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[Flagrarus]

I agree with fenrif and Grakelin ( I don't really have anything to add, even  )

And if you're not trolling, then...just wow.

You want to achieve world peace by sending fantasy novels to impoverished countries. How would that even work? Have books alone brought peace anywhere, ever?

Would my people ( the Netherlands btw ) read and appreciate these novels? That depends on how good they are, obviously. But it doesn't mean they would suddenly become America's totally unconditional love slave.

[Grakelin]

Ironically, the Netherlands already has access to everything the United States has produced.

[Strife26]

Really, the core issue is a pretty small portion of general soft power.

Just a thought. In my mind, soft power is never the primary way for power.

[Flagrarus]

Ironically, the Netherlands already has access to everything the United States has produced.

Of course we do. But we don't get them for free 

[Grakelin]

Actually, let's do it.

I am an impoverished Canadian. Please send me the entire Song of Fire and Ice series to me, translated into my native language (Canadian English), for free. Thanks.

[Duuvian]

Actually, let's do it.

I am an impoverished Canadian. Please send me the entire Song of Fire and Ice series to me, translated into my native language (Canadian English), for free. Thanks.

That's what I'm trying to do. It would benefit us (Americans and Canadians) even more than it would foreigners. Foreigners would be reading what we send them and we wouldn't even have to force them this time! (it would function as propaganda but yet beneficial to both sides) Also why wouldn't the American government start printing out English books as well if it were a success? I like to read books. You like to read books. Foreigners like to read books. You don't have to read the books if you don't want to.

Anyways, as for "forcing" my culture on you. The books. They are just sitting there and if they happen to be of interest to you, then read them. If they teach you something then we both win. If not, then ignore them. The reason Americans don't read about the history of Norway is because most of Norway simply isn't of interest to the average American and to a lesser extent because there aren't free books about Norway laying around. However, something that would be of interest to some Americans is Norway/American relations. I'd assume this book would also be of interest to Norwegians. So, why don't the Americans print that book for free in Norwegian and send it to Norway? On the other hand, why doesn't Norway print the same book in English and send it to America? Norway is a very well developed country, so it would make sense for a book on a topic like this to be printed. You are correct in thinking it absurd that it would sway pro-American public opinion much in developed countries, but I think it would be very effective in developing continents such as South America and Africa. Please allow me to share a personal example of how a book could do great good if distributed in the various dialects of South America and especially Africa. I live on a small farm in Michigan. Michigan has been hit pretty hard by this "Great Recession." Detroit is currently hovering at 25% unemployment. I currently am unemployed and spend my days reading, working out, helping my father on the farm and signing up for all the Federal Schooling aid I can get. On our farm we are currently trying to find ways to increase our output to make our small farm more efficient. My father is retiring in a few years and will be able to live off his Social Security and plans to become a more serious farmer. He has always had a job in the city working so now that he is about to retire he is planning on moving his little 22 acre property from a half acre of garden and a few chickens to an actual farm. I mention this because we are using books to plan out the future of the farm to be super efficient using solar power. We plan to put in an irrigation system from a book by digging down to the aquifer near our field. (the water table is only about 6 or 10 feet here, it's yellow sand and we are on a small hill surrounded by lakes) My father has been composting and fertilizing the land for years. He did this because he read it in a book. Now, I don't propose we send books about utilizing solar power to Africa. We could mention it and make sure they know that the sun can be used as an energy source and that when they are ready to buy our solar panels, we'll be ready to sell them, but the important thing is to make sure they know the basic farming techniques that any westerner has access to simply by reading a book.

[Zangi]

Hey...  you want us to to spend taxpayer money on fantasy books for some person in Canada or translate some "Profits and Capitalism for DUMMIES" and give it away in Africa or South America? 

>.>

[Shades]

Mexico's the example.

Literacy rate: 92.8%

How much do you think you can achieve?

USA is only at 99%, so why should they be the guys that we (as a group interested in the betterment of mankind) turn to to achieve an improvement? Cuba for example is at 99.8% so surely they are better equipped to teach the world. Or Georgia at 100% but I figured you'd know more about Cuba being that it's closer to the USA.

[Duuvian]

Mexico's the example.

Literacy rate: 92.8%

How much do you think you can achieve?

USA is only at 99%, why should they be the guys that we (as a group interested in the betterment of mankind) turn to to achieve an improvement, Cuba for example is at 99.8% so surely they are better equipped to teach the world. Or Georgia at 100% but I figured you'd know more about Cuba being that it's closer to the USA.

OK. So by your statistics you are agreeing with me? People could read the material the USA would put out in this idea? Are you suggesting we send the books to Cuba then? Perhaps those excellent books mentioned earlier in the thread about the Cuban Missile Crisis would be very enlightening in Cuba. That is an interesting point you make. That is something I'll have to think about and learn about some time, how the Cubans themselves feel about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thank you for opening that window of thought for me. It could very well be that in that case those books would be detrimental to US Foreign Policy.

[Shades]

OK. So by your statistics you are agreeing with me? People could read the material the USA would put out in this idea? Are you suggesting we send the books to Cuba then? Perhaps those excellent books mentioned earlier in the thread about the Cuban Missile Crisis would be very enlightening in Cuba. That is an interesting point you make. That is something I'll have to think about and learn about some time, how the Cubans themselves feel about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thank you for opening that window of thought for me. It could very well be that in that case those books would be detrimental to US Foreign Policy.

Actually they should be sending you books, they have the higher literacy rate.

[Duuvian]

No, you've got it backwards, literacy rate is for reading the books, not producing them.

[Shades]

No, you've got it backwards, literacy rate is for reading the books, not producing them.

No it's the percentage of the population that _CAN_ read, it's very hard to write new books when you can't read. America is behind Cuba so clearly Cuba can help them catch up, based on the first post a good way would be for you to send them books.

[Duuvian]

Huh? I never proposed raising literacy rates, I just said they are going up on their own and we should take advantage of them and then you proved my point with your neat facts.

Basically America's literacy rate relates in no way whatsoever whether this would work. Especially not in the absurd sense that there is a 3% difference or whatever.

EDIT: I'm also not saying we should try to take over people's culture, just that we make friends with them by teaching them stuff. To generalize it down to one sentence.

[Shades]

Huh? I never proposed raising literacy rates

promoting literacy in other country's

You didn't?

Also 99.8 - 99 is not 3 it's 0.8.

[Duuvian]

Ok, well the main thing wouldn't be to raise literacy rates and just supply the books, and I didn't look at the numbers after reading what you wrote, so yes, you are correct. Would you despise me if I edit my former posts to not look like a tard for not seeing what I wrote in the several pages this has gotten up to now? Also, I'm not your enemy, why are you turning this from a productive discussion into something else?

EDIT: Also, Shades, thanks for pointing that out to me though, I am going to remove that about encouraging literacy rates in other countries in the OP. That should probably be their own responsibility. It will probably happen naturally, I'd imagine an illiterate person seeing people around himself becoming literate while he wasn't would encourage a him to try to teach his kids their letters.