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Chirac warns of 'catastrophe' of world 'choked' by US values

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  • #106
    Originally posted by Sandman
    The whole world would be speaking French now if Joan of Arc hadn't shown up. Blame her.

    Anyway, culture is fundamentally different from genetics (as Starchild suggests) or technology (like Spiffor suggests). It's neither. It's culture.

    Whe you lose culture, it's not like forgetting a potentially useful technology or losing a possibly handy gene. It's like forgetting what you had for breakfast.
    Technically, I was talking about memes, not genes. Either way, it's not only useful but essential to keep variation for unforseeable future events. At the very least, it gives us an ability to compare different aspects of culture and pick the best. Memetic Engineering if you will.

    And losing a culture is more than fogetting what you had for tea. If we had lost Ancient Greek culture's concepts on democracy where would we be today?
    Exult in your existence, because that very process has blundered unwittingly on its own negation. Only a small, local negation, to be sure: only one species, and only a minority of that species; but there lies hope. [...] Stand tall, Bipedal Ape. The shark may outswim you, the cheetah outrun you, the swift outfly you, the capuchin outclimb you, the elephant outpower you, the redwood outlast you. But you have the biggest gifts of all: the gift of understanding the ruthlessly cruel process that gave us all existence [and the] gift of revulsion against its implications.
    -Richard Dawkins

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    • #107
      The prospect of losing the important aspects of French culture or Vietnamese culture because of American cultural imperialism doesn't even pass the giggle test. These folks are making mountains out of molehills.
      I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891

      Comment

      • #108
        Originally posted by Geronimo


        You so greatly misunderstand my motives
        No, I know you're being a troll.
        Golfing since 67

        Comment

        • #109
          Originally posted by DanS
          The prospect of losing the important aspects of French culture or Vietnamese culture because of American cultural imperialism doesn't even pass the giggle test. These folks are making mountains out of molehills.
          Now if you had just written the last sentence then that would make sense. Who gives a ****.

          But no, you had to get a little jibe in which tells me you offended by what Chirac said. And that I don't understand. If I was an American, I'd move to Canada (just kidding). But really if I was an American, I'd say who give a flying **** about the French. IF the French want to ban everything American, who cares other than the French.

          Although, maybe that's what you're trying to say.
          Golfing since 67

          Comment

          • #110
            Originally posted by chegitz guevara
            US culture pretty well sucks. It's nice to be able to do something anything different.
            No it doesn suck. In order for something to suck, it would have to exist in the first place.
            Golfing since 67

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            • #111
              Originally posted by DinoDoc
              Then there shouldn't be much of a worry of US culture choking out others if it sucks so much.
              Okay, it's 3am and I'm drunk. Something can suck big time and still choke out the good stuff. Just look at Micky Ds.
              Golfing since 67

              Comment

              • #112
                Originally posted by Starchild


                Technically, I was talking about memes, not genes. Either way, it's not only useful but essential to keep variation for unforseeable future events. At the very least, it gives us an ability to compare different aspects of culture and pick the best. Memetic Engineering if you will.

                And losing a culture is more than fogetting what you had for tea. If we had lost Ancient Greek culture's concepts on democracy where would we be today?
                Ah! But we did lose it didn't we? The Athenians lost to the Spartans and their democracy was totally expunged as a consequence of that war. We do not need to maintain cultures in active duty to call them up out of the reserves at a later date.

                Comment

                • #113
                  Curse you and your grasp of history. If anyone needs me, I'm going to be reading up on constructive interference of electron orbitals.

                  (still believes supporting minority cultures is a good thing)
                  Exult in your existence, because that very process has blundered unwittingly on its own negation. Only a small, local negation, to be sure: only one species, and only a minority of that species; but there lies hope. [...] Stand tall, Bipedal Ape. The shark may outswim you, the cheetah outrun you, the swift outfly you, the capuchin outclimb you, the elephant outpower you, the redwood outlast you. But you have the biggest gifts of all: the gift of understanding the ruthlessly cruel process that gave us all existence [and the] gift of revulsion against its implications.
                  -Richard Dawkins

                  Comment

                  • #114
                    Originally posted by DanS
                    The prospect of losing the important aspects of French culture or Vietnamese culture because of American cultural imperialism doesn't even pass the giggle test. These folks are making mountains out of molehills.
                    And the BS continues. In many places in the world, American music and films outrageously dominate local art. In Quebec alone, American films have over 80% market share. Last year local film productors were happy to achieve a 9% market share, up from 7% last year.
                    In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

                    Comment

                    • #115
                      Originally posted by Sprayber


                      I suppose only American advertising firms do this.
                      And I suppose that they don't have more money than the Vietnamese ones to do so.
                      In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

                      Comment

                      • #116
                        Originally posted by Sprayber


                        What is stopping you?
                        When was the last time that a Finnish movie played in a theater near you? A French one? A Russian one?
                        In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

                        Comment

                        • #117
                          Originally posted by Oncle Boris


                          And the BS continues. In many places in the world, American music and films outrageously dominate local art. In Quebec alone, American films have over 80% market share. Last year local film productors were happy to achieve a 9% market share, up from 7% last year.
                          So what?

                          Comment

                          • #118
                            Originally posted by Oncle Boris


                            When was the last time that a Finnish movie played in a theater near you? A French one? A Russian one?
                            Crouching Tiger made it to a theater near me. Any decent foreign film (ie that audiences actually like to see) will succeed here.

                            Comment

                            • #119
                              Originally posted by Geronimo


                              So what?




                              Is it just me or has the tone of the arguement moved from debate to whine?
                              "Just puttin on the foil" - Jeff Hanson

                              “In a democracy, I realize you don’t need to talk to the top leader to know how the country feels. When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that’s the dictator, because he speaks for all the people.” - Jimmy Carter

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                              • #120
                                Yep. So what? Quebecois culture is in no way threatened by this. Y'all may feel threatened by it, but the fear is only backed up by an illusion.
                                I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891

                                Comment

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