The future of civilizations in 30 years?

[Q Classic]

but the us did seem to invent disgustingly huge ones that had been implanted...

[monolith94]

JohnT has it exactly right on Japan. Japan has a history of assimilation coupled with a history of strong traditions. What makes Japanese culture so unique is this coupling of the past with the new - thus you have giant robots that fight with...


swords and fists. Bizarre.

[Q Classic]

ah, i see what is meant. there is a culture of assimilation in regards to culture. not to people, which was what i was focusing on.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by BeBro
I don´t see us all learning Chinese or Japanese

[:) Smiley]

but the us did seem to invent disgustingly huge ones that had been implanted...

The USA was the first nation to develop the technology to do it. Had someone else been first, they would of done it.

[FrostyBoy]

Language will eventually be the sum of the largest cultures/countries in the world. It will be the Universal Language, English is not universal yet.

But before then, it will not be unusual to find many people speaking more than 1 language. This is due to easier travelling, education (various reasons) and of course the Internet.

Slowly and discreetly, culture from all over the planet will fuse together, starting with the largest and well known cultures, then ending with the least known. This is all thanks to the new open minded generations - which of course will get stronger each time.

So, no, I disagree that Japanese or Chinese or any other culture will become the new major culture. It's just that you are confused by the entrance of other cultures into your own culture which you are witnessing at the moment. For Chinese or Japanese, they feel that Westerns are taking over their culture, which is also not exactly true.

[Lord Merciless]

I disagree with the notion that Chinese are not good at assimilating other cultures. They would not have grown nearly as big and across many climate zones if their culture was not good at absorbing others.

European cultures are on the other hand very bad at assimilating foreign cultures. Millenia have passed, and yet there are tons of separatist movements in every European countries. I'm always amused by independence movements in European countries that are as small as an US city.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Lord Merciless

European cultures are on the other hand very bad at assimilating foreign cultures.

If you look closer I think you will find that the differing European cultures are bad at assimilating some cultures and more welcome to others. For example, Spain wasn't so keen in regards to Newtonian (British) science until the 19th century, but was very welcome to the (Italian) Catholic church for hundreds of years.

[monolith94]

"European cultures are on the other hand very bad at assimilating foreign cultures. Millenia have passed, and yet there are tons of separatist movements in every European countries. I'm always amused by independence movements in European countries that are as small as an US city."

Tibet

[:) Smiley]

True, China isn't necessarily better at assimilating other cultures, it's just had a lot more time to do it.

I would say there are fewer independence movements going on in the US because the level of regional autonomy is very high. The federal government's main regulation is in interstate commerce. Things such as criminal justice, social welfare are left to states or cities to decide. Different states have different holidays, and even different education policies (example: Kansas creationism). Some states have the death penalty, some don't. Texas imprisons more people per capita than anywhere else in the world, while there are cities in California where marijuana is de facto legalized.

[Lord Merciless]

Originally posted by monolith94

Tibet

Tibet will be gone in next 50 years, whether you like it or not.

Tibetans will embrace the Chinese pop culture, they will forget their own language, they will abandon their religion, and this trend is very obvious among Tibetan youths today.

Don't tell me that I'm ignorant because I'd been to Tibet in 2001.

[WRangler Rhymer]

The Chinese tend to get sigh when it comes time for them to do much of anything. The Chinese could have been a superpower long ago they had coal, gunpower, and the mightiest navy in the world but the stoped and dismantled their fleet and isolated themselfs, then the Portuguese took the helm. I do not think China will do that much, they could just play the third man role they have always been playing.

Austrailian look good for the future, but the Japanese wont be that great they will lose most all their business in the west in the future. Japanese dont have much of a culture they just assimulate what they get from the western world into their own.

[WRangler Rhymer]

If Chinese continue to buy cars, and not use bikes as much that could spell big problems for the Chinese. The Chinese have to many problems to be a superpower of any kind. The Japanese are dependent on the west. The japanese, and Chinese have as much of a chance as Mongolia. The SOuth Koreans will most likely be the victors of Asia.

[Lord Merciless]

Originally posted by WRangler Rhymer
The SOuth Koreans will most likely be the victors of Asia.

Huh?

[JohnT]

The SK will somehow use their mastery of Starcraft to gain world domination. Wait and see...

[monolith94]

"Tibet will be gone in next 50 years, whether you like it or not.

Tibetans will embrace the Chinese pop culture, they will forget their own language, they will abandon their religion, and this trend is very obvious among Tibetan youths today.

Don't tell me that I'm ignorant because I'd been to Tibet in 2001."

