The New Seven Wonders of the World

[hrhomer]

Don't agree.

Maybe for you americans Statue of Liberty is more impressive than the Christ Redeemer, but only for you, not for the people of Brasil that voted and put it's statue on there.

I am an American, and I feel that the Statue of Liberty is the more impressive statue.

But NEITHER belong within sniffing distance of this list. How can one look at the Taj Mahal, or Angkor Wat, and put either statue in the same league?

Joe

 

[genovais]

I think they got it right for the most part -- I do think the Statue of Liberty should have been on there, as well as the Easter Island statues (we still aren't sure what they mean or how they managed to stand them), but I think Christ Redeemer is a good choice. I got to go to see Him in Brazil last summer, and even as an atheist, I was very impressed.

 

[Lehm]

I think they got it right for the most part -- I do think the Statue of Liberty should have been on there, as well as the Easter Island statues (we still aren't sure what they mean or how they managed to stand them), but I think Christ Redeemer is a good choice. I got to go to see Him in Brazil last summer, and even as an atheist, I was very impressed.

It doesn't matter if you´re an atheist or not... fact is, one can rebuild that statue within a couple of weeks exactly as it was before (just in case of a destruction or so). There is nothing of engineering art or special technics and it´s only 150 years old. Like others said, there are dozens of these statues around the world.

To let the people (visitors) vote for the wonders is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Train]

It doesn't matter if you´re an atheist or not... fact is, one can rebuild that statue within a couple of weeks exactly as it was before (just in case of a destruction or so). There is nothing of engineering art or special technics and it´s only 150 years old. Like others said, there are dozens of these statues around the world.

To let the people (visitors) vote for the wonders is absolutely ridiculous.

Wonders are not only made by engineering projects... The Christ is very artistic, don't say what you don't know, it was made by a french and a brazillian archtects. The statue have only 76 years, and in the year that it was built, it was not so easy like it could be today to climb a mountain 700 meters tall and build a statue there.

If the world have other dozens of statues, Christ Redeemer is one of the most impressive due to it combination of things that makes it beautiful. (Where are the others?!? I only saw Statue of Liberty in the contest...)

Statue of Liberty is also very impressive, maybe my second choice of statues, but I prefer the Christ, it is MY opinion, everyone here got yours.

In regards to the Pyramids, they were taken out of the voting because Egypt... (read the full text on his post) ...the Colloseum will finally make it as a Civ World Wonder (arena could replace it as a regular building*).

I enjoyed your text and what you think.

 

[wurm657]

I'm a bit upset Angkor didn't make it...but I think everyone is taking this list a bit too seriously.
I really don't think the list means anything in the long-run, and not being on it can't diminish the impact a site has on individuals.
BTW: I've seen a total of 1 of the Wonders with my own eyes (The Statue of Liberty...whoopee) so I think I get to gripe the most! I never get to go anywhere !

 

[hvevo]

The Christ Redeemer is definitely a joke in the list. Honestly, I've never even heard of it before it was announced to be in BtS (I suppose Cristo Rendertor is indeed the same as the Christ Redeemer), and I'm astonished it was made it to the list. Probably the only statue I could have given such an honor is this (although it's more a fountain than a statue...). IMO, Timbuktu and Hagia Sophia should have made it, and the Colloseum and the Christ statue shouldn't have. Otherwise, I'm quite happy with the list.

 

[Hian the Frog]

Funny.... but useless.

It's mainly political and nationalist choices that allow some of the "wonders" to be elected as.
IMO, it would be better to try to protect as more as possible all these fabulous human creations (whatever they are) from natural disaster, (too great) mass turism and even sometimes extremists raving madness. Never forget that some of the greatest statues ever built were destroyed by a group a religious extremist: it was the Buddhas of Bamyan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Statues_of_Bamiyan

Hian the Frog

 

[lumpthing]

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) did not endorse the "contest" as they felt that the decision should be left to scientists. It is just another rediculous display by the UN. Why should it be up to some lab coat wearing, know-it-all, morons over the populace...

