Your Defenition of "the west"

[Elta]

? What is your modern day defenition of "the west" ?

I think that this phrase is thrown around way to much by conservitives, So I'll throw in my defenition - and hope everyone else does too.

-A country that speaks a european language is ussually a pretty good indication.
- Respects human rights
- Countries that have or used* to have a christan majority * the new majority being secular in some places
- Countries where people enjoy a large degree of self determination - as oppose to countries with strong central family leaders and a lack of women's rights.

IMO when people say stuff like "family values" it is dumb because A.People every where in the world have family values. B.Not everyone's family's value the same thing ....it even diff. within the same country - even when people are of the same ethnicity-same religon etc etc

Anyways here is my defenition of the west -

All of America (the two continent not the country)
The caribian
A majority of the pacific islands
A majority of Europe
Australia and New Zeland
A near plurality of africa (esspeacily in the larger Citys)
Cape Verde
India ...sort of I haven't been there so I can't say for sure but, it is a very Democratic,Human rights respecting nation, the language of allmost every educated person (business wise) is English. I dunno it is probably the most diverse place on earth ...hard to say.
Japan,Singapore and Korea? even harder to say the more I learn about these place the more diff. they seem.

 

[Trajan12]

Mine would be...everything in the western hemisphere. But that's just me being lame.

 

[warpus]

 

[ArneHD]

The west is an idea set forth in the aftermath of the first world war and set in stone by the end of the second. It is formed by shifting alliances and will break appart, like all boundaries should, in time when it has none to oppose.

As for definition:

The first world by cold war definition pluss some minor extentions. As I said, it will break down soon as the west realises it is competing against itself, not the rest of the world.

 

[Irish Caesar]

When I think of the West, it's the part of the United States between the Pacific Ocean and the Mississippi River.

The West as you're describing it seems rather Cold-Warrish to me and therefore obsolete.

 

[Elta]

When I think of the West, it's the part of the United States between the Pacific Ocean and the Mississippi River.

The West as you're describing it seems rather Cold-Warrish to me and therefore obsolete.

Well I kep hearing it ad nauesa espeacialy on the conservitive talk shows ...it would be nice to know what they are talking about and what people think of when they say it.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Latin* Europe + the their white** colonies and ex-colonies.


* Here = traditionally Catholic or Protestant.
** Here = populated mainly by the descendants of European emigrants.

 

[StarWorms]

The West to me is: Most of Europe, Australasia and North America.

 

[Sidhe]

Actually Australia isn't West, but it is developed, South Africa is West though. It's a hemispherical distinction not a political one, although that is in no way meant to subjugate Australia. It's just a term.

Any country in the Western Hemisphere is West, regardless of their development, technically, although politically it's far from that distinct. But then Russia has no population in asia apparently, N.Asia is apparently empty of people, so who the hell knows?

 

[Evil Tyrant]

Places who follow a European based culture. Examples would be Germany, Brazil, Serbia, Russia, USA ect...

 

[Masquerouge]

White Christians.

 

[Elta]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/Huntington_Clash_of_Civilizations_chart.gif
The thicker the lines = amount of hatred twords each other (sinic means Chinese)

 

[The Last Conformist]

Any country in the Western Hemisphere is West, regardless of their development, thechnically, although politically it's far from that distinct. But then Russia has no population in asia apparently, N.Asia is apparently empty of people, so who the hell knows?

This definition would exclude German and Italy from the West, but include Morocco. Somewhat ... unorthodox.

 

[BirraImperial]

This is my definition:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4977852&postcount=68

 

[Masquerouge]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/Huntington_Clash_of_Civilizations_chart.gif
The thicker the lines = amount of hatred twords each other (sinic means Chinese)

Good to be a latin American, apparently. Samba!

 

[amadeus]

If I have to break it down into three categories, this is how I'd describe them.

The green sections are already Westernized countries, even if they maintain some non-Western cultural traditions.
The yellow sections are countries moving towards Westernization.
The red sections are countries that have either stopped moving towards Westernization, abandoned it entirely, have never been Westernized, or are moving at a much slower pace towards Westernization.

 

[greekguy]

White Christians.

nice try, but the correct answer is basically the 1st world. so, that would be:

-North America
-South America
-Caribbean
-South Africa
-Europe minus a few ex-commie countries still not Western
-Australia and New Zealand
-Japan, South Korea, Singapore
-Israel
-Turkey

countries that are getting close: India, Indonesia, Malaysia

 

[The Last Conformist]

I can't resist asking what makes Novaja Zemlja more Westernizing than the Rest of Russia.

 

[Masquerouge]

If I have to break it down into three categories, this is how I'd describe them.

The green sections are already Westernized countries, even if they maintain some non-Western cultural traditions.
The yellow sections are countries moving towards Westernization.
The red sections are countries that have either stopped moving towards Westernization, abandoned it entirely, have never been Westernized, or are moving at a much slower pace towards Westernization.

Why the mix of yellow and red in South America?

nice try, but the correct answer is basically the 1st world. so, that would be:

-North America
-South America
-Caribbean
-South Africa
-Europe minus a few ex-commie countries still not Western
-Australia and New Zealand
-Japan, South Korea, Singapore
-Israel
-Turkey

countries that are getting close: India, Indonesia, Malaysia

The correct answer, according to whom, and based on what?
(Note: I'm certainly not saying MY answer is the correct one)

 

[Sidhe]

nice try, but the correct answer is basically the 1st world. so, that would be:

-North America
-South America
-Caribbean
-South Africa
-Europe minus a few ex-commie countries still not Western
-Australia and New Zealand
-Japan, South Korea, Singapore
-Israel
-Turkey

countries that are getting close: India, Indonesia, Malaysia

More accurate IMO

@Rmsharpe And China, they're moving in on developed, slowly but surely.

South Africa is definitely developed.