Sorry to ask, I don’t want to seem ignorant but I really don’t get it. Like, I saw a post on someone identifying as Norwegian-American and I thought of what another commenter said that most people don’t do the stuff Americans do and how most people will see them as American. But I see many Americans strongly identify with a culture they were raised with. Is it still okay for them to do that? What’s the point?
Some families are much more connected to their home country than others. Americans 3rd gen and beyond often have very little connection. The issue is where Irish culture is distinctly different from Irish-American culture, Italian different than Italian-American. You can’t go “back” to the home country and fit in. It’s not the same.
Irish-American is distinct from Italian-American too though and I think that has a lot to do with why some Americans consider it part of their identity.