Two reasons why the UN was absolutely right (and why Egypt were right to withdraw the pyramids):

1) The UN are informed enough to know that 'the populace' are not going to vote in this. The vote is not a reflection of the world populations' opinions, just a minority who heard about this vote and cared enough to vote. I myself had never even heard of this vote and I read much more international news than national news.

2) Scientists are going to be much less likely to be influenced by mindless patriotism. The Brazilian poster on this thread more or less said that Christo Redenter deserved to be a wonder because 'it have a big population supporting it'. What kind of reasoning is that?! I would never vote for Stonehenge simply because it is in my country, yet I'm sure thousands of others would.

 

[Falk]

Hahaha, I am so laughing my a** off - Christo Redentor? A mixture of Brazilian nationalism and religious feelings got the statue on this list.

However, I think choosing new 7 wonders is complete nonsense no matter which wonders make it to the list. Today there are dozens of buildings around the world that all deserve to be considered as a world wonder. Just like in CivIV. Limiting this impressive list to only seven is foolish.

Let's not support the "new 7 wonders" but instead promote a list that includes ALL wonders of the world and is open to new additions as they are build.

 

[Pounder]

I thought the whole idea of wonders was that they made you wonder how did they do this at the time they were built.

Some of these we know how they were built and therefore there is nothing to wonder about.

 

[UnspokenRequest]

How did the Pyramids not get chosed? Yeah, I see they "retained" there status. But, seriously, they are the most impressive structures of human civilization.

Hell it's the first thing I build in every Civ4 game (assuming I have access to stone ).

Egypt asked for the Pyramids to be taken away from the vote, because they thought the Pyramids shouldn't fight any challenger to merely retain their status.
By giving them this status, it actually place the Pyramids above (or at least in another category: old world wonders) the New 7 World Wonders.

 

[lionheart]

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) did not endorse the "contest" as they felt that the decision should be left to scientists. It is just another rediculous display by the UN. Why should it be up to some lab coat wearing, know-it-all, morons over the populace... who this is really about anyway. Personally, I don't care what motivations were behind this Swedish guys agenda. The point of this really came down to bringing the world together in a multicultural project. Instead, it seems that we can't seem to get our heads out of our own butts long enough to unite over a simple friendly contest. It is just sad.

I disagree.. As a history student, I think the only people who are truly qualified to judge these buildings ARE people who know how to judge the many different wonders of the world on their many different distinctions.. And it shouldn't just be historians, but also archeologists, architects, engineers and so on..

When you let the general population vote for anything, the end result quickly turns into a farce, as we constantly see in things such as the Eurovision Song Contest, the different 'Idols' and similar shows, the Greatest 'name your nationality here' and so on and so forth.. Example: the Greatest Dutchman show was held not too long after popular populist politician Pim Fortuyn was gunned down. His historical record was only worthy of a footnote, but he was actually voted Greatest Dutchman ever, beating people like William of Orange and Michiel de Ruyter.. (The people of the show actually mentioned that, had all votes been counted before the deadline, William of Orange would've won, but still..)

Trust me, it isn't always a good thing to let elections up to the general population. That's why we have trained professionals for certain things..

This list is, quite honestly, a joke..

 

[XplorR]

While there's no effective way to get the opinion of the world on what should be the Seven Wonders; Having the voting done by web votes and cell phone texts puts a strange skew to the results. Almost as if it was a World wide version of "American Idol."

 

[elmoro]

This whole 07/07/07 "New 7 Wonders" is a brilliant idea to make monry...period!

1) The voting process is not fair, some countires have a higher interenet access vs. others.

2) There is no clear cut criteria why this building was choosen, why this is wasn't

3) Politics is playing a HUGE role, whichever country will have any of its sites listed as a new world wonder will be swamped with tourists, a boost to either the country's economy or.....

So at the end of the day, congratulations to whoever became filthy rich with such an idea, and I sincerely hope people become less superficil and more in touch with the reality.

