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Old 08-05-2016, 11:50 AM
 
10,839 posts, read 14,726,313 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMT7 View Post
Might as well. They don't seem to care about their cultural history or preserving their cultural identity, so... English it is!

(Though honestly when in Germany it seems they already all speak English).
It is nonsense. German cultural history is strong and very distinct from the rest of Europe.


Plus, they speak English out of courtesy, because all the clueless tourists can't speak German. It is different from asking them to speak English among themselves and use it in education, mass media and business.


In reality, except for a few cultureless small countries who have little self-respect to start with (such as Singapore), no country in the world is likely to adopt English as an official language.
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Old 08-05-2016, 12:22 PM
 
17,291 posts, read 29,402,468 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli View Post
It is nonsense. German cultural history is strong and very distinct from the rest of Europe.


Plus, they speak English out of courtesy, because all the clueless tourists can't speak German. It is different from asking them to speak English among themselves and use it in education, mass media and business.


In reality, except for a few cultureless small countries who have little self-respect to start with (such as Singapore), no country in the world is likely to adopt English as an official language.


Nonsense? Lol, Germans don't even like themselves enough anymore to reproduce, and actively are seeking to turn their country into something - anything - other than what they are. Embarrassing, really.

If the Germans don't even think enough of their country to aim to preserve it then there's no sense in keeping German around as the national language. You want to become a multi-cultural morass where ethnic Germans are a minority or don't even have a majority in a few decades, then drop the pretense and adopt English so all the citizens of the world can speak to one another.


At least the French are serious about protecting their cultural heritage.
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Old 08-05-2016, 12:27 PM
 
10,889 posts, read 2,191,857 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMT7 View Post

At least the French are serious about protecting their cultural heritage.
lol.
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Old 08-05-2016, 12:32 PM
 
26,787 posts, read 22,549,184 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli View Post
It is nonsense. German cultural history is strong and very distinct from the rest of Europe.
No it's not.
It's an inseparable part of European culture/history.
I was wondering at certain point in time why Russians didn't bomb them into total annihilation, and then only with time I understood why.
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Old 08-05-2016, 01:00 PM
 
1,364 posts, read 1,115,954 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
I thought it was interesting, too, because American education has always been known for fostering critical thinking and abstract thinking. I wonder if the perception that it's mostly about rote learning is a reflection of the emphasis since the last Bush administration, on standardization, testing, measuring achievement, and the requirement for everyone to achieve at least a minimum baseline of skills.
Quote:
American education has always been known for fostering critical thinking
Are you serious? I had thought America has the most uncritical education and Americans are the most uncritical people in the developed world. Maybe I have met just the "wrong" Americans.
I think that Americans are the most patriotic / nationalistic people (in the western world). Patriotism is not necessarily bad but it often comes with a noncritical mentality.
Some Americans (even college students) ask foreigners the dumbest and most arrogant questions about their home countries.
I would also say that this "If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" makes people at an early stage rather uncritical.
As far as I know no grades for "verbal work" at school, just for the exams (mostly multiple choice). I guess that makes it more difficult to impart critical thinking.
Not entirely sure, but school subjects like World history and American history seems rather biased. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I have the impression that Americans don't learn the quintessence, the real message in history. It's maybe just a prejudice, but I have the impression that Americans don't have learned from history.
Americans tend to be satisfied with the most simplest solutions. And most people never seem to question the way how it's done. Criticism is unwanted. If criticism is inevitable, please wrap it in cotton wool.
Americans tend to think that everything can be measured by some kind of ranking. People seem unable to understand that most of those rankings are extremely subjective. Even American professors spread the most unreliable rankings and insist that these rankings reflect the truth.
Well known food corporations have outrageous high profit margins. But at the same time they participate in initiatives against hunger. But these corporations are the main reason why many people in the U.S. are struggling with hunger.
The market position of national brands is for a developed country astonishing high.
When the local rag reports about the grand opening of a grocery store, it's more like a press release of the company. In Germany it would be more like "multinational grocery chain tries to destroy local food mongers and enslave its own staff" (not really better than the American way).
Sometimes I think the patriotism and the uncritical thinking holds the U.S. together. Without it, I would expect constantly riots in the U.S. (because of huge inequality).

