(no subject)

[case]

While we're doing scientifically-unsound polls, might as well do this one too!

[Poll #1636721]

Only separated out the major/predominantly English-speaking nations because there are probably way more of even one of those than any of the others combined.

This isn't about politics, it's about geographical, physical location. You don't have to identify as an American to be from the US! Chill!

Comments

[trialia]

*growls at being identified as European*

[adlanth.livejournal.com]

...but why?

[theditz.livejournal.com]

Being identified as European can be a bit bothersome sometimes, because some people seem to believe that Europe is the same no matter which country you are in or don't differentiate between the European countries. I got the question "What's it like in Europe?" a lot during my visit in America. Imagine if I were to say "what's it like in America?" and refer to all of North and South America. I would have a pile of folks telling me why I can't say that.

I don't know if it's the OP's reason, but that is one reason why :)

[adlanth.livejournal.com]

Oh, that makes sense. I've found the assumption annoying too.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, fucking Europe, man!

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

But if it just said "UK" you'd have people, including myself, being all, wait a minute, why are we not European now?

View it as an issue of geography, not politics, and breathe easy.

[trialia]

Not in my case. I don't like the term "UK" either - I live in England, or Great Britain for preference. The so-called United Kingdom is profoundly disunited on the inside, which makes "UK" seem ludicrous to those who know all the differences...

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Mm, but the question wasn't "how do you prefer to identify?" I don't identify as from the UK either as a first preference, but that doesn't change the fact the United Kingdom exists as a state, and it is where I happen to live, and it also happens to be part of the continent of Europe.

If the ticky box had just said "Great Britain", Northern Ireland would either have been excluded, or would then need its own tickybox. And the ticky box had said "England", Wales, Scotland and NI would have needed one too, and then it would have made no sense to have *four* ticky boxes for the UK, and just one for all of mainland Europe; you have to make one for all those individual countries too, and that really wasn't the point of the poll in the first place...

[trialia]

/me rolls eyes

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that was enlightening.

[caesaria.livejournal.com]

LOL are you from the UK? Because this always amuses me, that some people in the UK like to seperate themselves from Europe. I personally don't get it (as a ~mainland European myself), but to each their own, I guess :p

[trialia]

I'm from England. The only way I would ever identify as European would be geographically; the culture is so different from mainland Europe to Great Britain!

[(Anonymous)]

...I'm trying ignore the implications here that the rest of Europe is just one big blob wherein all of the countries have the exact same culture, with Great Britain being the only outlier.

[(Anonymous)]

Not who you were replying to, but I'm almost certain they didn't mean it like that.

Each individual country on the continent have their own cultures - but the UK, because of the island separation/empire thing I assume has always been a bit "other". (and now judge that sentiment ;)

/identity politics, how does it work

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

True. They were big on the whole "isolationism" thing way back when. I've just had bad experiences with British 'friends' who consider themselves above any other European country (including my own, and have very explicitly stated so), so comments like that just instinctively raise my hackles.

[trialia]

*nod* Something like that, yes. Thank you, anonymouse.

[(Anonymous)]

The UK is absolutely not in no way never at all the only country in Europe that had an empire.

The rest you might have a point with, but the UK is thoroughly in line with the rest of western Europe in its inclination to empire-build.

[trialia]

Sorry, I phrased that rather badly. But to be fair, it is past midnight and I'm a bit stoned. But my point is, the overarching cultural ideas that are shared by various groups of countries are, in fact, different in sort of blobs between here and western, eastern, northern and southern European country groups, in my experience. And I've travelled a good bit. Obviously individual countries have their differing cultures, and so do we "internally", which is why I hate the term "UK". I don't pretend to think that all mainland European countries' cultures are the same, but so many seem to assume that about England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

[oaktree89.livejournal.com]

the only way I would ever identify as European would be geographically

... which was the sole point of the poll

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

MTE.

[trialia]

That's the thing - it didn't say that when those comments above were made. The comments were up to page 2 before that edit was made to the post.

[oaktree89.livejournal.com]

oh, didn't know that. ok then.

[(Anonymous)]

There's also other kind-of-remote corners in Europe than UK, that as a nation do not feel all that connected to Europe.

[(Anonymous)]

Living in rural Norway, I promise you this: the UK is far more "European", culturally and geographically speaking, than us. When you're eight hours of travel away from Vienna and Milan and two hours by car to the closest town with a population above 500, the closest ties we have to the rest of the world is that we've got the same Hollywood films on DVD and frozen pizza for dinner. When we talk about the rest of Europe, we talk about "the Continent". In common understanding, that includes Britain and Ireland.

Britons can insist on their Special Snowflake status until they're blue in the face, but it looks silly from the periphery.

[(Anonymous)]

LOL I paused as well. And then thought, eh, technically...