Have a good days fellow Civillers!

 

[SJSerio]

I disagree.. As a history student, I think the only people who are truly qualified to judge these buildings ARE people who know how to judge the many different wonders of the world on their many different distinctions.. And it shouldn't just be historians, but also archeologists, architects, engineers and so on..

When you let the general population vote for anything, the end result quickly turns into a farce, as we constantly see in things such as the Eurovision Song Contest, the different 'Idols' and similar shows, the Greatest 'name your nationality here' and so on and so forth.. Example: the Greatest Dutchman show was held not too long after popular populist politician Pim Fortuyn was gunned down. His historical record was only worthy of a footnote, but he was actually voted Greatest Dutchman ever, beating people like William of Orange and Michiel de Ruyter.. (The people of the show actually mentioned that, had all votes been counted before the deadline, William of Orange would've won, but still..)

Trust me, it isn't always a good thing to let elections up to the general population. That's why we have trained professionals for certain things..

This list is, quite honestly, a joke..

Here's the thing:

When you have a committee of experts decide, it takes away the human principle. Let's look at a list of greatest movies of all times, for example. A small group of critics choosing the list narrows down to their own opinions. Hardly representative of the masses! Put the power to choose in the hands of the people, and while it can't and won't please everyone, it is a better representation of what the people feel are the greatest. Rarely do I ever see a list by experts and a list by populace match, even to the slightest. The same thing goes with an election. When a committee chooses the victor, it is not a true representation. Plus, it is easier to buy a committee then the world.

The real joke comes in several factors, all of which I spoke about earlier. The fact of Egypt pulling the pyramids out, essentially wasting the vote of everybody who had previously voted on them. The UN who refused to endorse the project because their heads are stuck to far up their anal cavity. And the Press who was more concerned about Paris going to jail, and other such stories. Their are a ton of nonsensical stories on the cover of every news site, magazine, and newspaper where, as I said, I had to dig to find a brief mention of the 7 wonders vote. I would never have known about it if Thunderfall hadn't posted it here.

The bottom line is that if you are upset with the results, then live with it. Those who didn't vote, well, you missed your chance to have your say. Those who did, the winners are the winners and stop crying about it. Democracy won't ever please everybody, but at least it is in the people's hands. I'm, personnally not happy with the overall results. I think there are other candidates that could have been better suited, but I commend the victors, and at least a couple of the ones I voted for made it.

On a side note, I am not really all that upset that the Statue of Liberty didn't make the list because I think there are other US monuments that could have been better choices as a candidate.

As far as those who complained about South America causing a landslide victory... good for them. The host countries of those wonders got the point! The rest of us were too obsorbed in our own egos and ignorance to pay attention. Kudos to the victors, condolences to the losers, and the world moves on.

In the end, no, this list does not mean a whole lot, but at the same time, it means everything. It shows us that the world is not ready to unite. We are still too full of ourselves.

 

[toft]

Don't agree.

Maybe for you americans Statue of Liberty is more impressive than the Christ Redeemer, but only for you, not for the people of Brasil that voted and put it's statue on there.

Most of votes came from South America because of a campaign supported by all brazillians who want to see our statue on there. We are trying to change the eyes of people that refer to Christ of Redeemer as a "thing".

If Christ Redeemer was elected, it is because the Christ is a true wonder and it have a big population supporting it. Wonders are not only made by impressive and giant made buildings.

Overall, that is a question of opinion and I respect what you think, but don't refer to that statue as just a "thing".

Im not an American, and Americans sometimes makes we wonder... what the hell are they thinking... But honestly, the statue of liberty is well known all over the globe. It was transported from France by sea in the 19th century, and if my history teacher tought me a little over the years, then I think it was given from France as a gesture symbolizing the Americans freedom from their former rulers; England. Its part of both European history as well as American.

And what is the Christ Redeemer other than a statue on a postcard? All I know is that its a statue of Jesus... hmm... theres a lot of those. I cant see how this should ever be called a Wonder.

