"Eastern Europe" - why we hate the term

[SS-18 ICBM]

1) It's wrong

I superimposed a compass rose on Europe's center, and I found the area described to be indeed eastern Europe.

2) It's offensive

That might be true for some people. But I use it in a purely geographical sense. But what would you prefer the area to be called then?

 

[TheLastOne36]

Culturally

Spoiler :

Grouping us with Russia is an insult. I said it earlier, and i'll say it again. If you said that in the bad part of Katowice (my home city) you will be beaten up by some locals.

How about we divide it this way: Eastern Slavs are Eastern Europe, Western Slavs are Central Europe, and Southern Slavs are Balkan/Southern Europe.

That might be true for some people. But I use it in a purely geographical sense. But what would you prefer the area to be called then?

Central European.

 

[holy king]

Grouping us with Russia is an insult. I said it earlier, and i'll say it again. If you said that in the bad part of Katowice (my home city) you will be beaten up by some locals.

How about we divide it this way: Eastern Slavs are Eastern Europe, Western Slavs are Central Europe, and Southern Slavs are Balkan/Southern Europe.

hey, i am not a western slav!!

 

[TheLastOne36]

hey, i am not a western slav!!

i knew i forgot somebody...

now how do we group the germans with us then?

Oh i have an idea! Central Europe.

 

[MamboJoel]

Do you prefere beeing called "Old Europe"

Note that in France, we refere to the languages west of the Rhine river as "Oriental languages"...
IMO, considering the European peninsula as a whole, those countries are in the center, I consider it's central Europe.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Note that in France, we refere to the languages west of the Rhine river as "Oriental languages"...

WTH? where did that come from?

How is Polish, or Bavarian, or Slovenian have anything to do with the Indian languages(if your from the UK) or South East Asian languages (if your american).

I've never heard that before.

 

[holy king]

WTH? where did that come from?

How is Polish, or Bavarian, or Slovenian have anything to do with the Indian languages(if your from the UK) or South East Asian languages (if your american).

I've never heard that before.

well, they are located to the east of france...

 

[innonimatu]

Calling the whole post-communist part of Europe "Eastern" makes no sense in either geographical, political, economic or cultural sense.

And why the hell are people simply accepting that there is some kind of cultural, political, or economic divide in Europe?

There is no true cultural divide in Europe!

Economic divides are transitory. And considering the heavy borrowing that has been propping up the economies of the old communist block countries (minus Russia, which has leveraged on its oil and gas wealth), my guess is that the divide will widen before it narrows again. Anyway, it's very hard to predict and ultimately pointless.

As for political divides, there's a thing called "borders"... and hat's as far as political divides should go.

- Estonia: a country which looks more like Finland than as its neigbours. Service base economy with worlds first e-democracy. Very perspective, it will become the richest former EE country in the next 10 years due to the most competent leadership in Europe (not just the "Eastern" part of it).

Estonia in particular is a terrible example, it may be about to implode financially. And the same can be said of Romania, Hungary, Poland and several other states.

Read this for a quick summary, and do some more research based on that.

 

[Mirc]

I superimposed a compass rose on Europe's center, and I found the area described to be indeed eastern Europe.

That means you cut Europe at the Black Sea, which is completely wrong.

 

[TheLastOne36]

That means you cut Europe at the Black Sea, which is completely wrong.

agreed.

It means you cut of Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, most of Ukraine, All of European Russia, and most/all of Belarus.

all of which is culturally and historically european.

 

[Gabryel Karolin]

agreed.

It means you cut of Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, most of Ukraine, All of European Russia, and most/all of Belarus.

all of which is culturally and historically european.

Most of north America is culturally and historically European, we don't include them in geographical Europe.

 

[Mirc]

Most of north America is culturally and historically European, we don't include them in geographical Europe.

Sorry, but we do include those areas from the Black Sea to the Urals and the Caspian Sea.

Just look up the definition of Europe.

 

[scy12]

I always wonder why do people at casual discussions always overlook to add Cyprus into the European category in graphs.

 

[holy king]

I always wonder why do people at casual discussions always overlook to add Cyprus into the European category in graphs.

cyprus? bah, those greedy bastards didnt want to share their bronze working technology with anyone for centuries. i'll never forgive them for that!!

 

[Steph]

Grouping us with Russia is an insult. I said it earlier, and i'll say it again. If you said that in the bad part of Katowice (my home city) you will be beaten up by some locals.

That's why I put Russia outside of Europe, I put you with Europe, and so you are in the East.
Russia is "Far Far Eastern not really Europe"

 

[Rossiya]

WTH? where did that come from?

How is Polish, or Bavarian, or Slovenian have anything to do with the Indian languages(if your from the UK) or South East Asian languages (if your american).

I've never heard that before.

"Oriental" means "east".

 

[TheLastOne36]

"Oriental" means "east".

so Russia is in Oriental Europe?

 

[Rossiya]

so Russia is in Oriental Europe?

In a word, yes. And so is Poland.

 

[holy king]

In a word, yes. And so is Poland.

and germany!!

 

[Rossiya]

and germany!!

Nar. That's strongly central European. IMOOOO