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Author Topic: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say  (Read 1043801 times)

10ebbor10

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7425 on: November 19, 2013, 01:28:51 pm »

American foreign policy is largely to blame for that. I mean, pretty much every major conflict in recent years has had a US intervention, if it wasn't caused by the US in the first place. Using military force to spread your influence across the globe is seldomly appreciated. Europe's soft force of economic sanctions and sternly worded letters might have less short term results, but it's a much more popular alternative.

Also, Europe is a bit better on rights, QoL, aid (48% of world aid), better wealth distribution, much lower homicide rates, regulating markets and all that. Only thing from stopping it being a superpower is a joint foreign policy and army. Which are unlikely to happen.
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Flying Dice

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7426 on: November 19, 2013, 05:54:52 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.

The U.S. doesn't get the same deal because we're a federalist nation; the states are subordinate territorial units with a certain degree of self-governance; someone might introduce themselves as, say, a Kentuckian when speaking to other Americans, but probably not to people from other countries, because there is ultimately no national identity associated with the states. Except for remnants of the Republic of Texas and the Confederacy, but we prefer not to talk about those.

"American" is a useful term because it would be pants-on-head retarded to call ourselves United-States-of-Americans every time we mentioned our nationality. It isn't used to try to diminish the importance of Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central and South America, but because it's the closest we have to a good name for our nationality.

Someone from the Republic of Ireland doesn't call themselves Republic-of-Irish, because that would be stupid, even if it would be more accurate. People from the Republic of Korea (or the DPRK) aren't Republic-of-Koreans (or Democratic-Peoples'-Republic-of-Koreans) because it's a ponderous mouthful that isn't necessary. Same deal here.
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Graknorke

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7427 on: November 19, 2013, 05:59:15 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.
But the 'countries' are not really separate countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country, and England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are more like regions or counties. Calling them separate countries is just a symptom of outdated nationalism.
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Flying Dice

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7428 on: November 19, 2013, 06:08:36 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.
But the 'countries' are not really separate countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country, and England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are more like regions or counties. Calling them separate countries is just a symptom of outdated nationalism.
I spoke somewhat colloquially, but if you want to start nitpicking, I'll feel free to do the same. Functionally speaking, they are not states in the sense that they are not sovereign and do not have a monopoly of force within their own borders. However, they are, by definition, nations, in that a nation is a group of people who share the same culture. There is a nation of England, a nation of Wales, a nation of Scotland, a nation of Great Britain, a nation of Northern Ireland, and a nation of the United Kingdom.
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7429 on: November 19, 2013, 06:10:56 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.
But the 'countries' are not really separate countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country, and England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are more like regions or counties. Calling them separate countries is just a symptom of outdated nationalism.
RIP Graknorke, eaten by Owlbread and his kinsmen, 2013.

The only alternative demonym for Americans I've heard that isn't completely and utterly stupid is "Unions", but that's kind of unwieldy.
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Flying Dice

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7430 on: November 19, 2013, 06:11:50 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.
But the 'countries' are not really separate countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country, and England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are more like regions or counties. Calling them separate countries is just a symptom of outdated nationalism.
RIP Graknorke, eaten by Owlbread and his kinsmen, 2013.

The only alternative demonym for Americans I've heard that isn't completely and utterly stupid is "Unions", but that's kind of unwieldy.

I'd accept "Yankees", but a lot of my peers would call that a hangin' offense.
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scrdest

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7431 on: November 19, 2013, 06:17:59 pm »

Except Britain only contain on country, so British is pretty clear. We'll get to annoy them once (if) Scotland gain independence.
Define: Country
Because depending on how you define it the UK has 4. Though really they're more like meta-counties.
Also Great Britain doesn't include NI, which is a part of the UK.
The United Kingdom contains four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain describes the first three. It is, in effect, a country composed of several countries. Hence, someone from England can introduce themselves as both English and British, while a Scot could introduce themselves as Scottish and British, etc.
But the 'countries' are not really separate countries. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country, and England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are more like  :-[ or counties. Calling them separate countries is just a symptom of outdated nationalism.
RIP Graknorke, eaten by Owlbread and his kinsmen, 2013.

The only alternative demonym for Americans I've heard that isn't completely and utterly stupid is "Unions", but that's kind of unwieldy.

I'd accept "Yankees", but a lot of my peers would call that a hangin' offense.

'Usonian' was a proposed term once, but it sounds like crap.
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7432 on: November 19, 2013, 06:18:46 pm »

I'll accept the Euros calling us Yankees so long as they're fine with being called Euros, but amongst peers only New Englanders should be called Yankees.
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Graknorke

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7433 on: November 19, 2013, 06:20:54 pm »

I'll accept the Euros calling us Yankees so long as they're fine with being called Euros, but amongst peers only New Englanders should be called Yankees.
But we actually have countries that aren't just named after a continent.
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7434 on: November 19, 2013, 06:22:51 pm »

I'll accept the Euros calling us Yankees so long as they're fine with being called Euros, but amongst peers only New Englanders should be called Yankees.
But we actually have countries that aren't just named after a continent.
A continent named after a person. At least we aren't so arrogant as to have a continent (that isn't a continent) named "The Good Land".
« Last Edit: November 19, 2013, 06:24:39 pm by MetalSlimeHunt »
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Xantalos

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7435 on: November 20, 2013, 12:54:38 am »

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Wut
« Last Edit: November 20, 2013, 01:00:00 am by Xantalos »
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7436 on: November 20, 2013, 12:58:53 am »

Clearly they don't, since they used the apostrophe incorrectly.
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Gentlefish

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7437 on: November 20, 2013, 01:00:29 am »

Why don't we call the Americans a word from one of my favorite songs, I-don't-care-icans? Rolls right off the tongue, don't it?

Xantalos

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7438 on: November 20, 2013, 01:00:34 am »

Clearly they don't, since they used the apostrophe incorrectly.
Excuse me while I murder the person who invented Autocorrect.
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Oliolli

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Re: Amazingly Stupid Things You've Heard People Say
« Reply #7439 on: November 20, 2013, 01:17:38 am »

Waste of your time. He practically lives in a panic room.
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