[OMGWTFBBQ]

(Original post by Psyk)
So who is culturally asian? Even if there is no common asian culture, people still call other people asian, and some people even self identify as asian. So why is it wrong to do the same with Europeans?



Would you consider an Indian to be Asian simply because of their residence on the continent?

Yes, the Americas are a bit of a weird case. But that's because the USA is commonly called "America", so people associate "American" with the USA. It's not like there's one country in Europe commonly known as "Europe".

What about the European Union?!

[jb_keep_walking]

(Original post by Sir Fox)
Sure, I would do. They live on the American continent (which, by the way, is South, Central and North America including all nations from Argentinia to Canada) and have done so for millenia.

Just because nowadays the term "American" is mostly used to refer to the United States of America doesn't mean Brazilians are not American any more

Do you consider Russians to be European?

[Psyk]

(Original post by OMGWTFBBQ)
What about the European Union?!

Which Britain is a part of.

[GStevens]

(Original post by Classical Liberal)
In fact I really dislike parts Europe. I do not like France at all and I do not like the French. There is very little I like about French culture. And lets not forget that large parts of Europe waged war against the UK in the past.

Nah, lets forget that shall we. It wasn't in your lifetime, or mine, and probably not in your parent's lifetime. If your grandparents were early baby boomers, greedy gits who raped this country, then it was even within theirs. Don't you think it's time to forget that crap?

I actually have a much closer connection to America and Canada than Europe. When I go to America and Canada, I can fit in. I have relatives in America, unlike Europe. I feel like I understand the culture in America, I can walk down a street and it feel a little bit like home.

That's because you're shallow and lazy. They speak the same language and you soak up their culture through the media, it feels familiar.

Try harder, you're European.

[jb_keep_walking]

(Original post by Psyk)
So who is culturally asian? Even if there is no common asian culture, people still call other people asian, and some people even self identify as asian. So why is it wrong to do the same with Europeans?



Would you consider an Indian to be Asian simply because of their residence on the continent?

Geographically, sure, they are Asian. But the term outside of a geographical context is a useless one. I consider Indians to be Indians, not Asian.

(Original post by Psyk)

Yes, the Americas are a bit of a weird case. But that's because the USA is commonly called "America", so people associate "American" with the USA. It's not like there's one country in Europe commonly known as "Europe".

Non-responsive.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

(Original post by Psyk)
Which Britain is a part of.

That is irrelevant. You said there was no "country" in Europe which claims to be "Europe".

Yes there is. This is where the political issue comes in.

If I claim to be European do I bow to the authority of a European state or am I merely acknowledging an arbitrary geographical truism?

If the latter, would this really have spawned a thread of discussion? If the former, I am perfectly valid to reject the label.

[jb_keep_walking]

(Original post by GStevens)
Nah, lets forget that shall we. It wasn't in your lifetime, or mine, and probably not in your parent's lifetime. If your grandparents were early baby boomers, greedy gits who raped this country, then it was even within theirs. Don't you think it's time to forget that crap?

So you are eliminating hundreds of years of history so you can fit 'European' into your definitional framework?

[GStevens]

(Original post by jb_keep_walking)
So you are eliminating hundreds of years of history so you can fit 'European' into your definitional framework?

Sorry, where did I eliminate any history?

I just eliminated the ridiculous idea that we should carry the grudge ad infinitum.

You only have to look at the continuing situation in NI to realise why it's so stupid, they have carried grudges for hundreds of years. Ditto middle east. Everyone taking it in turns to exact revenge for the last round of revenge.

I bet you still refuse to talk to people who teased you in year 5, don't you.

[jb_keep_walking]

(Original post by GStevens)
Sorry, where did I eliminate any history?

I just eliminated the ridiculous idea that we should carry the grudge ad infinitum.

You only have to look at the continuing situation in NI to realise why it's so stupid, they have carried grudges for hundreds of years. Ditto middle east. Everyone taking it in turns to exact revenge for the last round of revenge.

