America, we need to talk...

[Theresa Tennyson]

2 hours ago, ItHadToComeToThis said:

Again. I am not saying that people can't honour their heritage, research their family tree or even claim a descendancy from said specific country. That is all fine and well. If you want to dress up in lederhosen once a year, put your hair in pig tails and dance round a campsite drinking beer and eating bockwurst celebrating your German heritage then by all means go for it. But, unless you know the political, social, historical aspects of the country, that you would gain from having actually lived there for an extended period, as well as all the other experiences of living in that country then you can't honestly say that you are a German because you have never experienced life as a German. By all means you could say "My great great great grandfather came from Germany in 1843 with nothing but a straw hat and a pan to find gold" and be proud of that, but, that doesn't make you "A German" that makes you "Descended" or "Part" German. Someone born in 2004 would probably be looking at themselves in reality as like 1/512th German. My original query though was more....why

Your original query was more like, "Why do all dogs only have three legs?" Yes, some dogs only have three legs for a variety of reasons. However, most of them have four, so a question like that makes us wonder how you arrived at that conclusion.

[Theresa Tennyson]

1 hour ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

You can theoretically drive from Inverness, Scotland to Hong Kong, China. That doesn't make them on the same continent either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia

Edited July 24, 2020 by Theresa Tennyson

[nlbrn4]

1 hour ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

 

 

Explain to us how someone saying "You can be X if you have Y" means "Well, that means I can can say I'm X [even though I don't have Y.]"

Okay fine. wrong parallel. Replace germany with hong kong. been there once but we'll count that as negligible. again, i don't speak the language, don't know the people, never lived there but i'm the same ethnicity as the locals there. according to this logic, i can proudly call myself hong kongese without having any clue about the culture or language. my point still stands.

[Mercedes Avon]

My maiden last name is very different and is not spelled anything close to how it's pronounced. People use to ask me constantly where the name was from and I had no shame telling them it's heritage and how it got it's particular pronunciation in this part of the country (other places it's been "American-ized" and pronounced as spelled).

This country is young by comparison. Unless, you are Native American,  we have heritages going back to someplace else. I speak English. I was born and raised in the United States. I am 100% part of the United States culture, but that doesn't mean my parents are or my grandparents are. My grandparents are immigrants. The Hispanic girl the OP commented about may also have Mexican immigrant parents/grandparents. U.S. citizens are kind of like labradoodles at this point.

Unlike the OP, I find it interesting to know where someone's roots are. It was not that long ago where everyone had a relative alive who immigrated here.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Mercedes Avon

[Paul Hexem]

4 hours ago, Drakonadrgora Darkfold said:

correct.. you dont have to just do racist things to be a racist.. and by not doing racist things does not make you magically a non-racist if you are one. a few good deeds in the past doesnt wash away what he has done now.

Is that like saying a submarine is a boat because it sometimes floats on the surface?

[Theresa Tennyson]

Just now, Paul Hexem said:

Is that like saying a submarine is a boat because it sometimes floats on the surface?

A submarine is a boat because that's what sailors traditionally called them.

http://www.pigboats.com/subs/f-boats.html

[Caroline Takeda]

I am German.

By definition of the German constitution anybody who holds the German citizenship is German. (Art. 166, GG)

Of course including Germans with a migration background. Your genetic, religious or cultural heritage has nothing to do with it at all. It's a diverse, multi-ethnic people who came from many different tribes and ethnics, mixed up with several other cultures over the years. And that is a good thing.

If you do not have a German ID or German passport you are not a German, no matter how often you claim to be.

It is really that simple.

[Solar Legion]

Ah yes, because Citizenship is the same as one's Cultural Background .... Just another example of what is holding Humanity back ....

[Orwar]

10 minutes ago, Caroline Takeda said:

It is really that simple.

   What happens if a German is a bit like me and can't be bothered to renew their ID card or passport before they've both ran out? What are they in the meantime ..?

[Caroline Takeda]

2 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   What happens if a German is a bit like me and can't be bothered to renew their ID card or passport before they've both ran out? What are they in the meantime ..?

You do not loose your citizenship for that. Obviously. But you would be risking a fine.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Caroline Takeda

[Orwar]

1 minute ago, Caroline Takeda said:

You do not loose your citizenship for that. Obviously.

16 minutes ago, Caroline Takeda said:

If you do not have a German ID or German passport you are not a German, no matter how often you claim to be.

[Caroline Takeda]

Come on, you did get my point.

[Akane Nacht]

4 minutes ago, Orwar said:

What are they in the meantime ..?

Unable to leave the country?

[Caroline Takeda]

Just now, Akane Nacht said:

Unable to leave the country?

Well they actually can, within the European Union.

[Orwar]

Just now, Caroline Takeda said:

Well they actually can, within the European Union.

   Well no, you need a valid identification still, whether it's an ID card or a driver's license - it's not like the French border guard will take your word for being who you claim to be when trying to enter the country. Think of all the Norwegians that could slip through! 

[Theresa Tennyson]

24 minutes ago, Caroline Takeda said:

I am German.

By definition of the German constitution anybody who holds the German citizenship is German. (Art. 166, GG)

Of course including Germans with a migration background. Your genetic, religious or cultural heritage has nothing to do with it at all. It's a diverse, multi-ethnic people who came from many different tribes and ethnics, mixed up with several other cultures over the years. And that is a good thing.

If you do not have a German ID or German passport you are not a German, no matter how often you claim to be.

It is really that simple.

You're also saying there were no Germans before 1871, aren't you?

