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When most people talk about "The West" or Western culture they tend to think about Western Europe USA and Canada, you could also probably include Australia and New Zealand to. I've often wondered whether or not Latin America truly classifies as the west. Obviously geographically and historically it is, but culturally it just seems quite distinct.
I 100% don't consider Mexico, Centreal America, South America or the Caribbean part of the "West". They may share some of the attributes of "Western" countries but don't have the weath and political stabilty to fall in to that grouping yet. This may be improving in parts of certain countries ..... but they have not made it there yet. That being said a few countries in Europe that can never get their economies together should be kick out of the concept of the "Western" as well. There are a few countries that don't belong but seem to slip in just do to geography.
The grouping of Western countries in generally is usually associated with countries that are ...
-more liberal politically and sexually
-more average wealth
- more secular
Before I get told ... I did not say that was the definition ... I am saying these are common atributes associated with the term in popular culture
I 100% don't consider Mexico, Centreal America, South America or the Caribbean part of the "West". They may share some of the attributes of "Western" countries but don't have the weath and political stabilty to fall in to that grouping yet. This may be improving in parts of certain countries ..... but they have not made it there yet. That being said a few countries in Europe that can never get their economies together should be kick out of the concept of the "Western" as well. There are a few countries that don't belong but seem to slip in just do to geography.
The grouping of Western countries in generally is usually associated with countries that are ...
-more liberal politically and sexually
-more average wealth
- more secular
Before I get told ... I did not say that was the definition ... I am saying these are common atributes associated with the term in popular culture
Roy Moore, a rapist of children, may get elected Senator. Trump is also an accused sex offender and likely senile. His first national security advisor was fired after 29 days and has now been criminal charged. No new legislation has been passed in the US for a year. Currently the US is not politically stable. And if you think under the current Congress and President the US is liberal you are sadly mistaken.
You actually have more liberal attitudes in parts of South America than you do in the US these days.
People tend to disparage Latin America or other so called third world countries (third world is actually offensive) due to racist and outdated considerations.
Roy Moore, a rapist of children, may get elected Senator. Trump is also an accused sex offender and likely senile. His first national security advisor was fired after 29 days and has now been criminal charged. No new legislation has been passed in the US for a year. Currently the US is not politically stable. And if you think under the current Congress and President the US is liberal you are sadly mistaken.
You actually have more liberal attitudes in parts of South America than you do in the US these days.
People tend to disparage Latin America or other so called third world countries (third world is actually offensive) due to racist and outdated considerations.
There is off topic then there is OFF TOPIC. You win the 'EXTREME OFF TOPIC' award for taking a non-partisan topic and trying to insert a political agenda to such an extent that I wonder if you are even responding to the right thread.
For you - there's the P&C forum.
You should stay there.
Parts of Latin America that have strong European colonial influences, that is virtually all urban areas and the majority of rural areas, are certainly Western. I would say that the few areas where indigenous culture is dominant, like some rural Andean and Amazonian areas, are obviously not.
Then there are some more ambiguous areas like cities with a very strong indigenous cultural component which I would considered more Westernized than Western.
This. Agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joacocanal
"the West" probably means nothing, just ast "the East".
That is just a broad geographical distinction. Specifically, it's something like to say "east-west of Greenwich meridian"
That's why i think that the correct term is "western world", wich brings together all the countries were Western culture is prominent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by klmrocks
I 100% don't consider Mexico, Centreal America, South America or the Caribbean part of the "West". They may share some of the attributes of "Western" countries but don't have the weath and political stabilty to fall in to that grouping yet. This may be improving in parts of certain countries ..... but they have not made it there yet. That being said a few countries in Europe that can never get their economies together should be kick out of the concept of the "Western" as well. There are a few countries that don't belong but seem to slip in just do to geography.
The grouping of Western countries in generally is usually associated with countries that are ...
-more liberal politically and sexually
-more average wealth
- more secular
Before I get told ... I did not say that was the definition ... I am saying these are common atributes associated with the term in popular culture
So, you're basically describing what is called the developed world (an that's just the big picture, because in the real world, not everything is as it seems, like the US being truly secular or liberal). So it doesn't make sense to use another term to describe exactly the same thing.
No. In any case, Latin America and the Anglosphere are two (actually, the main ones) subgroups WITHIN the western world.
Start to realize that we live in the 21th century. So, "popular culture" should be an universal definition, NOT an exclusively anglo perspective
There is off topic then there is OFF TOPIC. You win the 'EXTREME OFF TOPIC' award for taking a non-partisan topic and trying to insert a political agenda to such an extent that I wonder if you are even responding to the right thread.
For you - there's the P&C forum.
You should stay there.
It's very much on topic. The US is extremely politically unstable at the moment, so one cannot exclude Latin American nations from the West using political stability as a metric.
Roy Moore, a rapist of children, may get elected Senator. Trump is also an accused sex offender and likely senile. His first national security advisor was fired after 29 days and has now been criminal charged. No new legislation has been passed in the US for a year. Currently the US is not politically stable. And if you think under the current Congress and President the US is liberal you are sadly mistaken.
You actually have more liberal attitudes in parts of South America than you do in the US these days.
People tend to disparage Latin America or other so called third world countries (third world is actually offensive) due to racist and outdated considerations.
Very good points. I am going to be honest ..... most of the outside world does not remember about the redneck.... small town .....under developed ....psycho religious parts of the USA that are a big part of the USA as it was never the larger public image of the USA. New York..... Texas..... California..... Florida..... Nevada and maybe a few other cities across the USA are the places people mainly get their impressions of the USA from. That is why when people like me .... liberal.... feminist .... higher middle class income... urban ... realized Trump won the election it was horrific because it symbolized that all the bad aspects of the USA were stronger then we thought..... and that progress could actual be undone.
It's very much on topic. The US is extremely politically unstable at the moment, so one cannot exclude Latin American nations from the West using political stability as a metric.
Oh my God! The topic is "Is Latin America considered The West"
The topic is NOT Roy Moore
The topic is NOT Trump
The topic is NOT the US presidential election
The topic is NOT the US National Security Advisor
The topic is NOT "25 cities with top homeless population"
The topic is NOT about accused sex offendors
But there are plenty of threads in the P&C forum that are about the above topics. Go and post there and knock yourself out!
What in your opinion is Western Europe? Basically you're just describing the anglosphere which some people consider the Wrstern world.
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The Philippines mostly speak Spanish and English, the Latin alphabet is predominant, Christianity is the dominant religion and they have a republic/democracy for a government. Some Filipinos have ancestry from Spain as well. I'd argue the Philippines is Western.
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My almanac says of the Philippines - Languages: Pilipino (based on Tagalog) & English - both official.
The Philippines fought for independence - from Spain, from the US, from Japan, & then transitioned to independence from the US.
Spain - Yah, Spain began conquering the islands in 1564CE, & lasted there until 1898 - the Spanish American War. Which explains the 83% Roman Catholic religious adherence there, versus 9% Protestant. There was considerable Spanish influence, but Spain didn't typically send families & colonists to its outposts, & Manila was the key transit point for Spanish trade between Mexico & the Far East.
Is the Philippines Western? I'd say that the urban centers & more developed islands - with comms & road nets, railroads, airports, ports & harbors, sewage, trash & power systems, water & water treatment, school systems & Catholicism, etc. are Western. But the deeply rural & jungle/mountain/swamp areas may be functioning @ a subsistence level, & thus not Western.
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