"在这个国家美国人意味着白人其他人都必须加上连字符"

Simplified Meaning:

This quote talks about how in the United States, being "American" often means being white, while people who are not white are described with a hyphen indicating their heritage, like "African-American" or "Asian-American." It suggests that white people are seen as the "default" Americans, while others need labels to describe their identity. Imagine a classroom with students from various backgrounds. The teacher might naturally call the white students just "American kids," while describing others as "Mexican-American" or "Chinese-American." It implies that true belonging, or fitting the typical image of being an American, is often automatically granted to white people. This idea can be applied to daily life by recognizing and challenging these labels. When introducing or referring to people, it's important to avoid assumptions based on their ethnicity and to treat everyone's American identity equally, without needing extra labels for some folks. This change can promote a more inclusive and fair society where everyone feels equally American.