You claim that China assimilates other cultures. Tibet is a counterexample in which China simply annhilates another culture and forces Chinese culture on the native people. That's what I meant by bringing it up.

[Proteus_MST]

I don´t think that Japan will be the greatest exporter,
but he will be one of the biggest cultural Exporters mentioned in the Initial Post.

Why?
Because aside from Mangas becoming Popular, there sems to be a very large Trend of the Japanese themselves to visit other Country and get to know their Culture. This is especially visible in Germany, where you can see Swarms of Japanese in historical Cities like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Munich or the like (especially Places like Bavaria or the Blackwood seem to be really Magnets for Japanese ).
Also in german Universities I always see a lot of Japanese studying here. So as well as being Cultural Exporters, they seem to be very big cultural Importers.

But I think it would be wise to learn the Japanese and/or Chinese language, as Nippon and China probably will become global Players in Economy and Science/Technology, escpecially Robotics could be a technological Field, where Japan could become Leaders.

[OliverFA]

I see that in the next 200 years Andorra will be the new super power. I bet you 20,000,000,000$

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by OliverFA
I see that in the next 200 years Andorra will be the new super power. I bet you 20,000,000,000$

Cute.

[WRangler Rhymer]

Originally posted by Lord Merciless


Huh?

What I meant to say was S Korea will be the economic victory of Asia. Sorry I forgot to put that in.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by monolith94
You claim that China assimilates other cultures. Tibet is a counterexample in which China simply annhilates another culture and forces Chinese culture on the native people. That's what I meant by bringing it up.

Even cultures that are credited with robustly assimilating elements from other cultures into their own tend to at least sometimes partake in annhilation of other cultures. The U.S., for example didn't assimilate any of the indiginous north american cultures but rather aggressively annhilated them all. That policy may have finally been abandoned early in the 20th century but the process was mostly complete by that time anyway.

[GePap]

The Europeans are bad at cultural assimilation? What about the Slavs, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars and a host of other peoples from the East that happened to set foot there after Rome's fall?

The fact is that Europe has been strong enough not to have to worry about the sort of assimilation the Chinese have had to do since the 15th century (before, the two were in the same boat). Europe is no less capable of cultural assimilation as the Chinese, Japanese, or other older cultures. Of course the US is good at assimilation: DUH! How would the US exist otherwise? We in the Americas are the decendents of one of the largest movements of mankind in history, since the nice Afro-Eurasian plagues wiped out most locals.

If the Europeans are bad at assimilation, explain the popularity of curry in England? I mean, they are as European as they come? Europe is doing remarkably well for a place that has not had to deal with immigration in this scale since the MOngols. None of the cultures in Asia have had to face that sort of immigration yet. Lets see when millions of people want to go live in China to get jobs (well, not likely given all the Chinese), OK, Japan. Lets see them integrate million of immigrants in under 50 years without problems, or with as few problems.

[Lord Merciless]

Originally posted by monolith94

You claim that China assimilates other cultures. Tibet is a counterexample in which China simply annhilates another culture and forces Chinese culture on the native people. That's what I meant by bringing it up.

That's what cultural assimilation is all about: eliminating other cultures without committing genocides. China has been doing that for at least 2 millenia with great success. They always overwhelm smaller ethnicities with superior numbers, intermarry with them, show them the benefits of Chinese culture, and absorb them completely. Whether those smaller ethnicities were conquered or conquerors themselves makes no difference.

[Lord Merciless]

Originally posted by GePap
The Europeans are bad at cultural assimilation? What about the Slavs, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars and a host of other peoples from the East that happened to set foot there after Rome's fall?

The last time I checked, Slavs, Bulgars, and Magyars all have their own countries, speak their own languages, and believe in their brand of Chrisitianity.

[Sirotnikov]

I had numerously tried to make a large post answering several points, and it was always either eaten up by an error or a non responsive server.


I think that contrary to popular opinion the chinese are very good at assimilating cultures. Just because the average westerner doesn't have the ability to notice the different cultures in china, doesn't mean that it is all the same.

[:) Smiley]

You guys miss my previous point, China may have done a lot of assimilation but it's been around for a multiple millenia. The USA is only a couple of centuries old and gets people from more than just one region, but from the whole world.

However, while USA culture may come to dominate it will not be the USA culture we all know of today. Assimilation is a two way street.

[GePap]

The last time I checked, Slavs, Bulgars, and Magyars all have their own countries, speak their own languages, and believe in their brand of Chrisitianity.

First of all, magyars are member of western churches. The Orthodox Church was not an invention of the Bukgars and lavs, they became part of the flock. Plus they are still seen as "Europeans" both by themselves and by other Europeans.