 

[Tycho Brahe]

Angkor Wat should have been in.
Cristo Redentor shouldn't.

I could think of many reasons to visit Brazil, but the statue isn't among them. In fact, I'm pretty shure I would't even bother to see it even if I was in the city.

Contrary to Angkor Wat. I'm thinkin on goin to Cambodia, just for that.

im unimpressed by these wonders i think people just voted for their 'hometown' wonder

i mean the statue of liberty is more impressive that the Christ thing

I agree, except about the Statue of Lib. It's just a statue, like Cristo Redentor, Manneken Pis (Belgium) or the little mermaid (Denmark). Nice to look at, but not a world wonder.

 

[satch]

Here's the thing:

When you have a committee of experts decide, it takes away the human principle. Let's look at a list of greatest movies of all times, for example. A small group of critics choosing the list narrows down to their own opinions. Hardly representative of the masses! Put the power to choose in the hands of the people, and while it can't and won't please everyone, it is a better representation of what the people feel are the greatest. Rarely do I ever see a list by experts and a list by populace match, even to the slightest. The same thing goes with an election. When a committee chooses the victor, it is not a true representation. Plus, it is easier to buy a committee then the world.

The real joke comes in several factors, all of which I spoke about earlier. The fact of Egypt pulling the pyramids out, essentially wasting the vote of everybody who had previously voted on them. The UN who refused to endorse the project because their heads are stuck to far up their anal cavity. And the Press who was more concerned about Paris going to jail, and other such stories. Their are a ton of nonsensical stories on the cover of every news site, magazine, and newspaper where, as I said, I had to dig to find a brief mention of the 7 wonders vote. I would never have known about it if Thunderfall hadn't posted it here.

The bottom line is that if you are upset with the results, then live with it. Those who didn't vote, well, you missed your chance to have your say. Those who did, the winners are the winners and stop crying about it. Democracy won't ever please everybody, but at least it is in the people's hands. I'm, personnally not happy with the overall results. I think there are other candidates that could have been better suited, but I commend the victors, and at least a couple of the ones I voted for made it.

On a side note, I am not really all that upset that the Statue of Liberty didn't make the list because I think there are other US monuments that could have been better choices as a candidate.

As far as those who complained about South America causing a landslide victory... good for them. The host countries of those wonders got the point! The rest of us were too obsorbed in our own egos and ignorance to pay attention. Kudos to the victors, condolences to the losers, and the world moves on.

In the end, no, this list does not mean a whole lot, but at the same time, it means everything. It shows us that the world is not ready to unite. We are still too full of ourselves.

The problem with having the people vote is it's not objective. People have their own biases and therefore will most likely vote based on their cultural and spiritual influences. Also, as previously stated, this vote does not take into account the countries that DO NOT have Internet access (or very limited internet access), thus further skewing the results and not making them a true democratic vote. I think the main purpose of this vote was movated more so by tourism than anything else.

Moreover, a popular vote in the present does not take into account the opinions of those civilizations that constructed the wonders (the ancient ones), so it doesn't seem fair to the deceased to discredit their work or not recognize it just because people feel more attached to a more recently constructed wonder (due to spiritual and cultural influences). Therefore it is only fair to choose wonders through objective means...

 

[Virote_Considon]

You are being contradictory.

No, that wasn't contradictory. If you read both posts again, you may see whi it wasn't

 

[Canabrava]

Peru has spent US$ 30 million in advertisement.

Mexico's President makes campaign for mexican monument.

Here in brazil, had a massive advertisement on TV, from president, from famous artists. "Vote Cristo Redentor bacause "he" is ours". So, a lot of people vote on Cristo because its a brazilian monument, not because is the best. It was so easy vote, and each people could vote many times.

Cristo Redentor is a great monument, but this election is so wrong. Wrong vote system and lost the largest objetive, choose the 7 new wonders by importance, history and other technical dificulty.

This is just another list.

Sorry my very bad english.