I would imagine that resistance to the EU is the same as the "51st State" concept. Those in Britain who oppose it still like to be proud of what they're nation accomplished, and think that relinquishing sovereignty to just be a mere part of some faraway entity is a stupid idea. It's like the States and how they thought before the American Civil War made it official that the Federal Government was the one and only real law of the land...
I am now known as Flyboy.That's always the vibe I get from the pro-integration/Euro-nationalist people in Europe. "My country sucks and hasn't done anything important in forever, but if Europe united we could do really cool stuff (implied: like show the US whats what)!" Does no one in Britain (and the rest of Europe for that matter) appreciate the things their country has done even in the last 50 years? It doesn't seem like any Europeans care much what their nations have done anymore.
Of course European Integration would probably be good for the nations of Europe, but the attitude seems to be less of, "if we work together we'll get more done," and more, "wow, our heritage sucks, let's totally forget all about any good things we've ever done and pretend like our whole history begins on the exact date the European Union was founded!" Even you seem to give off that vibe, Inhopelessguy, though that's just my perception, and obviously may not actually be how you feel at all.
Thoughts?
I am now known as Flyboy.
No, no I'm incredibly patriotic. I love the achievements my nation has done. I'm simply suggesting that the EU would be great for Britain because we can a) remain a world power b)remain economically active c)work closer with our European counterparts.
It feels that today, we are being sidelined as a world power, because the Asian nations (India, China) are becoming powerful, and the only way to remain visible is being closer to the EU.
edited 9th Jul '11 7:29:29 PM by Inhopelessguy
So, wait, question, is Britain not a part of the EU yet? I thought it had been since de Gaulle had finally gone six feet under and wasn't being a jerkass to everyone around him (sorry French people who like him, but it's true; he wasn't a very likeable person).
Also, just to balance the opinion, I think that xenophobia (or at least what looks like it) and apathy are just as strange as jumping right on the de-nationalization band wagon of the EU. I'm looking at you, Switzerland. As far as people here are concerned, the Swiss are either 1) corrupt bankers or uncaring clock/watch/cheese-makers or 2) heartless misanthropes who wouldn't extend a helping hand to save someone even if zombie Hitler was marching around with his magic SS in World War III.
So, what is the story behind Swiss neutrality. Do they really just not care?
I am now known as Flyboy.We are. We have been since 1971. I'm saying better integration, e.g. adopting the metric system, the Social policy thingy.
The Swiss? They're just neutral. I think they're one of the only non-EU countries that you have Free Passage of Goods and Peoples through, because they're a little island of non-EU-ness.
If needed, they'll take sides. But really, they're non-descript as a nation. Did you know they have some huge-ass money problems? No? Well, no-one cares, because they're so hidden.
If they became an EU candidate, then boom. Shit hits fan.
They only because United Nations Organisation members in the 20th century, I think.
No we don't. Sadly. Only I do in EVERYTHING. Even my idioms (give 'em a centimetres, you give 'em an astronomical unit). It makes me confused when someone talks about being 6ft 19in or something.
We decided against using it back in '03 for everything, and only use it for grocery shopping and certain industries.
Stupid.
It's a crime to have street distances in metres. Hell, there are people who have actually burnt street furniture because a sign said 'speed bumps in 20m'.
The lulzy thing is, all our signs that say "X in Y yards", actually really means "X in Y metres".
edited 9th Jul '11 8:05:11 PM by Inhopelessguy
Just because it was invented somewhere doesn't mean that place still uses it.
Anyway, I always thought that it was just us and Myammar that were the holdouts.
edited 9th Jul '11 9:03:53 PM by storyyeller
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's PlayTime to simplify all the ones I can think of! :3
England: Bars, fisticuffs, a whole slew of accents, and Monty Python and Doctor Who.
Scotland: Well... Scotland. Log-throwing, Celtic people, and cold.
Wales: Sheep and cool languages.
Ireland: Beer and cool languages. Also Keychain Of Creation.
France: Likes to fight wars. Also awesome bread.
Germany: Big old-looking cities. Sausages! :3
Spain: Pamplona and deserts, really.
Portuguese: Weirdly awesome languages. And Bloody Mary.
Switzerland: Racism, racism, and more racism! Also racism.
Austria: Pianos.
Italy: SPQR! And Da Vinci, course. :3
Poland: Oh so very grey.
Denmark: Bisexual alcoholics.
