re: Bavarian Prince decries Oktoberfest cultural appropriation

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Demographers regard the reported number of English Americans as a "serious undercount", as the index of inconsistency is high and many if not most Americans of English ancestry have a tendency to identify simply as "Americans" or if of mixed European ancestry, identify with a more recent and differentiated ethnic group.

In the 1980 census, 49.6 million Americans claimed English ancestry. At 26.34%, this was the largest group amongst the 188 million people who reported at least one ancestry. The population was 226 million which would have made the English ancestry group 22% of the total. Scotch-Irish Americans are for the most part descendants of Lowland Scots and Northern English (specifically County Durham, Cumberland, Northumberland and Yorkshire) settlers who migrated to Ireland during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century.

Additionally, African Americans tend to have a significant degree of English and Lowland Scots ancestry tracing back to the Colonial period, typically ranging between 17 and 29%.


The majority of the Founding Fathers of the United States were of English ancestry.

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A study published in 1909 titled A Century of Population Growth. From the First to the Twelfth census of the United States: 1790–1900 by the Government Census Bureau estimated the English were 83.5%, 6.7% Scottish, 1.6% Irish, 2.0% Dutch, 0.5% French, 5.6% German and 0.1% all others of the white population for the 12 enumerated states. "Hebrews" (Jews) were less than one-tenth of 1 percent. When the Scotch and Irish are added, British origins would be more than 90% of the European ancestry. The same 1909 data for each state (of the total European population only) of English ancestry were Connecticut 96.2%, Rhode Island 96.0%, Vermont 95.4%, Massachusetts 95.0%, New Hampshire 94.1%, Maine 93.1%, Virginia 85.0%, Maryland 84.0%, North Carolina 83.1%, South Carolina 82.4%, New York 78.2% and Pennsylvania 59.0%. CPG estimated that, of all European Americans in the Continental United States as of 1790, 82.1% were English, followed by 7.0% Scotch, 5.6% German, 2.5% Dutch, 1.9% Irish, and 0.6% French.

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just about wearing a costume to get drunk in.'

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I have seen the rapid erosion of the meaning of many HOLYdays. Yes, we have all seen how Christ is rapidly being removed from Christmas and how Christmas is used by some as an excuse to have a debauched office party where drunkenness and lasciviousness cloud and cover the holy meaning of Christ's birth. But consider our other holidays. St. Patrick's Day has been coopted, no, hijacked by carnal tipplers and barflies. More and more Thanksgiving becomes a day to celebrate football and gluttony rather than the blessing God gives. All Saints Day is ignored. New Years Day is celebrated on January 1 rather than the first Sunday of Advent, which is the true beginning of the year. Mardi Gras has, like St. Patrick's Day, been corrupted to the point that most Americans see it as a debauched day for reprobates rather than the holy day that it is. Ours is a nation whose foundation has gone missing. Americans seem to prefer entertainment, fighting, and getting drunk to spiritual pilgrimage, almsgiving, works of love, prayer, and church service. If we can slowly take back our holidays, maybe we will have a chance.

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the annual German festival is 'just about wearing a costume to get drunk in.'

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