"New" (2006) Q&A thread
- Thread starter Magrathean
- Start date
wildfyr
unus spiritus est
For the sake of clarity in this case, let's assume the average citizen is anyone who is born, goes to school, gets a job, may or may not raise a family, and then dies.
Could someone who knows please explain to the jury how the life of an average E.U. citizen differs from that of an average U.S. citizen?
Could someone who knows please explain to the jury how the life of an average E.U. citizen differs from that of an average U.S. citizen?
Dark_Silence
Member
I have lived in the US for 9 months, as an exchange student. I was in Buhl, Idaho. Other cities I saw: Seattle (twice), Portland, Salt Lake City, and Vancouver, BC (Canada).
So this is probabily not a good comparison, since not all Europe is like belgium, and I guess all US is not like Idaho (I hope so at least
).
I mostly know High School student life, since I was in High School. And what i know of Europe, for school system, is Belgium.
I think a lot of things are different. The school systems are different, the food we get for lunch at school is different.
I thought that in US school system, you could pass all your high school by taking only easy classes, which is far more difficult to do in Belgium. A school day is also very different (schedule). In Belgium, we have 7 or 8 different subject a day (50 min. from each). Lunch pause was 1hr (only 30 min in Buhl).
Also, youth american can drive at 15 in Idaho. In Belgium and Germany, you must be 18. But the public transports (subay, tramwas ans trains) are well developped, so people dont need a car as much as in the US (In Idaho, with no car, you cant go anywhere!)
Social security is also different, and insurances are cheaper in Belgium.
For job, i think people dont work as much in EU than in US.
Stupid example, stores and shopping malls in Belgium close at 6:30 pm ans sometimes 7:00 pm and supermarket close between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. And they open at 9:00 or 9:30. I saw a supermarket opened at 7:30 am one time in the US. Also, stores closes at 10:00pm in the US.
We have more days off due to feasts in Belgium, and I believe people can have more days off they can choose themselves in Europe.
I dont know if it was something like that you wanted as an answer, but that is what i could think of at the moment.
edit: also, the houses styles, the way the streets are disposed in towns are different.
So this is probabily not a good comparison, since not all Europe is like belgium, and I guess all US is not like Idaho (I hope so at least
).I mostly know High School student life, since I was in High School. And what i know of Europe, for school system, is Belgium.
I think a lot of things are different. The school systems are different, the food we get for lunch at school is different.
I thought that in US school system, you could pass all your high school by taking only easy classes, which is far more difficult to do in Belgium. A school day is also very different (schedule). In Belgium, we have 7 or 8 different subject a day (50 min. from each). Lunch pause was 1hr (only 30 min in Buhl).
Also, youth american can drive at 15 in Idaho. In Belgium and Germany, you must be 18. But the public transports (subay, tramwas ans trains) are well developped, so people dont need a car as much as in the US (In Idaho, with no car, you cant go anywhere!)
Social security is also different, and insurances are cheaper in Belgium.
For job, i think people dont work as much in EU than in US.
Stupid example, stores and shopping malls in Belgium close at 6:30 pm ans sometimes 7:00 pm and supermarket close between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. And they open at 9:00 or 9:30. I saw a supermarket opened at 7:30 am one time in the US. Also, stores closes at 10:00pm in the US.
We have more days off due to feasts in Belgium, and I believe people can have more days off they can choose themselves in Europe.
I dont know if it was something like that you wanted as an answer, but that is what i could think of at the moment.
edit: also, the houses styles, the way the streets are disposed in towns are different.
wildfyr
unus spiritus est
a: yes, yes.
i've only ever been in and around DC so i'm not a great judge, and i imagine you don't care about things you can read about in books. let me give you impressions in no particular order: the average european citizen laughs at optimism while the average US citizen embraces it, here in the EU we believe we are cultured and americans believe we are too but i didn't really find any major differences, and europeans are far less used to racial diversity than americans are, so they react differently. in the US there is a stronger sense of community than there is in southern europe, while i think that in northern europe it's more or less the same. where religion is concerned, 'cool' people make fun of religious people on both continents, but the proportion of 'cool' vs religious is 20-80 in the US and 80-20 in the EU. also, in america people mostly speak one language only, which is also true of most landlocked provinces of europe except for northern italy - but europeans on every coast do speak in tongues. let me think... american retail selling is centered on the customer while in europe it's centered on the vendor, what you want vs. what we have. i could go on but i really want to go out and open a beer, which reminds me that the european citizen can drink on the street while the american citizen can't. also, americans mostly can drink from age 21, while it's 18 in the european countries with age limits (UK, ireland and maybe some scandinavian nations), and anyway the majority of EU countries don't have a drinking age.
q: go on.
