In 1994 France passed a law banning the use of English words in official documents. There followed a highly entertaining (if you like that sort of thing) debate in the UK House of Commons as to whether to retaliate by banning French words[1][2]. The difference being, they were only joking while the French were deadly serious. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH0wvkZmGKQ&t=70 [2] https://hansard.parliament.uk/commo…
It's a pity that France does this because it diminishes them and makes the French act in ways that make zero sense. Once I got called to France for an in person meeting regarding some work for a French company. They insisted on having the meeting in French. I ended up sitting in on a meeting that went absolutely nowhere until they finally switched to English after me pointing out that English isn't my first language…
Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
591–600 of 605 posts
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#592Earlier quoted context omitted.
But they voted for the politicians that adopted those immigration policies - it doesn't happen by itself.
Those policies aren't actually popular though. They were were forced by the EU, other pan-European NGOs and a political class that has things nicely sewn up (i.e. if the major parties agree then you have nobody to vote for). Europe has a democratic deficit that gets airbrushed out a lot of the time. The UK had to leave the entire thing to try and get immigration under control and have still totally failed - they can'…
Brexit is the headliner of populism fest, of course the whole thing is sponsored by Dunning-Kruger. everyone with more than a fistful of minimally calibrated brain cells have saw through the "wages are bad because immigrants, EU bad, must leave EU"
> Everything is made to depend on everything else as a way to disempower the electorate.
Yes, the electorate. The famously well represented electorate. In the so well empowered UK elections.
Please.
There are plenty of completely valid and important problems of integration of various migrant groups, similarly there is a literal endless list of problems with the EU, as it's big complex and there's always going to be problems. And it's true of borders, inequality, elections and so on.
By gesturing at the problems and then loudly proclaiming the UK has to leave the ECHR, and that it can't really, and that everything is forced on the poor powerless groups "same way it's always done in Europe" is silly and just muddies the waters.
The UK and any other groups can as sovereign states can exit those agreements. Maybe other states will be disappointed, as no one welcomes complexity and paperwork, but those exact states are the ones that are going to respect the sovereignty that makes this possible.
And just as a small datapoint for anyone else reading. The EU typically goes very great lengths to make sure all members are represented, their needs heard, and as possible taken care of. Usually it's a shitshow, because how do you make a fair judgement between two members? Usually you don't, but make sure the weaker, smaller ones are not trampled by the bigger ones, and hope for the best. But then look at the border issue between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The EU put its foot down because it's the whole point that there cannot be a border between its members. So the UK wanted out, they had to give. It's the same thing with those pesky agreements and courts and rights.
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#593Earlier quoted context omitted.
The war came about through a trading inefficiency. The Chinese markets at the time (still holds relatively true today) was a selling market, not a buying market. They weren't interested in European goods. So European trading vessels would have to stock up on silver as currency, and sail to China to trade the silver for desirable goods such as porcelain and silks. European merchants didn't like this because its far mo…
Right, because we're going to believe Wikipedia + a recount of events that don't even include any insights into the actual plans of e.g. the British empire at the time. Think about why the British even introduced Opium to China and who controlled most of the production. Do you really believe they weren't plotting anything here? > If they were seeking to invade then European possessions in China would have been signif…
Please respect my language choices. What I wanted to impart is that the map of the world is not smeared with the word "USA" like Imperialism would otherwise desire. I feel like you're treating all war as conquest and I feel like there's more nuance.
> Right, because we're going to believe Wikipedia + a recount of events...
Well you're welcome to add your own sources to the discussion as opposed to idle speculation or axe grinding.
You believe what you want but its clear that trade _was_ an element that contributed to the opium war. Most conflicts have numerous competing interests and a wide variety of competing actors. The European age of colonialism made this all the more complex given the lack of effective telecommunications and travel distances. This resulted in more competing interests having more agency which makes conflict all the more complicated and introduces more opportunity for half-truths and subterfuge.
I would discourage this apparent idea you have that the entire British Empire was perfectly controlled by some entirely malicious, autocratic and bloodthirsty hand in some sort of 80's action film with an entirely clear distinction between good and evil. The British Empire _was_ brutish, callous and avaricious and its a better world now without it, but to paint it with the same hand as one might any historic conqueror is to render history into a black and white pastiche.
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#594Earlier quoted context omitted.
I usually can grab a few things from tone alone for a lot of languages. But I got a new greek buddy recently, and when she talks on the phone, my ears cannot lock on anything. Edit: completely unrelated, but I saw your username on lobster on a dead man switch thread (I use Shamir’s Secret for treasure hunts to I thought the DMS idea was cool). Do you happen to have invites? I started to write again, and wanted to pos…
Yeah, it's so far from other languages that you probably can't make out any of the words at all. I think I have some invites, can you email me about it?
Cheers.
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#595Earlier quoted context omitted.
Armies are generally uncool.
Until you barely have one and Putin decides he wants to murder everyone in your country and take your now former land. Consult your nearest friendly Ukrainian regarding how cool strong armies are. Would also refer you to societies throughout the ages who decided that singing Kumbaya was all that was needed to stop humanity's endless progression of deranged assholes, but sadly, most of them are no longer around.
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#596On the one hand: If your culture needs a preservation movement, it's not a culture, but a relic. Culture is defined by people, not some sacred thing that needs to be preserved. How much of the Italian cuisine they're trying to protect would exist if they had the same attitude in the 1500s, when the tomato was introduced to Italy? On the other hand: I think countries should resist global cultural homogenisation. No of…
I don't think its necessarily about the culture itself here, its merely a cheap populist tactic to rabble-rouse among a nation that has a rich history and struggles to handle the fact that its present isn't at that zenith. France do a lot of this sort of thing too. I would argue that belittling cultural preservation demonstrates deep Anglo-centric bias. While its fine for lulz, I worry that you're being sincere. Try…
I asked myself, and I said; 'meh'. Admittedly I speak English better than my first language now, and I'm also being deliberately facetious, but it's also true that I don't much care about my first language.
> Bear in mind one day English will no longer be the lingua franca as demonstrated by the word for lingua franca. ;)
I used to think it was hilariously ironic too, but then I stumbled on the actual etymology one day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca?oldformat=true#E...
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#597Earlier quoted context omitted.
Until you barely have one and Putin decides he wants to murder everyone in your country and take your now former land. Consult your nearest friendly Ukrainian regarding how cool strong armies are. Would also refer you to societies throughout the ages who decided that singing Kumbaya was all that was needed to stop humanity's endless progression of deranged assholes, but sadly, most of them are no longer around.
They're necessary , but not cool. You know, like garbage disposal.
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#598Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#599Earlier quoted context omitted.
The EU doesn't have a Court of Human Rights, that's an institution of the Council of Europe, which is unrelated to the EU.
You're right, I should have written the "European Court of Human Rights".
Re: Italian government seeks to penalize the use of English words
#600Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're right, I should have written the "European Court of Human Rights".
Assigning them to the EU is a common trope of the UK right wing