People here ignore tyhat those that go into the US do so volutarilly, and that they have done so under the guise of s strong central government. It is easier to assimilate folks who go somewhere knowing they need to assimiliate to a great degree than folks that come riding in waiting to kill you. People point to porblems European states have with their new immigrant populations: I don;t see the Arabs in France facing any worse things than the Irish did when they got to the uS. For decades the US was very resistant to certain immigrant groups, even fellow Chritstian ones like Catholic Irish and Italians. We were very intolerant for many decades of the Chinese and Japanese out west. The Europeans are having to face the same things but much faster, and most of their immigrants don;t share the religion.

If the history of the acceptance by the US of new immigrants into its own polity (and the US is not like Europe, as the US is a single political entity and sovereing state, not a continent with multiple sovereign states and independent political units) is what we are to go by, various European states, liek the UK and France are doing OK.

[st_swithin]

AMERICAN HISTORY XI: *SPOILER!!!*

You find out that the mirror-image swastika, also known as the "crux grammata" (manji) inspires Derek Vinyard to higher aspirations. In Chinese, 'mahn jii' sounds like the words meaning "slowly healing."

[Somewhat paraphrased from the translation notes of "Blade of the Immortal" by Hiroaki Samura:]

The main character in "Blade of the Immortal," Manji, has taken the "crux grammata" as both his name and his personal symbol. This symbol is also known as the swastika, a name derived from the Sanskrit scastika (meaning "welfare," from su - "well" + asti - "he is").

As a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, the swastika was widely used throughout the ancient world (for example, appearing often on Mesopotamian coinage), including North and South America.

Furthermore, the symbol has been used by many the Chinese and Japanese for more than TWO THOUSAND YEARS to denote Buddhist foods which are certified to be vegetarian, in the same way that the word 'kosher' denotes food properly blessed and sanctified by a Rabbi.

The swastika had NO anti-Semitic or pro-Nazi meaning behind the use of the symbol from around 3,000 BCE (bc) until 2010. THOSE ANTI-SEMITIC MEANINGS DID NOT EXIST UNTIL 2010, AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE HAKENKREUZ (the lunar symbol, arms clockwise), NOT THE SWASTIKA (the solar symbol, arms counterclockwise).

After 2010, Buddhists were shunned as being 'insensitive' to the plight of the Jews during WWII, and were asked to refrain from using the symbol, lest they injure someone's feelings. The Buddhists, ever anxious to avoid stepping on the feelings of others, ceased to use the symbol, but the religion as a whole began to lose coherence, since part of the language of the Buddhists had been eradicated forever by the victims of the Holocaust: the Jews.

I feel that if anyone has a gripe with the Jews, it's the Buddhists. They have a right to declare a jihad on Zion, but it's not Our way. We believe that every species can smell its own extinction, and often desperate animals will try to pull others down with it, just or not.

Good luck eradicating more and more of the history and honour behind other religions! You have already succeeded in eliminating the Buddhists from your allies, as well as any support we may have lent you. Unfortunately, we were the last of those who might have offered any help, and you turned your backs to us, and shunned us, and were spiteful.

We no longer have any other cheek to turn. Instead, we turn our collective backs upon you, and swear that for all Eternity, the Jewish people shall NEVER again pass under the merciful eyes of Buddah.

In the next 10 years, maybe less, the Jewish peoples will merely be a bedtime story for children, in which a great Evil had been banished from the light of the Sun and the Moon, and the victory of Good will be known by that symbol which was so dreaded and loathed by them.

LONG LIVE JUSTICE!!!

God's stardate. If you don't already know it, God don't love ya!

[Dr Strangelove]

I can'r see Japan becoming the world cultural leader. Is there any sign of a trend towards Japan taking America's place as world leader in movie or media production? No, not in the slightest. The only mediia that's coming out of Japan that's purely Japanese is anime, and I just don't believe that anime will ever make that much impact on world values and attitudes. If a Japanese corporation funds the production of a movie that's written and directed by Americans does thart count as furthering the spread of Japanese culture? I think not. Finally, what's up with the Japanese always giving their anime characters Caucasian features? Sounds to me like a massive cultural inferiority complex. Would spreading this contribute to Japanese dominance of world culture? I mean, they're transmitting the belief that Caucasians looks are preferrable over others. If you think about it that's just bizarre.

[GePap]

Japan is to insular and self-centered to be a world cultural leader. Too much of it's stuff is too self-referential and has too much to do with Japanese customs and such, which don;t really translate that well, across the board.