Cultural Differences and Forum Moderation
By
Alasdair,
Posted on: 2009-07-31 22:06 in The European Lounge
Actually, that's pretty smart considering there's weirdo nations out there that list the month first, then day, then year, making for an utterly arbitrary order (neither ascending nor descending in magnitude). I'm amazed they don't tell the time in minutes:seconds:hours. When the month is clearly distinguishable (usually written out, but Roman Numerals will do) that removes the 'ah hell, which order are these guys writing their dates in' quandary when faced with a day before the 13th.
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
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Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Then again, keep in mind that you're talking to people who think in dimensions such as 3/8 of an inch (which incidentally is roughly 1 cm or 10 mm).
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I only need a 3/8 when I'm working on the car. The computers take smaller ones and I think they're metric, but I'm not sure, I just use whatever fits.
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That's actually a good point. I don't think they use it for that reason, lol, but it does I guess avoid confusion.|
Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Actually, that's pretty smart considering there's weirdo nations out there that list the month first, then day, then year, making for an utterly arbitrary order (neither ascending nor descending in magnitude). I'm amazed they don't tell the time in minutes:seconds:hours. When the month is clearly distinguishable (usually written out, but Roman Numerals will do) that removes the 'ah hell, which order are these guys writing their dates in' quandary when faced with a day before the 13th.
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Eco.
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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I thought they had chariots, not cars?
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Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Roman Numerals have no rules for fractions.
"This car uses between V and VI litres of gasoline per C kilometres at XC KPH" is pretty damn vague when trying to compare fuel efficiency. |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Romans just needed to calculate how many miles per serving of oat gruel and mutton the Legions could get per day
There is no such thing as an "innocent bystander"
roman numbers are used on cars actually..
Vw Golf MKI, MKII, MKIII, MKIV and so forth...
even on american ones, Lincoln Continental Mark IV for example
my own car kinda confused me at the beginning though... being european and having bought american
Buick Century Estate Wagon...
double the wagon? it's both an Estate, and a Wagon? why not just a stationwagon?
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What is with that, I've often wondered if there was an advantage to having the placement of the controls on the left or right of the vehicle? Or was it simply a nod to some sort of tradtion?
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Originally Posted by Scarlet_Shocker
A Dodge is absolutley no good to us whatsoever. You guys drive on the wrong side of the road!
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------->"Sic Semper Tyrannis"<-------
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Big names for equally big cars! I think my favorite name for a car is the Cadillac Brougham. The majority of people I run into call it a Cadillac Bro-Ham (LMAO) rather than Cadillac Brom. The next most mispronounced car I hear would be a Mercury Grand Marquis, people often pronounce Mark-KEYsssss. Now that I think about it, thats probably why you see so many MK-XXXX cars out there.
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Originally Posted by Hemily
roman numbers are used on cars actually..
Vw Golf MKI, MKII, MKIII, MKIV and so forth... even on american ones, Lincoln Continental Mark IV for example my own car kinda confused me at the beginning though... being european and having bought american Buick Century Estate Wagon... double the wagon? it's both an Estate, and a Wagon? why not just a stationwagon? |
------->"Sic Semper Tyrannis"<-------
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It dates from the times of mounted soldiers. Everyone fought to the right of them and passed on the left. For some reason though, you lot moved to the other side of the road, making it easier to chop your heads off. |
Originally Posted by ebon3
What is with that, I've often wondered if there was an advantage to having the placement of the controls on the left or right of the vehicle? Or was it simply a nod to some sort of tradtion?
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@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
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And I beleive it! Which only makes Gordon Murray seem that much more brillant! Its to bad the McLaren F1 is a grey market car in the US.
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Originally Posted by FloatingFatMan
It dates from the times of mounted soldiers. Everyone fought to the right of them and passed on the left. For some reason though, you lot moved to the other side of the road, making it easier to chop your heads off.
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------->"Sic Semper Tyrannis"<-------
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I remember being told in Primary school by my headmaster (Mr Howard Spriggs, an old-school firm-but-fair type of teacher. Awesome dude.) that it stemmed from a certain brand of Wagon that happened to have it's brake handle on the left hand side becoming more popular in the US than a competing brand which had a right-hand brake handle. So the drivers of said wagons tended to favour the right hand side of the track or what have you, as they'd be sitting over to the left of the vehicle, and passing would be easier, they'd get a beeter view by being more centralised, etc...|
Originally Posted by FloatingFatMan
It dates from the times of mounted soldiers. Everyone fought to the right of them and passed on the left. For some reason though, you lot moved to the other side of the road, making it easier to chop your heads off.