Netherlands: Weed.
Belgium: Cholocate and comics. Though not usually both mixed together.
Luxembourg: Cool, another language!
Liechtenstein: Kinda hard to pronounce.
Sweden: Minecraft, computers, and forests.
Norway: Bears, and mountains.
Finland: Cool sounding languages (This is basically anywhere really). Also instruments!
Greece: Mediterranean, and boats.
Turkey: Lots of old cities.
Serbia: Magical White Cities! :D
I think I got most stuff I know anything at all about.
ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓈᒻᒪᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅDespite my brain telling me metric is logical and everyone should use it eventually, I still cant convert.
I dont know milimeters, or centimeters, and the only way I only know meters is because I know a Gundam is normally 18 Meters and a Scopedog is 3.8 Meters
Centigrade? No thanks. I'll never learn that.
90 F sounds hotter than 32 C
edited 9th Jul '11 11:01:58 PM by Thorn14
Which is a problem as 32° is not that hot? (not to mention I could say 0°C sounds cooler then 32°F)
All advantages Fahrenheit has over Celsius (less fractions and less negatives) fall flat to me considering how unintuitive it is. I mean, the two points to define the measurement (0° and 100°) are some mixture (0°) that never happens in Real Life and a horse body(100°). At last Celsius is defined over the boiling and freezing point of the most important element in our life.
edited 10th Jul '11 2:21:33 AM by Heatth
I can understand why the mark 0°F and 100°F were picked at the time. This doesn't stop them from be completely unintuitive. They could have been a necessity once, but nowadays they are just a hindrance.
I find funny your means to remember metric, though. I usually think 3m=one floor and 1m=a large step. I also remember 30cm= school ruler. I too think 1cm=a pinky width, though.
edited 10th Jul '11 2:42:08 AM by Heatth
I also imagine 1kg as two bags of sugar (sugar here is sold in 500g bags), 1l (litre, if the formatting shows it so) as one jug of water.
Hell, I've actually had my precise height measured a few months ago. I've probably grown a few mm since then: 1m 69cm 5mm and 1μm. I mass 74kg. My car does about 4 or 5l/100km and I live 230km from London.
Everyone in Britain would disagree with me using ALL of those measurements for the things I've measured. Which sucks.
1L is one jug of water, yeah. Thanks to evil imperialism, I usually think 2L = 1 bottle of coke
(Btw, you usually should use capitalized L, most of time, for clarity). I have no much idea of what is a kg, though. It is not one thing that come to play much in everyday life, unlike distance (even for cooking you use containers or size of spoon, instead).
You have an awfully precise height, though.
I never bothered measuring mine (I think I am just above 1,80m, though).
More back to the topic, you just mentioned you live 230 km from London. Is this near or far, for you? For me this is near, but I don't know of your perspective.
This remembered another impression we, Brazilians, have of Europe (that I've forgot to mention last page): you are small. My state (Rio de Janeiro) is bigger then some European countries, and it is the smallest of my region. For us, Europe is a tiny place (excluding Russia, of course).
edited 10th Jul '11 4:44:17 AM by Heatth
It depends. In terms of the size of Britain, it's pretty far; Birmingham is in the middle of the country, whereas London is in the Southeast. By train, its not far. By car it is. By walking it is. I think about distance first, and then how I traverse that distance.
London is about 10,00km from New York, and that is really big, even when I imagine going by plane.
Thanks, that was answer enough for me.
For us, 'far by car' means 'it would be easier take a bus' (so we can sleep).
My family happen to have a small farm at about 240km from here (just checked on Google Maps
) and such a travel would hardly be called 'far', as far intercity travels go (to be fair it is not exactly 'near' either).
Of course, to travel the same distance in Brazil is probably much more of a trouble then in Britain (so your 230km are actually 'nearer' then mine, even if both by car).
edited 10th Jul '11 3:23:02 AM by Heatth
That is a really huge city. ^^;
Btw, speaking of Britain, I just remembered another thing we think of British people: your humor is actually funny and intelligent, unlike the American one. It is not like British humor is more popular with us then the American one (as US omnipresent in media, including comedy). But American comedies are viewed as a Guilty Pleasure, meanwhile, being able to enjoy British humor is sign of intellectual status.

I don't get why people have the whole 'Of Europe, but not in it'. We're in it. Face the facts. The EU is good for us, economically, and politically.