I absolutely don't understand why you think that the U.S. foster critical thinking? For me it seems quite the opposite. I have the impression that most Americans question absolutely nothing of what they have learned and what they are used to.


I wouldn't say it's better in Germany, it's just different. Germans are surely much more sceptical and critical. But more and more Germans are becoming also more and more uncritical. People are uncritical or just plain dumb or just lack the needed background knowledge. Most people these days just don't care about anything. And it's getting worse.
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Old 08-05-2016, 02:03 PM
 
10,839 posts, read 14,726,313 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMT7 View Post
Nonsense? Lol, Germans don't even like themselves enough anymore to reproduce, and actively are seeking to turn their country into something - anything - other than what they are. Embarrassing, really.

If the Germans don't even think enough of their country to aim to preserve it then there's no sense in keeping German around as the national language. You want to become a multi-cultural morass where ethnic Germans are a minority or don't even have a majority in a few decades, then drop the pretense and adopt English so all the citizens of the world can speak to one another.


At least the French are serious about protecting their cultural heritage.
that's misleading.


Germany has a fertility rate similar to that of Italy (1.4), higher than Greece (1.3), Spain (1.3), Poland (1.3), Portugal (1.2). Does that mean all these countries hate themselves? Here in Canada it is only 1.6.


S Korea has a fertility of 1.2 and Singapore of 1.3. It is an issue among all rich countries.
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Old 08-05-2016, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Canada
7,680 posts, read 5,529,153 times
Reputation: 8817
Quote:
Originally Posted by lukas1973 View Post

I have the impression that most Americans question absolutely nothing of what they have learned and what they are used to.
I'd like to introduce you to that Political & Other Controversies forum (check out the subforums as well):

http://www.city-data.com/forum/polit...controversies/
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Old 08-05-2016, 10:40 PM
 
Location: Taipei
8,864 posts, read 8,444,813 times
Reputation: 7414
Quote:
Originally Posted by lukas1973 View Post
The problem is that (at least those Chinese I have met) are extremely nationalistic. They seem to have a similar mindset like Nazis that are sugarcoating concentration camps.
The Chinese ppl I know on a personal level (there are not that many and I'm not close with them in any sense at all though) are all rational and friendly people. Like they wouldn't harrass me with the you (Taiwan) belong to us stupid bullcrap.

But the Chinese people on the internet.... that's a whole other story. 99% of them are just ****ing annoying and explode whenever someone criticises China, some even go further and explode when someone compliments Hong Kong or Japan, like exactly how sick are you?
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Old 08-07-2016, 05:48 AM
 
Location: Manchester NH
15,507 posts, read 6,431,235 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by viribusunitis View Post
Yeah, they are literally Nazis because they don't adopt english as an official language.
I never said that, I only implied that there cultural past causes them to passionately cling on to their culture rather than enter a more globalized language in which more people can participate in their countries activities. Do not think Germany will not suffer the consequences for this.

In the US there is inherent racism amongst whites, yet that doesn't make all white slavers
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Old 08-07-2016, 10:11 AM
 
26,787 posts, read 22,549,184 times
Reputation: 10038
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winterfall8324 View Post
I never said that, I only implied that there cultural past causes them to passionately cling on to their culture rather than enter a more globalized language in which more people can participate in their countries activities. Do not think Germany will not suffer the consequences for this.
And if they DON'T want "more people to participate in their activities" - then what?
What if they actually see value in their own culture (without "other people's participation") IN SPITE of its possible shortcomings, and the language is an inseparable part of it?

Quote:
In the US there is inherent racism amongst whites, yet that doesn't make all white slavers
How this is even related?
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