culture

[Gribble]

That's not a type of culture I like. I like cultures where you don't earn any rights to mock, you just do it when you feel like it and are happy when others mock yours, I'm happy with two way mocking. I like non-anal cultures that don't look up at themselves too highly.

If every idiot outside Australia talked about your country negatively while ignoring facts, reason and logic, eventually that happy-go-lucky attitude would dissolve. It gets old after a while.

There are a lot of dumb shits in America. But there's every bit as many dumb shits outside it. And every chance they get they want to make some kind of absurd remark based off either a brief vacation in the states, a stereotypical view, or some twisted nonsense one of the talking heads on TV spouted.

[IndiReloaded]

I can laugh at American culture, too. But don't you think it's quite different when a culture is self-mocking as opposed to an outsider looking in? Once you've lived among the people for a while, then you earn the right to mock it. Otherwise you're running the risk of stereotyping.

Oi! I lived there for > 8 years. Does that count?

[boobaa]

Ha! What, are you upset they aren't Estonian? Don't you like Swedes?

They are not swedish. Quite ugly also.


And about mocking... Its hard to mock estonians for example, because you would have to search information about it. Although I'd appreciate it. But american culture flows all over the media... its not that wrong to mock it. You don't realize it, because you live in it. Watchers are always best critics.

[DoesntMatter]

But they have one of the fastest growing economies, DM. If not THE fastest. So the population is poor, but its changing.

Yeah they have the fastest growing economy, at 8% a year. I'm pretty sure my dad invested a lot in the Chinese market a while ago too, so good

Your comment about genetics has no basis in research, if you mean intellectually. You were non-specific & sound racist. Shame on you.

LOL, me saying China is unlikely to have as many geniuses as central and western Europe is racist, but that the average Asian is smarter is not racist?

Anyways I stand by that statement 100%. If I look into any math text or science text, literally ALL of the discoveries were by people of central or western European ancestry, such as Germany, France, England, Italy, Denmark, and Switzerland (as well as some Russians)

However, Asians have a significantly higher than average intelligence than white people

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_Global_Inequality#National_IQ_and_QHC_value s[/url]

At the same time they are known to work like horses and try their hearts (from reputation and nearly all of my experiences) out so that obviously has influence compared to the large number of apathetic whites

So while even though the majority of Germans are not particularly bright, for example, something like genetic diversity is probably what gives rise to the number of extremely smart men they have had

It kind of makes sense from that standpoint. I mean, Asians can have what, only brown eyes? People from both sides of my family have brown, blue, and green eyes. Asians only have straight black hair, white people have straight or curly, as well as blonde, brown, black, or red and of more textures

- - - - - - -

I remember in another discussion with you, you told me the measuring of IQ differences across the globe was bullshit pseudoscience. Being completely objective, I disagree completely

[doppelgaenger]

Starbuck, in order to have an unbiased view, you have to see America from both the perspective of the insider AND the outsider. Here's this "nobody can make fun of my brother but me" rationale.

Before you can say America is superior to all other nations, you have to know all other nations. I mean, some of you people just string a few irrelevant facts together and you think that defines a greater nation. And once you examine each and every one of these nations, you'll just see how ridiculous it is, as if it were some kind of stupid contest. No single nation is better than another. What is really important, is finding out which processes work better than others, and applying those to our own society... I mean, obviously, it is nonobjective to have an opinion about this crap. It isn't even necessary.

[DoesntMatter]

Factors I consider are-

1) Standard of living (ours is high)

2) Education and technological achievement (ours is high)

3) Contribution to culture (our movies, music, and TV that foreigners just CANNOT get enough of)

[DoesntMatter]

Italy.

The food is delicious.

The people are lazy.

And the women are absolutely gorgeous.

