened with each additional
person who joins us, aspiring to our nation’s ideals.'
11/20/2021 Ralph R. Zerbonia
© 2021,2022, 2023 Ralph R. Zerbonia, may be used with attribution.