neal
wizard in black
yeh going from northern california, to arizona, to texas, to michigan, to luisianna, to georgia, to nyc wont give you any variety of culture and language. you guys just keep riding europe's pole.
say something about ... yourself!
- Thread starter dreaming neon darkspot
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El Stormo
Member
derek
Grey Eminence
El Stormo
Member
"Barbarians" aren't a population group, it's the classification most 'cultured' populations used when referring to the people that weren't them. It didn't have the negative connotation it does now, at least not so strongly. It's a bit the same as Jews calling other people 'gentile' - simply meaning 'not us'. Not exactly insulting, but still a bit dismissive.
So in a sense, everyone was a barbarian to someone.
And Mongols, Germanic? What? A basic geography lesson might be in order here
So in a sense, everyone was a barbarian to someone.
And Mongols, Germanic? What? A basic geography lesson might be in order here
Dead Winter
STAHP
LOL @ "variety of culture and language". Everyone speaks English/Spanish. Everyone lives and works in the same fashion. Every city is different except for the fact that they're not. I don't think you realize that "different cultures" doesn't mean speaking with a southern drawl and eating crawfish. In Louisiana we have a different AMERICAN culture, not a different culture altogether. Granted, we eat better there than just about anywhere else in the states and that's due to, well, European influence. The difference in culture between Germany and Austria isn't even in the same ballpark as the difference between one state and another.
That's not a hit on the US, it's just a fact. You don't go to a titty bar for the conversation. What the US has is amazing natural wonders and beautiful landscapes, some of the most beautiful in the world. Capitalize on what you're good at: convenience, the job market, and natural beauty, and stop being so insecure about the fact that life in the US is rather insipid. Whatever differences in "culture" you claim there are in the US, they're always watered-down and homogenized and eventually get assimilated into the rest of the masses. This is why no matter where you go, every city looks the same...the same malls, the same Starbuck's, Chili's, TGIFriday's, Applebee's, and all the fast food joints and convenience stores. Add a skyscraper here and there in the big cities and you can cut and paste.
That's not to say that American cities aren't interesting, but like the aforementioned titty bar analogy, you don't go to a place to enjoy the things it's not famous for.
Some places in Europe are the same for me. I have no desire to visit London. None, whatsoever. Rude people, bad food, and museums full of Italian art I've already seen here. No thanks. Now Edinburgh and Dublin? Hell yeah.
Mr.Sister
Member
- Jun 5, 2010
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Dead Winter
STAHP
I think the term "barbarian" has evolved into something that it never really was thanks to pop culture. Barbarians were tribes of people who were rather nomadic and didn't necessarily belong to one ethnicity. There were barbarians in almost every single civilization since ever. Chinese, Greek, Germanic, Italian, French, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, etc...they all have their own barbarians. It just refers to someone who isn't them. That doesn't mean they all raped and pillaged but they often did because, well, EVERYONE raped and pillaged then.
Where I live, people still speak a barbarian language. They also speak Italian, but the ethnic language is Friulano, and it is a sort of amalgam of Latin, Venetian, Italian, and Austrian/Slovac dialects a thousand years old. It was brought here by Attila when he conquered the northern parts of Italy during his reign. Eventually it evolved into what they speak today, but it is simply a language of barbarians...not a dialect, an actual language. Barbarians weren't all savages...we just like to romanticize them as being such. I mean, the Goths were pretty much barbarians and they founded entire kingdoms.
Dreadful
When Man& Machine Collide
"Stop being so insecure about the fact that life in the US is rather insipid." I think you're insecure, man. You have this fear of being judged as "stupid."
DarkGift
ov Doom
yup, norway has a crazy economy, that's what having a fuckload of oil and a small country gets you
many swedes travel to norway to work because they make alot more money there than they do here.you have to remember that the vikings are from the scandinavian countries and they travelled a lot (sweden was one of the central trading places in europe at this time as well), which in turn leads to language mixing.
Dead Winter
STAHP
It's not a fear of being judged as stupid, it's the inability to keep saying how people are different in different parts of the US and still keep a straight face. This whole discussion started when I simply said I love living in Europe because in 2 hours I can be in a completely different place with completely different cultures and people and languages, and neal just couldn't take it because the McDonald's in northern California are completely different from the McDonald's in Louisiana, and therefore that qualifies as a different culture, I guess.
Bottom line is that the US has such gorgeous nature and a great workforce, I don't see why we can't just be happy about the good things and not get our panties in a bunch whenever we're criticized. Hell, I didn't even criticize...didn't even mention the US.
