"Eastern Europe" - why we hate the term
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As far as I see it though, Russia on your image makes up nearly all of 'Eastern Europe'. It's also quite distinct, culturally.Depends on where you draw the line. If I split geographic Europe into two parts, I get this:
White line separates Europe into Western and Eastern. As you can see, most of what people in the so-called Western Europe call "Eastern Europe" is in fact geographically in the West.
Point: Eastern Europe as a geographic term makes no sense in case of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Balkan countries and it is still a bit ambiguous in case of Baltic countries, Romania, Bulgaria and even Greece.
It's like having a set of numbers... 1,1,1,2,2,2,3,3,4,4,4,4,4,5,5,20 and making an average. The 20 will obviously skew the result. A way to get around that is to remove the anomaly. and divide the rest in two.
RedRalph
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Winner: Oh shut up with your "he has no evidence" crap.
Come here, meet random Czech on the street and tel him he belongs to "Východní Evropa" (Eastern Europe in Czech). I'll be glad to provide a translation of his answer to you, but I don't think you'll like
you dont have any evidence, wqe have to go on your word, and as someone who has previously dismissed the opinions of the majority of your countrymen simply because they didnt agree with you, you have no credibility whatsoever when it comes to representing the opinions of the people of the Czech Republic.
Very surprising, considering they live in a foreign country where they have to follow the rules set up by the locals. I guess they're just polite and don't want to make noise about it. And perhaps they've already told you how much they like it, but you didn't understand
Well that may be your estimation of it, but if I moved to Poland and everyone there kept referring to Ireland as, lets say, central Europe, I would have no problem whatsoever correcting them. so maybe Poles just dont find the term EE "offensive" as you claim they do. Seems a lot more likely to me than your explanation.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Let's just accept you don't have a single acceptable argument and just want to draw attention away from that
Anyway, I don't need you to agree with me, we're not discussing whether it is offensive or not, it is offensive no matter what you say in this thread. I just wanted to explain WHY is it offensive and why is it WRONG.
Ecofarm
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No doubt. You are on the 'wrong side of the tracks' still. EE is poor, dirty, and uneducated. What is your average level of educational attainment? Perhaps the education thing is an unfair characterization.
You can go on vacation in EE for $80 4 days/5 nights, 4 star hotel. You can't do that in western europe. It's practically visiting a 3rd world nation.
If someone does not think that western europeans look down on eastern europeans, they're not paying attention. Or they are living and socializing only with poor, uneducated immigrants.
But don't feel too bad, winner. Your country is likely on the way to western european living standards, and then that will change (but not entirely).
Swedishguy
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No, everything south of Sweden is Southern Europe.I thought everything east of Britain was Eastern Europe.
RedRalph
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Ecofarm
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And I'm sick of you speaking for western europe and pretending that it is without prejudice. In your little world, everyone might appear to respect everyone else. But in the real world, some people look down on others. Perhaps you cannot tell, looking up.
I would not consider someone that lived in europe, went to grad school, socialized with 100s of europeans, and lived with a few - to be clueless about european opinions. They are just as prejudice as anyone else. Quit pretending otherwise. If you are not pretending, it is grotesquely naive to think that western europe is without prejudice in regard to eastern europe. Or that EE does not carry intended negative connotations, for many.
Winner
Diverse in Unity
What evidence would you like, a signed letter from every single Czech with an explanation why he doesn't like it?
Get a grip. I am telling you that a crushing majority of people I know don't consider themselves Eastern European, and that a large majority of them find it offensive, to various degree.
And I dare say that I know far more Czechs than you do, even if I can't prove that to someone whose definition of proof is so narrow that nothing except his own conviction fits in
This is hilarious
Are you even reading my posts? We usually don't correct foreigners when they say it, because we're usually polite. I guess that happens when we're abroad as well.
You simply have to believe me, unless you want to learn Czech, move here, make friends and then talk about it with them in a friendly manner in a pub.
Our media NEVER use Eastern Europe when they're talking about Central Europe. Guess why.
