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Stop Generalizing About Europe

jonasbentzen.com

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Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#331

Post by DannyBee »

loxs wrote: post #275
DannyBee wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BTW, just to point out a common and incorrect generalization you made in this very comment: "Yet, the two USA states share the same language (at least on official level)" No, they don't. At the federal level, there is no official language. At the state level, English is an official language of California, however it is not an official language of Louisiana. See the table at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-only_m…

From Wikipedia: "According to the 2000 census, among persons five years old and older,[78] 90.8% of Louisiana residents speak only English (99% total speak English)." Ok, it might not be "official". Only "de facto".

It's less now in 2010, if i'm reading the 2010 census files right.

Also, for California, the number is only 58%. "As of 2005, 58% of California residents age five and older spoke English as a first language at home".

So they are still very different.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#332

Post by CrLf »

erebrus wrote: post #107

It's amazing how many from the USA insist that the inner diversity in the USA is comparable to the one in Europe. I've heard this many times, namely here in HN. It is not comparable. PERIOD. Even if the poster goes a bit to the extreme of bringing Russia in to the conversation, even inside the EU, there is still no comparison on how how diverse Europe is (e.g. Portugal to Norway, Greece to France, Spain to Germany) c…

Actually, Norway isn't part of the EU. They have rejected membership by referendum, twice.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#334

Post by moultano »

jballanc wrote: post #198
carbocation wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's trivial, and obviously not the point of this offshoot thread. While the federal government regulates interstate commerce, each state is free to set up its own tax structure, create different incentives for businesses to open up shop, etc. And each state has its own set of natural resources and hazards. The question of which US state has the fastest growing economy is equally interesting as the GP's question ab…

I don't see how they are at all related. For one thing, I can pretty much guarantee you that the difference in GDP growth between the fastest growing European economy and the slowest is leaps and bounds larger than the same difference between states. For another thing, for many businesses in the US, it's fairly trivial to relocate should things go south. Not so for moving between countries in Europe.

I don't think you are correct. There are some deeply poor regions of the US that have been that way for 100 years.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_povert... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081031102640.ht... Between states it ranges from 5% to 20%. Between countries in Europe it ranges from 10% to 20%. I'm sure the figures aren't directly comparable, but it at least suggests that there's a similar level of economic diversity.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#335

Post by pelle »

davedx wrote: post #289
pelle wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Scandinavia there is a small vocal subculture talking "startup". It is however a very small subculture. The majority of employees you will encounter will not be very entrepreneurial.

But they won't be 'ambivalent', will they? I mean, I've never met anyone here in the Netherlands that has negative feelings or things to say about startups or the like. In fact quite the opposite: my partner's entire family are all involved in them.

As I said there are some very entrepreneurial people in Denmark. It's just the majority of people will have ambivalent relationship to it. Meaning that while they might say the idea sounds cool, they will be strict about leaving early from work to pick up the kids, worry more about what courses the company can sponsor and getting their 7 weeks of vacation in than what they personally can do to make sure it's successful.

The entrepreneurial (and geeky) Danish people are extremely hard working though.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#336

Post by dfxm12 »

vacri wrote: post #207
gyardley wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they do. I wasn't suggesting the contrary.

You were implying that CA and LA have more varied internal culture than do Bulgaria and Romania, else you wouldn't have made the comparison - it would have been redundant to what loxs had said.

That's what you inferred. gyardly says nothing about the internal culture of Bulgaria and Romania.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#337

Post by PoliticsJunkie »

lispm wrote: post #327
PoliticsJunkie wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Germany may import more into the EU market than anybody else including UK. That's not my point. My point is that from the British perspective it is much better to open borders and trade with India, Canada, Australia, US, then to try doing the same with the EU. They closed themselves in the EU-block distancing from emerging markets in Asia and from the Commonwealth while Indians for that example are literally…

Germany is in the EU and trades very successful with China, India, Brasil, Russia, US, ... http://atlanticsentinel.com/2011/03/bric1-germanys-new-bedfe... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/23/us-germany-china-i... If the UK can't do that, it is not due to the EU, but because of local incompetence. Germany has high growth rates in trade with the countries and a huge export surplus (even with China).

When WTO meetings are taking place there is no UK representation. There are unelected EU officials representing them as well as the whole EU. Maybe because they are mostly German speaking it's good for the German economy, but killing British?

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#338

Post by PoliticsJunkie »

rmc wrote: post #328
PoliticsJunkie wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. This a feudal phenomenon right from the Middle Ages. The Papal Rome (EU) that deals with the big stuff and regionalization. That's why many historians and philosophers claim that times we are living in will be referred to as neo-feudal in the future: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-feudalism That's backwardation. Similarly, in the Middle Ages there was no concept of nation states. Sounds like EU agenda, doesn't…

And yet, christian groups think the EU is a secular force trying to destroy the christian values they believe in with things like allowing women to work, allowing gays to exist, etc. So who's right? Or are you both extremists?

Church doesn't allow women to work and gays to exist? Wow...

Neo feudalism is so much more than obsession with religion. Look, it may as well be our obsession with Liberal Democracy.

Btw, socialism/communism is religion if you ask David Horowitz or just listen to Slavoj Zizek.

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#339

Post by PoliticsJunkie »

_pferreir_ wrote: post #313
PoliticsJunkie wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EU is a failing Project that has chosen to ignore democratic procedures and no-votes for decades. It doesn't work, it never did and it never will. It's basic economics that you can't have the same central bank for two countries like Germany and Greece, isn't it? But not when integration unelected fanatics like ex-marxist Barroso come into play. They don't care about nuances like democratic NOs or economic commonse se…

Your speech is starting to sound too stereotypical and plain xenophobic to be taken seriously, but I'll give it a try. Countries that "import unemployed people" do so for their own good. Or do you know a lot of Brits currently willing to do housecleaning work or have a factory job? Switzerland is a good example of that. ~30% foreign workers, most of them doing the jobs that Swiss people themselves would rather not do…

"Stereotypical" and "plain xenophobic" speech is yours not mine:

Countries that "import unemployed people" do so for their own good. Or do you know a lot of Brits currently willing to do housecleaning work or have a factory job?

Thank you for admitting that Germany might actually have a hidden agenda behind all this crazy pro-EU talk.

Cheers!

Re: Stop Generalizing About Europe

#340

Post by drone »

kamjam wrote: post #122
milesskorpen wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most Americans would break the European continent into "Europe" (aka continental W. Europe), the UK, East Europe, and Russia. Even if rounded up, there is a clear distinction between Europe (W. Europe + UK) and East Europe (E Europe + Russia) which probably has something to do with Cold War borders and allies.

I think most Americans would break the European continent into "Europe" (aka continental W. Europe), the UK, East Europe, and Russia. I think you're over generalizing now in thinking that most Americans know any other nations exist outside of America! I don't think I have ever met anyone though that doesn't think of the UK as part of Europe. Note there is a very clear distinction between Europe and the European Union…

I think you're over generalizing now in thinking that most Americans know any other nations exist outside of America!

Are you kidding me? This base derogatory discourse does no one any favors.

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