I bet you still refuse to talk to people who teased you in year 5, don't you.

You live in a Utopian world if you think people can 'just drop grudges.' We'd also be a lot better off with no class division, poverty, and a monetary system. Unfortunately, that's not the way the world spins.

[Psyk]

(Original post by jb_keep_walking)
Geographically, sure, they are Asian. But the term outside of a geographical context is a useless one. I consider Indians to be Indians, not Asian.

Right, so British people are geographically European. They are Europeans. In the geographical sense. That's a fact.

(Original post by OMGWTFBBQ)
That is irrelevant. You said there was no "country" in Europe which claims to be "Europe".

Yes there is. This is where the political issue comes in.

Is the EU a country? That's news to me.

(Original post by OMGWTFBBQ)
If I claim to be European do I bow to the authority of a European state or am I merely acknowledging an arbitrary geographical truism?

If the latter, would this really have spawned a thread of discussion? If the former, I am perfectly valid to reject the label.

The thread title is "I am not European". However the OP is British, so they are in fact European. In a geographical sense. The OP didn't seem to acknowledge this, so I was pointing out that they are factually incorrect in saying they are not European.

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by jb_keep_walking)
Do you consider Russians to be European?

Don't know, rather not. But that's because their giant country is located on two continents (the bigger part being Asian) and even the European part is located at Europe's easternmost frontier. You can't compare it to the likes of Germany, Belgium or France which are basically in the centre of Europe.

Yet, simply by definition Russians from the European part of Russia (St. Petersburg for example) are European.

[Classical Liberal]

(Original post by GStevens)
Nah, lets forget that shall we. It wasn't in your lifetime, or mine, and probably not in your parent's lifetime. If your grandparents were early baby boomers, greedy gits who raped this country, then it was even within theirs. Don't you think it's time to forget that crap?

I think what we are starting to see with the Eurozone crisis at the moment is that little has really changed. The fundamental tensions of Europe have not been resolved, unlike what the pro EU people like to think.

Do not be suprised if somewhere in Europe turns into something not completey dissimilar to a Syria.

That's because you're shallow and lazy. They speak the same language and you soak up their culture through the media, it feels familiar.

Case in point.

Try harder, you're European.

Try harder. ROTFL. Should I waste my time learning Italian, when I could learn or do something useful.....

No, actually I will not. I will just do what I want to do, thank you very much.

I have been to Europe many times. And I am not a European. Europe is a very foreign place to me.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

(Original post by Psyk)
Right, so British people are geographically European. They are Europeans. In the geographical sense. That's a fact.


Is the EU a country? That's news to me.


The thread title is "I am not European". However the OP is British, so they are in fact European. In a geographical sense. The OP didn't seem to acknowledge this, so I was pointing out that they are factually incorrect in saying they are not European.

• I am not arguing geographically, as you point out this would be nonsensical.
• That's why it is in quotation marks. It is a political entity which could be misrepresented as the geographical continent so the analogy applies.
• I (and the OP) are not arguing geographically, this would be nonsensical. Read the content of the OP. It is not concerned with geography.

My position is not difficult to understand.

[tehFrance]

(Original post by Classical Liberal)
Who else feels a little bit like this?

Not me, I am French, I am European, I have Polish roots so really I am European either way

I do get where the British are coming from in regards to not being European, you are not on the continent so you are naturally not as included in the community as much as you could be which is a shame as I think you could be, shame really as it is great being part of the community however fiscally it is a disaster.

[jb_keep_walking]

Reminder: The EU is a country. A completely sovereign power. To say the EU is not a country, is to say that the USA is not a country.

[Psyk]

(Original post by OMGWTFBBQ)

• I am not arguing geographically, as you point out this would be nonsensical.
• That's why it is in quotation marks. It is a political entity which could be misrepresented as the geographical continent so the analogy applies.
• I (and the OP) are not arguing geographically, this would be nonsensical. Read the content of the OP. It is not concerned with geography.