RedRalph
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Winner: Get it inot your head. Because you have a track record of misrepresenting and dismissing the opinion of the majority of Czech people, you have no credibility in the area. In any case, you are speaking for many more countries than the Czech Republic. and I put even less faith in your ability ot represent the opinions of other countries public than I do your ability to represent Czech opinions. Thats what happenes when you dismiss the majority of your populations opinions because you odnt agree with them.
Winner, what do you find more offensive:
1)Czech Republic and Russia are similar countries, in Europe. Czech Republic is in the center, Russia is in the east.
Or
2)Czech Republic and Germany are similar countries, in Europe. Czech Republic is in the East, Germany in the center.
Option 1 = Including Russia in Europe
Option 2 = Consider Russia as outside of Europe.
Do you prefer your country to be included in a big lump with Russia, or do be included with France, Germany, UK, and separated from Russia?
1)Czech Republic and Russia are similar countries, in Europe. Czech Republic is in the center, Russia is in the east.
Or
2)Czech Republic and Germany are similar countries, in Europe. Czech Republic is in the East, Germany in the center.
Option 1 = Including Russia in Europe
Option 2 = Consider Russia as outside of Europe.
Do you prefer your country to be included in a big lump with Russia, or do be included with France, Germany, UK, and separated from Russia?
I feel offended by your comment Ecofarm. I'm living in Western Europe, I've been several times to Eastern Europe, I work with Eastern Europeans, and I've never looked down on them.
It's not the label 'Eastern European" which is offensive, it's your view. It engages your own ******** opinion, and I wouldn't like anyone else reading this thread to believe it is a wide spread opinion in Western Europe.
holy king
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eastern europe is the part of europe "where everything is still a bit cheaper, but prices are unfortunately catching up."
seriously as long as i can drive east for 15 minutes and get cigarrettes for half/2 thirds the price i had to pay 15 minutes before, i'm in eastern europe at that time.
that's what eastern europe means to me
now really seriously: for me there's
1.south east europe (bosnia, serbia, croatia, kosovo, albania),
2.central europe (austria, switzerland, southern germany, czech republic, slovakia, slovenia?, hungary? liechtenstein),
3.western europe (ireland, uk, france, netherlands, belgium, luxemburg, northern germany),
4.northern europe (iceland, norway, sweden, finland, denmark),
5. southern europe (portugal, spain, andorra, rome, vatican state, greece)
6. and eastern europe (poland, slovenia?, hungary?, romania, bulgaria, ukraine, belarus, lithuania, latvia, estonia)
7. and russia. (being part of europe, but it's own region.)
8. turkey is 3 things: european, middle eastern and central asian.
you see most eastern european countries derrive them being eastern european from the fact that russia is sort of a farer east region.
seriously as long as i can drive east for 15 minutes and get cigarrettes for half/2 thirds the price i had to pay 15 minutes before, i'm in eastern europe at that time.
that's what eastern europe means to me
now really seriously: for me there's
1.south east europe (bosnia, serbia, croatia, kosovo, albania),
2.central europe (austria, switzerland, southern germany, czech republic, slovakia, slovenia?, hungary? liechtenstein),
3.western europe (ireland, uk, france, netherlands, belgium, luxemburg, northern germany),
4.northern europe (iceland, norway, sweden, finland, denmark),
5. southern europe (portugal, spain, andorra, rome, vatican state, greece)
6. and eastern europe (poland, slovenia?, hungary?, romania, bulgaria, ukraine, belarus, lithuania, latvia, estonia)
7. and russia. (being part of europe, but it's own region.)
8. turkey is 3 things: european, middle eastern and central asian.
you see most eastern european countries derrive them being eastern european from the fact that russia is sort of a farer east region.
holy king
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I notice Ireland is excluded altogether
oops... saying uk and not thinking "those two islands" is sometimes hard.
Ecofarm
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It's not wide spread (among your crowd), but it exists?
It's different for someone who works with the people of x nation. That has a tendency to eliminate prejudice.
This is not my view. I am merely conveying the attitudes that I picked up regarding WE's opinion of EE, while living in europe and married to a european for many years.
It isn't, he listed UK as Western Europe
RedRalph
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oops... saying uk and not thinking "those two islands" is sometimes hard.
Ha! no problem man... but be careful not to say it in the Bogside or Andersonstown!!!
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