God you know it. I still recall distinctly at least a dozen meals my relatives prepared for me while in Calabria for a month while I stayed there

Also don't forget the amazing beaches. Particularly in Calabria and Sardinia there are some great beaches where you can eat delicious food and spot beautiful women while you eat. Yes, I looooooveeee that

[boobaa]

Factors I consider are-

1) Standard of living (ours is high)

2) Education and technological achievement (ours is high)

3) Contribution to culture (our movies, music, and TV that foreigners just CANNOT get enough of)

But population is an ass.

[Mish]

If every idiot outside Australia talked about your country negatively while ignoring facts, reason and logic, eventually that happy-go-lucky attitude would dissolve. It gets old after a while.

People talk negatively ignoring the facts about my country all the time and there are lots of stereotypes attached to Aussies as well. But what I found and here's the difference, the Aussies I know couldn't care less. They don't get mortally insulted they just laugh it off, openly accepting some of the stereotypes even (and mock the other person's culture in return.)

And that's how I like it. I believe there's no need to hold some country or some culture up on a pedestal, most (all) are not suited for any.

[starbuck]

Starbuck, in order to have an unbiased view, you have to see America from both the perspective of the insider AND the outsider. Here's this "nobody can make fun of my brother but me" rationale.

Before you can say America is superior to all other nations, you have to know all other nations. I mean, some of you people just string a few irrelevant facts together and you think that defines a greater nation. And once you examine each and every one of these nations, you'll just see how ridiculous it is, as if it were some kind of stupid contest. No single nation is better than another. What is really important, is finding out which processes work better than others, and applying those to our own society... I mean, obviously, it is nonobjective to have an opinion about this crap. It isn't even necessary.

OK, Doppel, nowhere in my earlier post did I:

a. Say it was inherently bad or wrong to mock other cultures. When I said "earn the right" to mock, I meant "earn the right to mock responsibly." My point was that if you make fun of another culture without having spent a good amount of time in the country, then you run the risk of stereotyping people. That's all I meant. Mock away, but ask yourself are your jokes based on actual experience with a given culture? Or just an ugly stereotype based on snippets of pop culture and the news.

Let's take the stereotype of Americans being fat. Yes, there is an obesity problem in America, but I seriously doubt that many Americans embrace this as part of our culture. It's actually more of a national health crisis for us. It's also a regional problem, since you'll find that there are more morbidly obese people in certain areas of our country, not everywhere. For example, the big cities do not have the morbidly obese the way the rural south does. It is an ugly stereotype that seems to pervade the world view of Americans unfortunately. And it is something that people are actively trying to change, not embrace.

b. Say that America was superior to other nations. I don't know if the second part of your comment was directed at me or not. But it's not something I said or was trying to imply in my earlier post.

My post was actually not only directed at non-Americans, but Americans as well.

[misombra]

this thread used to not suck.

[starbuck]

Yeah I'm kind of tired of arguing about this stuff. Can we go back to flirting with the boys and talking about food?

[IndiReloaded]

I remember in another discussion with you, you told me the measuring of IQ differences across the globe was bullshit pseudoscience. Being completely objective, I disagree completely

It is. IQ tests are contextual. The data is real, but its only meaningful in a very narrow context. Western society's.

But, if you compare apples with apples, as you want to, Asians do better on those tests. And there are WAY more of them who do.

Watch the vid in my post, DM. Its obvious you didn't.

[shh!]

Australia is fatter than the U.S.

[url]http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/20/australian-obesity-survey-markets-equity-cx_jc_0620markets06.html[/url]

[IndiReloaded]

LOL. Mish will love this one. Confused tho, b/c according to this list, US is #9 & Oz is #21:

[url]http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html[/url]

They got tons of room tho. Practically no ppl in Oz, relative to US & Canadian cities.

Anyway, I was happy to see that Canada was waaaay behind the US & UK on that list. #35. Tho obesity is going up in Canada also.

Again, tho, given our closeness to the US, I wonder what accounts for the huge difference? Mexico was #19, btw.