America is currently enjoying its status as the world’s most confusing proper noun, mostly because we insist on using it to describe a single nation while ignoring the massive landmasses attached to it. It is a linguistic feat to claim an entire hemisphere’s name for a country that barely makes up the northern third of the block, but here we are, doubling down on the ego. We have reached a point where the term has become a political football and a geographical nightmare.

Whether we are talking about the banking industry trying to monopolize the name or sports fans shouting it at stadiums, the confusion remains at an all-time high. - The United States: Occupying the name since the 18th century, much to the annoyance of everyone living south of the Rio Grande. - Central and South America: The parts of the map that people only remember exist when they need a vacation or a history lesson.

- Copa América: The annual reminder that South American football actually uses the name geographically, while we use it as a brand identity. From Bank of America’s endless attempts to own the corporate soul of the nation to our collective refusal to acknowledge that the continent exists outside our borders, the irony is palpable. We act as if the world map is a personal whiteboard where we get to erase the neighbors to make room for our own slogans.

The geopolitical implications of this naming obsession are as exhausting as they are predictable. We treat the hemisphere like a private club, yet we are constantly surprised when the rest of the world suggests we might be getting the terminology wrong. It is a masterclass in branding by attrition, where the loudest voice in the room eventually gets to name the whole house.

If we keep narrowing the scope of our global awareness to just our own backyard, will we eventually convince ourselves that the rest of the world is just a myth invented for cinema? Or are we already there, waiting for the sequel where the credits roll on our own self-importance?