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[Servant Corps]

I hate how the Middle East expand every little second. First, all it meant was the lands around the Persian Gulf. That was it. It was part of a navy strategy for Great Britain. If Great Britain wants to keep the Indian colony from the Russian menance, they have to protect the Persian Gulf, since it provides a sea-based route connecting the Indian colony to Great Britain.

Then, some people decided it was a great idea to use the term Middle East to refer to all of Arabia. Then, they thought, let use it to refer to the Arab-speaking parts of Northern Africa. Northern Cyprus. Turkey. Iran. Afghanistan. Tajikistan. Now, it even engulfed Pakistan. What next? Will China join up with the Middle East because of its Ughiris? How about India? Over 100 million Muslims live there, and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority province, so of course, India has to be a part of the Middle East!

I posted it in the Middle East thread, but I realize that an expanding Middle East deserves a separate thread. I don't know, I really like the idea of words keeping a constant meaning rather than having its meaning change constantly based on the whims and desires of the people using those words.

[HAMMERMILL]

Kazakhstan is now considered part of the "middle east" due to its muslim population.

I think the relevantcy of the term "middle east" is less about geography and more about the domiance of Islamic people and Islamic law dominating the government.

[Servant Corps]

What about Lebanon and Israel? Neither of those countries are Muslims, yet they are commonly considered part of the Middle East.

[Duke 2.0]

What about Lebanon and Israel? Neither of those countries are Muslims, yet they are commonly considered part of the Middle East.

Proximity, and little else to call them other than Little Asia.

[HAMMERMILL]

What about Lebanon and Israel? Neither of those countries are Muslims, yet they are commonly considered part of the Middle East.

Well the demographics of Lebanon are rapidly shifting from Christianity toward Islam and Israel also has more then its share of Muslims as well.

[3]

...its meaning change constantly based on the whims and desires of the people using those words.

See: English language.

[Muz]

Heh, like I wrote in that other thread, Middle East isn't even a proper geographical term. It's like calling East Europe Middle North. Or North Africa/South Spain as Middle West. Don't worry about it.

Middle East implies that they're "to the east", but not "to the far east". They're not the group of people who have slanted eyes, obsessed with WoW, and use a funny chinese alphabet. They're the group of people who are terrorists, have a funny arabic alphabet, and marry 4 wives. Israel is only there because everyone blames them for what happens in the region.

It's gone from a "navy strategy" to a stereotype. Everyone who fits under that stereotype is "Middle Eastern".

[Kagus]

Soon, the Middle East will take over the hole world!  Then, nobody will know where they are!  MUAHAHAHAHAHA!


I've always been a bit interested by abstract terms like "the Western world" and "the Far East".  We live on a frikkin' GLOBE, people.  Everywhere is East from everywhere else, just as it's all Northwest from everywhere else.  I mean, with the nature of the universe, we don't even know what's up or what's down dog.  All we have is in and out.  And boy, do we ever have a lot of in and out...

You know, it's an amazingly good idea to just not post after midnight.

[Areyar]

Eurocentrism.
Payback to The (Middle) East for naming Europe 'the land where the sun sets'.

There are only orcs to the south east anyway, so who cares.

[Mephisto]

I can't find the pic now, but I saw a picture relative to the current discussion some time in the past.

What the world labels as "the far East" is to my west. Part of the "Western world" is to my east.

[redacted123]

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[Strife26]

I can't find the pic now, but I saw a picture relative to the current discussion some time in the past.

What the world labels as "the far East" is to my west. Part of the "Western world" is to my east.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's all America and Europe's fault that we have the Prime meridian where it is, and use that for the center of the map with the North pole at top. Damn Western dominance.

[Areyar]

You're on the wrong side of the globe, it's that simple.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

I can't find the pic now, but I saw a picture relative to the current discussion some time in the past.

What the world labels as "the far East" is to my west. Part of the "Western world" is to my east.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's all America and Europe's fault that we have the Prime meridian where it is, and use that for the center of the map with the North pole at top. Damn Western dominance.

That's probably because these are the places that have been kicking everyone else around for the past half of a millennium.

[Aqizzar]

Ironically, the terminology would be just as screwy if you used an Arabian map.  Traditionally (i.e. back when Arabia and Persia were the cultural centers of Eurasia), they rendered North and South the other way around, as originated in Egyptian maps (where the Nile flowed from the "top" of the world).  Which would put the Far East to the west of Arabia, and the Western World to it's southeast.

I remember one time I was to talking to someone about the north African countries, and Morocco was referred to as part of the Middle East, which of course is silly because it's west of Britain.  But I couldn't think of what else to call it, since it undoubtedly has more in common culturally and politically with Arabia than Europe.