[Drakonadrgora Darkfold]

1 hour ago, Paul Hexem said:

Is that like saying a submarine is a boat because it sometimes floats on the surface?

actually they are, they are called u-boats.. aka underwater boats. or as shown by here. how and why they were called boats by some people, where as some call them ships or vessels or craft. the term submarine came about later in history. but does not mean that all such craft have to only be called by that term by everyone.

similarly just because you live in one country does not mean you are of only that country or ethnic or culture or heritage.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Drakonadrgora Darkfold

[ChinRey]

4 hours ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

You can theoretically drive from Inverness, Scotland to Hong Kong, China.

Theoretically yes but why would anybody want to leave Inverness?

(Edit: I did have a serious reply too but Theresa got in before me and I don't really have much to add.)

Edited July 24, 2020 by ChinRey

[Drakonadrgora Darkfold]

5 hours ago, Syo Emerald said:

Of course one can decide, that what others say does not matter. This is true for any topic. But that doesn't make them right, just because they decided anyone else isn't relevant. And if anyone can freely pick what type of origin they want to staple on their american one, why not go straight to the origin and claim Africa? After all, our earliest ancestors came from there. What, thats suddenly too far? At what point does the "fraction of shared DNA" become too little to claim whatever identity you fancy at the moment?

Actually it does. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or likes or agree's with on what someone chooses to call themselves if they have reason to do so, such as an ancestral relative that was from that area of the world.

It is not for 'any'one else to tell them they are wrong in doing so ever. No matter how much that other person doesnt like what they are doing.

It doesn't become to small ever. You can be 1% african, 25% german and 25% british maybe throw in another 25% russian and the last 24% american if you wish and you could claim each and every single one of those as part of your ancestral heritage if you wished and no one from any of those other countries could say you cant or say your wrong for doing so. 

It is 'not' their choice or decision and never was or ever will be no matter how much they might try and claim or think or believe or demand or say it is.

You do not have to have lived there or know the language or history or current social/political/economical situation of there to be of or from there.

Again the responses in this topic sort of smell as anti-americanism.. basically people getting upset that some american may be trying to steal or devalue their heritage that they are overly proud of.

You live in america.. you can't be from my country.. how dare you smudge my countries name with your american thoughts or beliefs...

You dont know enough about my country or its history or language so you cant claim to be of my country...

how dare you try to claim to be from x when you are 'only' from y in my limited delusional arrogant opinion and view.. because I say otherwise...

stop stealing my countries culture... stick to your own where you belong... you filthy american..

stop making my country/culture/hertiage seem like just some label you can slap on yourself.. your not allowed because I say so!!!111!!!

And to all of those responses the answer is simple. Grow up and get over yourself seriously. Stop trying to make your problem a them problem. They dont have to care one whit if you dont like it.

at the end of the day your opinion and view and thoughts and feelings and likes or dislikes are completely irrelevant to them even if you dont like it or want to claim or say or demand or think or feel or believe otherwise.

and they are not wrong in claiming what ever they claim as long as they have some reason to do so such as bloodlines linking them to there.

 

smells like there are some neo-nazi's in this thread too.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Drakonadrgora Darkfold

[Drake1 Nightfire]

2 hours ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia

First line of that wiki... "Eurasia /jʊəˈreɪʒə/ is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia." 

[Drakonadrgora Darkfold]

3 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

First line of that wiki... "Eurasia /jʊəˈreɪʒə/ is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia." 

meaning its not one singular continent as was tried to be referenced by using that link.

[Janet Voxel]

5 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

First line of that wiki... "Eurasia /jʊəˈreɪʒə/ is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia." 

There is a strong arguement that Europe and Asia are one continent too.

[Theresa Tennyson]

4 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

First line of that wiki... "Eurasia /jʊəˈreɪʒə/ is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia." 

Why is Europe a continent?

The answer to that question is that the people who developed the concept of "continents" lived in that part of the world and they decided their region was important enough to call it one. Geologically speaking it's a peninsula with delusions of grandeur. The region around India has more of a geological claim to be considered separate from the rest of Asia then Europe does. In some parts of the world it isn't considered a continent; notably Russia, which would otherwise have to explain why it's on two continents when the only dividing line is a not-particularly-impressive mountain range.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

1 minute ago, Theresa Tennyson said:

Why is Europe a continent?

The answer to that question is that the people who developed the concept of "continents" lived in that part of the world and they decided their region was important enough to call it one. Geologically speaking it's a peninsula with delusions of grandeur. The region around India has more of a geological claim to be considered separate from the rest of Asia then Europe does. In some parts of the world it isn't considered a continent; notably Russia, which would otherwise have to explain why it's on two continents when the only dividing line is a not-particularly-impressive mountain range.

Why is any continent a continent? Because someone a long time ago said so and everyone agreed.. Screw it, since all land above water is touching below the water, lets just say its all one continent called Earth. Lets go even further and say there is only one race called, Human. If we all agreed on that one there might be less war in the world. 

[Drakonadrgora Darkfold]

2 minutes ago, Drake1 Nightfire said:

Why is any continent a continent? Because someone a long time ago said so and everyone agreed.. Screw it, since all land above water is touching below the water, lets just say its all one continent called Earth. Lets go even further and say there is only one race called, Human. If we all agreed on that one there might be less war in the world. 

But drake1.. then I could not say I was superior or better than you!!!111!!!.. that is not acceptable... your not my race or species or of my cultural/ethnic/social/political group because I say so!