My position is not difficult to understand.

Neither is mine. I made my point that the OP (and you) are geographically European whether you like it or not. And then you continued to drag that point out. Lets just say nothing else needs to be said about it. The OP is European, you are European, but you deny that is a cultural identity and believe that it is merely a geographical one.

[Psyk]

(Original post by jb_keep_walking)
Reminder: The EU is a country. A completely sovereign power. To say the EU is not a country, is to say that the USA is not a country.

No, it's not. EU states have the right to secede. They have their own militaries. I agree it's somewhat similar, but at the moment the EU is not quite equivalent to the USA.

EU laws only override British ones because following them is a requirement of being in the EU, and the current British government chooses to remain in the EU. If UKIP got into power, they could make Britain leave the EU without the permission of the rest of the EU.

[Nat$]

I think i lot of young Brits feel this way, i believe its due to the lack of travel and meeting people from around the world.

When i was on exchange in Kazakstan last semester, i was, and still am, good friends with some really cool French people, and had a awesome time drinking and laughing. (we are all meetin back up in the summer)

Now im just finishing up a semester on exchange in Rome, the place is full of Americans, and to be honest, im pretty sick of most of them.

I believe if you were to take the language barrier out of the way, you would most likely feel more connected to others from the mainland of europe, that you would to people from the US.

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by OMGWTFBBQ)
If I claim to be European do I bow to the authority of a European state or am I merely acknowledging an arbitrary geographical truism?

You're still forgetting that leaving the EU aside there is still more to the people of Europe than just a geographical feature.

Without recognising it we share a lot of similarities, some of which I already mentioned in a prior post. Think about the fact that we all use bricks and cement to build our houses (traditionally many American, Asian and African countries rather used wood, mud, plants etc.), that all European countries are full of churches and castles (just show me medieval churches in Asia, Africa [except from rare examples in Ethiopia etc.] or Latin America).

Some more examples:

1. Cuisine

English, Germans and other European nations - in contrast to most Latin American, Asian and African people - consume a lot of:

- potatoes
- wine
- beer
- dark bread
- sausages
- cow milk (not common in Africa, Asia etc. which is also clearly visible as most Asians and Africans are lactose intolerant)
...

Although there are differences the cuisines of Europe share many similarities.

2. Architecture

Just think about the basic structure of houses: most have two stories and feature a kitchen (many African cultures used to cook outside and still do), a bathroom, a living room and several bedrooms. Then think about basements: many European houses had and have these, not the case in many Asian, African and Latin American countries. Look at all the castles I mentioned, at churches and palaces. Then think about architectural stiles: Gothicism, Romanesque ...

3. Other (culture etc.)

- going to church on Sundays
- pubs (Kneipe in Germany) - there are subtle distinctions but mostly it's the same
- furniture - tables, cupboardes, chairs ...
- the whole education system (KG, Primary School, Secondary School, universities)
- fairytales, stories and legends: children in Spain, Germany and the UK are all fascinated by pirates, knights, fairies etc. whilst children in Africa or Asia listen to stories fundamentally different from our (in Ghana the children tell a lot of stories about strange demons etc.)
- clothes: people in the UK wear the same kind of suits, shirts and trousers Italians wear

Do you now understand the term European? There is so much which links the countries of Europe and seperates us (not in a negative way though) from the people of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

And just in case people point out that Americans (from the USA) and Australians do the same: they are descendants of European settlers and share >90% of our culture.

[OMGWTFBBQ]

(Original post by Sir Fox)
x

I apologise for being so lazy with my words. I refute the term European both politically and culturally. I hope to have made this clear in previous posts.

I have to take great care each time I reply not to entrap myself by either missing or including a different viewpoint on the word "European".

You argument that American culture is distinct but descended from European culture could apply to the culture to which I belong.

You would be very hard pressed to find an American who identifies as having European culture. The differences are important.