Marion and Dianavan - Dianavan got my point , which was about the name of the country not the name of its inhabitants (Staters is possible bgut sounds rather awkward). And then you lost it again, reverting to callling the US America.
Yes, America is familiar terminology, but goodness me, so are United States, the States, USA. Surely?
My point was not so much that Brazilians mind Americans being called Americans, but minding the USA being called America.
WYSIWYG made the same point near the beginning, and as for glass houses and other perfect countries, nobody is saying any country is perfect; that is why every country can be examined and called to account. And in freedom-loving democracies, criticism (which can be constructive) and calling-to-account is part of their raison d'etre.
If we stick to glass house and motes and beams quotes as iron laws, most of the BS threads would cease to be, would meet the quire invisible, would have the curtain rung down on them. The Iraq war is partly a manifestation of criticism of another country. Constructive? See Wolfgang's original posting.