European Exceptionalism

[willemvanoranje]

Sweden and Norway is actually a part of Denmark, you just wont accept the reality. I mean, you speak our language, copied our flag and drink our beer

As for the beer I can't say anything in defence of Sweden.. but their language is way better. Danish is Swedish with an ugly German accent!

Oranje Legioen

The worst kind of "national pride" in the world!!!

Aaah, if you would have a decent team that could actually win (against Holland) more than 2 or 3 times in 10 years, you wouldn't be saying that.

 

[Ingvina Freyr]

As for the beer I can't say anything in defence of Sweden.. but their language is way better. Danish is Swedish with an ugly German accent!

You've got to give them credit for trying though. Had I immediate access to such excellent brew, I too would have problems with being intelligible.

 

[willemvanoranje]

Good point there. But the Czechs seem to be able to drink excellent beer yet maintain a reasonable level of speech.

 

[Swedishguy]

You've got to give them credit for trying though. Had I immediate access to such excellent brew, I too would have problems with being intelligible.

And they also have the chocolate "King of Denmark". Or... is it a swedish brand? ( )

 

[willemvanoranje]

Like the "Tiger of Sweden" brand?

 

[The Last Conformist]

Danish beer is overrated (particularly Tuborg). Give me German or Czech any day of the week.

 

[Ingvina Freyr]

The (un-)funny thing is that a Tuborg brewed in Sweden doesn't taste anything like a green one does in Denmark.

Anyway, I'm with you on the superiority of German and especially Czech beer. Add beer from the British isles and Belgium to the other three and you have my top five.

 

[Kyriakos]

Romans would disagree.

[defender of Archimedes]"No roman died while trying to solve a mathematical issue"[/defender of Archimedes]

(or similar quote)

 

[Winner]

[defender of Archimedes]"No roman died while trying to solve a mathematical issue"[/defender of Archimedes]

(or similar quote)

Oh come one, you Greeks still hate Romans?

BTW, is that true than in you language, you still call yourselves Romans?

 

[Mirc]

Oh come one, you Greeks still hate Romans?

BTW, is that true than in you language, you still call yourselves Romans?

Still? I had no idea they ever called themselves Romans.... But I know some people called the Byzantine empire "Romania", which of course, I find amusing. From what I know, in Greek, Greece is Ellada.
But varwnos probably knows better.

 

[Winner]

Still? I had no idea they ever called themselves Romans.... But I know some people called the Byzantine empire "Romania", which of course, I find amusing. From what I know, in Greek, Greece is Ellada.
But varwnos probably knows better.

I just heard it somewhere, so I wanna know if there is something to it.

 

[Wilhelm Kaleva]

Romanoi? I think it was the Byzantines who used to call themselves by that name. With a good reason to.

 

[The Last Conformist]

The byzantine princess and writer Anna Comnena called her people the Rhomaioi, ie. those of Rome (Lat. Roma). Now, I have no idea how long that term remained in use.

 

[Wilhelm Kaleva]

In contrast to the "American Exceptionalism" thread.

Are europeans fundamentally different than non-eurpeans? Please post your reasons.

Biologically some of us are quite tall, others not so tall. Some of us are hairy, some of us are not. Clearly we are unique!

Culturally most of us consider Greece/Rome as the cradle of the European culture. No other continent is able to trace their culture to just one or two sources. Oh wait a minute, Asians trace their culture to India and China.

Politically we have finally been able to unite after centuries of wars. But so have the Chinese, and even Americans before us.

Maybe the only thing that we really are an exeption in is the variety of cultures, languages, and peoples. Oh wait Asia, Africa...damn.

We think we are special, just like everyone else.

So no, that that much.

 

[REDY]

Heh I am personally patriotic. I think that its different from the country, Balkan is very different from rest of Europe...

 

[Mirc]

Heh I am personally patriotic. I think that its different from the country, Balkan is very different from rest of Europe...

I know, I know!

Well, actually, I should have said

Spoiler :

I know, I know! ...

 

[Bill3000]

Romanoi? I think it was the Byzantines who used to call themselves by that name. With a good reason to.

The greeks are the descendents of the byzantines, especially with regards to culture (moreso than ancient greece) and while it isn't always used as much as Hellene, it's still a self-designated term, IIRC.

Still? I had no idea they ever called themselves Romans.... But I know some people called the Byzantine empire "Romania", which of course, I find amusing. From what I know, in Greek, Greece is Ellada.
But varwnos probably knows better.

Basileia Rōmaiōn, technically, and the Greeks used that term before your culture ethnogenized.

Speaking of which, I'll never understand how the heck the Vlachs (Romanians and other groups, such as Aromanians, Istro-Romanians, etc) managed to keep their language and form ethnicites when their land was ruled by Turkic peoples since the abandonment of Dacia by the Romans... Gepids, Avars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Uzes - You'd expect assimilation to go the other way around.

 

[Winner]

The greeks are the descendents of the byzantines, especially with regards to culture (moreso than ancient greece) and while it isn't always used as much as Hellene, it's still a self-designated term, IIRC.


Basileia Rōmaiōn, technically, and the Greeks used that term before your culture ethnogenized.

Speaking of which, I'll never understand how the heck the Vlachs (Romanians and other groups, such as Aromanians, Istro-Romanians, etc) managed to keep their language and form ethnicites when their land was ruled by Turkic peoples since the abandonment of Dacia by the Romans... Gepids, Avars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Uzes - You'd expect assimilation to go the other way around.

Jews managed to preserve their identity for 2000 years, so I guess it is possible if you're stubborn enough

 

[Bill3000]

Jews managed to preserve their identity for 2000 years, so I guess it is possible if you're stubborn enough

But Jews had their own unique religion and a culture which is based on resistance to assimilation! I don't believe it's necessary to assume that the Vlachs had a similar identity. Why didn't they take the language of their rulers of the Turkic, slavic, and greek peoples surrounding them? The Dalmatian identity went extinct as they were assimilated into the serbo-croatians - why not the vlachs?

(If you find the term "vlach" offending, Mirc, I apologize - I am just talking about the ancestors of the Romanians, including their related ethnicities in other countries)

 

[Winner]

But Jews had their own unique religion and a culture which is based on resistance! The Vlachs had a language. Why didn't they take the language of their rulers of the Turkic, slavic, and greek peoples surrounding them? The Dalmatian identity went extinct as they were assimilated into the serbo-croatians - why not the vlachs?

Well, maybe they were too numerous or isolated from the invaders. Or the invaders were culturally inferior, so they adapted to the language of their subjects.