hyphenated Americans

this derogatory term arose from the earlier custom of joining national origin group to "American" with a hyphen. ("Hyphenates" is especially disparaging.) Today noun forms are never hyphenated (Arab American, Chinese American) and adjectival forms generally are not (Irish American Cultural Institute and The Finnish American Reporter, but Anglo-American). Much conservative concern about these "hyphenated Americans" suggests that they are not as fully American or loyal as the rest of us. Lynn Laitala says that the supposedly endangered species, "just plain American," was always white, male, and privileged; "Our divergent histories do not confer special privileges. They give us special perspectives." When using "Cuban American," "German American," etc., use also "European American" rather than an unqualified "American," which would imply a standard against which others are contrasted. See also multicultural.