i've only ever been in and around DC so i'm not a great judge, and i imagine you don't care about things you can read about in books. let me give you impressions in no particular order: the average european citizen laughs at optimism while the average US citizen embraces it, here in the EU we believe we are cultured and americans believe we are too but i didn't really find any major differences, and europeans are far less used to racial diversity than americans are, so they react differently. in the US there is a stronger sense of community than there is in southern europe, while i think that in northern europe it's more or less the same. where religion is concerned, 'cool' people make fun of religious people on both continents, but the proportion of 'cool' vs religious is 20-80 in the US and 80-20 in the EU. also, in america people mostly speak one language only, which is also true of most landlocked provinces of europe except for northern italy - but europeans on every coast do speak in tongues. let me think... american retail selling is centered on the customer while in europe it's centered on the vendor, what you want vs. what we have. i could go on but i really want to go out and open a beer, which reminds me that the european citizen can drink on the street while the american citizen can't. also, americans mostly can drink from age 21, while it's 18 in the european countries with age limits (UK, ireland and maybe some scandinavian nations), and anyway the majority of EU countries don't have a drinking age.
q: go on.
Dark_Silence
Member
hyena said:
which reminds me of a formular I had to fill up for high school in the US. At one point, they asked what one's "race" is. It is something formulars would never ask in Europe. i thought it sounded pretty shocking and rascist. Whydoes it matter where your close ancestors came from? I mean it is normal to ask for nationality, but not origins...
The different "races" i remember on the paper were white, hispanic, native american, african american.
marduk1507
Member
Dark_Silence
Member
yeah true They put something like white/caucasian
I had forgotten that, probabily because I wondered what the hell caucasian is
They put something like white/caucasianI had forgotten that, probabily because I wondered what the hell caucasian is
wildfyr
unus spiritus est
Thanks people.
Would any other expert witnesses like to add their testimony before this record is closed?
Would any other expert witnesses like to add their testimony before this record is closed?
I wasn't born; i was created in a lab as part of an experiment (and no, it didn't go wrong). Furthermore, i plan never to die. Does that mean that i'm not an average citizen?wildfyr said:
Dark_Silence
Member
I think what people call average citizen is people from middle social class (nor rich or poor), with an acceptable level of education ?
La Rocque
I am that I am
Let's get back to the Q&A -
Q: When You let nature take its course,
just exactly what course does it take?
Q: When You let nature take its course,
just exactly what course does it take?
a: it turns me into something lazy, depressed and mildly sick.
q: does it work any better for you?
q: does it work any better for you?
6 Stringed Fingers
EditablePoly 1
A: Mother nature is a bitch.
Q: Do you think it is acceptable to destroy and then re-create, so that we have the control over the path of creation? (If given the sufficient technology to do that, of course)
Q: Do you think it is acceptable to destroy and then re-create, so that we have the control over the path of creation? (If given the sufficient technology to do that, of course)
wildfyr
unus spiritus est
A1: Unless what we learned in school was a lie, nature is not neuter--she is feminine. natura, naturae (f)
Q1: Care to rephrase the question?
- -
A2: I don't know but I don't think we are separate from nature
Q2: Are we justified?
Q3: Do we exist outside of nature?
Q1: Care to rephrase the question?
- -
A2: I don't know but I don't think we are separate from nature
Q2: Are we justified?
Q3: Do we exist outside of nature?
6 Stringed Fingers
EditablePoly 1
Say that we have the nano-technology to have complete control over matter and to a certain degree, energy, and as a consequence of that advance in technology, we destroy nature as we know it. But it won't affect the way we live, because, through nano-technology, we have become immortal (death is still a choice, though) So a new balance/environment would be created on Earth, or eventually in the entire universe, and we would have complete control over it. Now, this the sacrifice of nature worth it?
La Rocque
I am that I am
6 Stringed Fingers
EditablePoly 1
wildfyr said:
A2: Yes we're, all thing justify themselves, or else they wouldn't be there.
A3: Yes we do, through careful management and advanced technology, we can probably survive without nature.
La Rocque said:
Possible A: If your question is referring to my question, then I think you're either completely missing the point or you're trying to make me go into another self-questionning/analyzing, which would still have the same outcome as before you asked that question, which, in turn, would make your question pointless and thus, not a good question.
Alternate A: If your question is referring to itself, then, as I have said before, it is a logical error in context, since when you said "this", there was no question to refer to, thus "this" is completely meaningless. Context errors are not questions at all. And that is probably the second most abused logical error in context in human history, the first being "The sentence is false."
Q: Now, do you plan to share your opinion on my question on post #2516? If yes, state your opinion.
La Rocque
I am that I am
6 Stringed Fingers
EditablePoly 1
A: Go ask them.
Q: Do you think the World Bank does anything to help the global economy, or are they just mindless jerks making their own profit?
Q: Do you think the World Bank does anything to help the global economy, or are they just mindless jerks making their own profit?
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