What Americans need to be thankful for is the work ethic in the US. It's truly a meritocracy, and that's something that Europeans just can't understand but desperately need. They say they want a meritocracy but at the same time don't wanna give up their guaranteed jobs. Everyone here is a chickenshit when it comes to taking risks and going outside their comfort zone, and it's infuriating. Nothing gets done and progress slows to a halt because you can't fire people when they don't do their fucking jobs. It's the polar opposite of what's going on in the US right now, but as you can see it's just as bad.
Bottom line is that the US has such gorgeous nature and a great workforce, I don't see why we can't just be happy about the good things and not get our panties in a bunch whenever we're criticized. Hell, I didn't even criticize...didn't even mention the US.
What Americans need to be thankful for is the work ethic in the US. It's truly a meritocracy, and that's something that Europeans just can't understand but desperately need. They say they want a meritocracy but at the same time don't wanna give up their guaranteed jobs. Everyone here is a chickenshit when it comes to taking risks and going outside their comfort zone, and it's infuriating. Nothing gets done and progress slows to a halt because you can't fire people when they don't do their fucking jobs. It's the polar opposite of what's going on in the US right now, but as you can see it's just as bad.
Krigloch the Furious
Pants full of poo
derek
Grey Eminence
Det Som Engang Var
Viking Bastard
So a thousand years ago when the viking stuff was going on, I guess the Samis weren't part of it? I read that they're shamanistic, I guess that means Odinism came from Germany or Denmark.
Dead Winter
STAHP
Mainly the UK, of course, due to it being very similar to the US in this way. There are a few others which are different, but overall they're really big on workers' rights here, which is good. However, they've cut the legs out from under the owners' rights by making it difficult to cut people loose, and therefore they're more reticent to hire new people full time or with a full time contract due to it being so difficult to let them go.
Dead Winter
STAHP
John, I would agree with your assumption that the Lapps/Saami were apart from the traditional Viking lore. I'm not an expert on them by any means, but from what I've read and from the conversations I've had with Finns of Lapp descent, it sounds like you've got the right idea.
DarkGift
ov Doom
yes, this is so fucking ridiculous, pretty much impossible to get a full time contract in IT (for example) in sweden... unless it is as a consultant
Dead Winter
STAHP
Which is exactly what I do! You are so right...I have to work as a freelance consultant around here due to no one wanting to give out indeterminate time work contracts. I work at a place twice a week as a consultant for 1000 euros a month and that allows me to teach English classes as well in the meantime, earning me quite a bit more. I'm not hurting for money but I'm not going to get rich, and I have to pay all my own expenses, I have no paid vacation, and I have no work insurance.
The only way to get ahead now is to go freelance and be your own boss. The problem with that, however, is all the extra taxes and iva (VAT) you have to pay. Fortunately until I'm 35 I can work and pay only 5% federal tax on that (not including our version of social security), and there is no VAT. In effect, I'm paying much less than everyone else, but only til I'm 35, then it goes back to 20%.
However, you can't blame the companies for not wanting to hire you with a full-time contract because it's the state that has cut their legs out from under them. For all of you who don't know how it works, let me explain:
Here, you can work at a place with what amounts to "tenure", even right off the bat. Basically, they have to jump through hoops to fire you, so usually it's just easier to stick you in a closet and keep paying you to do nothing. It's very difficult to find a place that will give you a contract like this because, as you can imagine, people work like slaves during their "temp" period and when they get the indeterminate time contract after impressing their employers, they put their feet up and don't do shit anymore because they're set. Therefore, companies don't wanna give out these contracts because they have to pay tons in taxes and benefits to their employees, but it's not their fault. Like I said, people here say they want a meritocracy, but they don't. They want their cake and want to eat it too. In Italy they're trying to abolish article 18, which governs this, and I hope they do it. It will create more competition in the marketplace and will release the stranglehold people have over jobs. It's all the old generation's fault because they're fucking simple, stupid, and don't know shit about the real world or real economics. All they know is that they can work in the same place for the rest of their lives without worry.
That right there sounds like fucking hell to me. Who the fuck wants to work in the same job for the rest of their lives? Fucking old people...they can't die fast enough.
DarkGift
ov Doom
but yeah
Det Som Engang Var
Viking Bastard
Does anyone know of a site or forum of guys that are willing to sing on tracks for free? I'd really like to get vocals on these last couple songs then finish Empiric and start a new project.
OR, does anyone on this forum want to collaberate? I can program drums, do guitars bass or flute.
OR, does anyone on this forum want to collaberate? I can program drums, do guitars bass or flute.
