Ok, probably a baffling question, if not title. When it comes down to many topics, the nations of Europe and North America are commonly all refered to as a whole, being called “The West”. This is often when comparing technologies with other nations such as more often than not China and/or Russia. For example, when studying PAK-FA or the Chinese J-XX many people will often say ‘the technology employed on this aircraft is behind “the west”‘ or “western nations.”
Now, considering nations who have not got the means to produce aircraft such as PAK-FA, such as Ireland, Portugal, Austria and Belgium are considered part of “the west” is this not…erm….”inaccurate”? Since the statement ‘the technology employed on this aircraft is behind “the west”‘ or “western nations.” would automatically include the above mentioned nations would it not?
So why do we refer to ourselves as a whole??? I really do hope this question is not as confusing as I think it might be : )
By: Grey Area - 21st August 2010 at 09:20
Maps? Maps? :confused:
By: bazv - 21st August 2010 at 06:57
Still using the old maps oop north then Lance ?? :diablo:
By: Grey Area - 20th August 2010 at 21:57
What do you mean, “was flat”?
By: bazv - 20th August 2010 at 18:54
Made a lot more sense when the world was flat LOL 😀
By: KabirT - 20th August 2010 at 18:15
By: PeeDee - 20th August 2010 at 17:37
Far too simple. :p
But true.
When London was the most important City of da velt, the G. M. was the divider of East West. Notwithstanding Kent and the other bits of civilised Europe.
By: Lincoln 7 - 18th August 2010 at 11:55
Down in Cornwall I’m considered a northener! (Man of Kent:rolleyes:)
Baz
Hi spitfireman. I am down in Bodmin on Hols next week, I hear we are in for a week of rain, so looks if we both may be grounded:mad:
Lincoln. 7
By: spitfireman - 18th August 2010 at 11:39
Down in Cornwall I’m considered a northener! (Man of Kent:rolleyes:)
Baz
By: bazv - 18th August 2010 at 09:59
Re Greenwich Meridian
Are the people from Kent,East Anglia etc classified as ‘Eastern’ then Glasshoppah ?? 😀
By: Lincoln 7 - 18th August 2010 at 08:51
Far too simple. :p
As a matter of interest, (not a lot) but according to the dgps on my boat in the back garden, I am smack bang on the G.M. Line, so am I East, one side of my garden, then West on the other. How “Wide” is this line?.
Lincoln. 7
By: Grey Area - 18th August 2010 at 08:23
Greenwich meridian anything to do with it?
Far too simple. :p
By: Mark Hazard - 17th August 2010 at 23:41
“OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!”The Ballad of East and West
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)
Now the one I remember is:
East is east and west is west
And the wrong one I have chose
Let’s go where they keep on wearin’
Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows
Rings and things and buttons and bows.
Don’t bury me in this prairie
Take me where the cement grows
Let’s move down to some big town
Where they love a gal by the cut o’ her clothes
And you’ll stand out, in buttons and bows.
etc. etc.
( http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/b/buttonsandbows.shtml )
By: longshot - 17th August 2010 at 22:24
Western Bloc….Eastern Bloc
The Iron Curtain was the boundary even more than the Berlin Wall…..in fact Berlin was an anomaly being miles inside the ‘Eastern Bloc’
Well it depends on which period in time you go back to, ‘The West’ has had many different meanings. Today’s West is derived from the two ‘sides’ that emerged during the Cold War. During which basically everyone West of the Berlin Wall was on one side and everyone East of it on the other. There were a few exceptions at a few times but mostly it stuck to this rule of thumb.
Any technological advancement (mostly military but was used for most things, notable exeptions including manned space missions) made during this time by any country in the West would likely either have been made by a country in NATO or made available to be used by NATO due to the common threat. So in a way, technologically, The West did exist as a single entity as did the East. This sort of caught on I guess and so militarily the terms are still used, while not strictling being applicable anymore. It was a sort of “us or them” mentality that continued after its necessity disappeared.
By: spitfireman - 17th August 2010 at 21:59
Greenwich meridian anything to do with it?
By: Grey Area - 17th August 2010 at 21:32
“OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!“
The Ballad of East and West
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)
By: Denis - 17th August 2010 at 21:31
Ok, standard daft question then:) how do Alaskans refer to Russia? as technically Russia is west of Alaska! And do they refer to Canada as the East?
answers on a postcard please..:)
By: RVFHarrier - 17th August 2010 at 18:05
Well it depends on which period in time you go back to, ‘The West’ has had many different meanings. Today’s West is derived from the two ‘sides’ that emerged during the Cold War. During which basically everyone West of the Berlin Wall was on one side and everyone East of it on the other. There were a few exceptions at a few times but mostly it stuck to this rule of thumb.
Any technological advancement (mostly military but was used for most things, notable exeptions including manned space missions) made during this time by any country in the West would likely either have been made by a country in NATO or made available to be used by NATO due to the common threat. So in a way, technologically, The West did exist as a single entity as did the East. This sort of caught on I guess and so militarily the terms are still used, while not strictling being applicable anymore. It was a sort of “us or them” mentality that continued after its necessity disappeared.
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August 17, 2010 at 5:05 pm