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I haven't actually looked it up tbh. it sounds sort of feasible, but also there's something too simplistic about it as an answer, isn't there?
It doesn't explain why they mostly drive on the right in Europe either.
Eco.
EDIT: the mounted soldiers thing - wouldn't it make more sense to fight to the left, as most people are right handed, so their shields would be in their left and they could use their right to swing their sword over? Is'nt that why most spiral staircases in old castles spiral downward anti-clockwise, so the defenders had a better angle of swing?
I eat with fork in my right hand and knife in my left, wear a watch on my right wrist, but write and kick a football with my right hand, though, so I'm not the one to rely on for handedness matters Lol
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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Er, i dont actually kick a football with my right hand - i dont havw hands for feet. Some north walians may, but i'm relatively normal.
Eco
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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Here's the FULL reason why.
http://users.telenet.be/worldstandar...ft.htm#history
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Thats fantastic! So its a sort of amalgamation of the combat reason and the wagon thing, albeit both stemming from the predominance of right handedness among humans.
I particularly liked the austria/hitler bit-it reminded me of a documentary i saw where an engineer was asked to explain how the colissiums awning could have been supported - je said he couldnt do it using the tools and stuff they had back then, but pointed out to the documentRian 'but you're not threatening to kill me if i cant, are you?'
the sweden bit was funny too. So much fpr democracy!
eco
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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I've lived in Birmingham, Alabama my whole life. Never heard Spade as a slur before. We have a reputation of being the most racist state in the U.S. yet in my 30 years I've never heard Spade used as anything other than a garden tool or card suit....
I could list off at least 200 racial slurs used 'round here but spade wouldn't even be close.
Just goes to show you, things can mean one thing to me and another to you when we've grown up in the same house, let alone 'cross the pond!
For instance. I had no clue that fanny was a naughty term. Well, I take that back, down here in tha deep south its used as a descriptor.
Mullets and fanny packs seem to be a requirement for some.
Maestro Mavius - Infinity
Capt. Biohazrd - PCSAR
Talsor Tech - Talsorian Guard
Keep Calm & Chive On!
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We call them "bum bags", though they went out of fashion in the pretty early 90's.
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Originally Posted by MaestroMavius
fanny packs
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@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Quote:
Bum Bags....|
Originally Posted by FloatingFatMan
We call them "bum bags", though they went out of fashion in the pretty early 90's.
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Now thats priceless. Next good ol boy I see with one of those hideous things is getting labeled a bum bagger!
FYI - They went out of style here in the early '90s too. Hence why all the good ol boys have em. That and mullets...
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Quote:
Actually, that also points out another variation. In the UK, bum is a slightly cheeky word for bottom, maybe not to be said in front of your Granny, but usually OK in front of Mum. |
Originally Posted by MaestroMavius
Bum Bags....
Now thats priceless. Next good ol boy I see with one of those hideous things is getting labeled a bum bagger! FYI - They went out of style here in the early '90s too. Hence why all the good ol boys have em. That and mullets... |
Whereas the North American version describing a gentleman of the road isn't in common usage here (although the verb "bum" can be used as an action to beg i.e. "can I bum a *** off you". However the other use of the verb would be descriptive of the intimate night time activities if two gentlemen who ride the other bus, but because of the occasionally homophobic nature of open forums, let's not dwell on that one, if only for me to avoid getting hit by the modstick.)
Basically, if one of you lot referred to someone as "a low-down bum", we know what you mean, even if you're murdering our language and not actually describing someone with an overhanging posterior.
The fact that most of you American types are ignorant of our colloquial phrases and euphemisms shouldn't be seen as a failing on your part, as we tend to use it as a re-enforcement of our false sense of superiority.
I find it truly heartening that there still is only one Lazer Jesus.
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What do you mean by FALSE sense of superiority? |
Originally Posted by scapegoat_EU
The fact that most of you American types are ignorant of our colloquial phrases and euphemisms shouldn't be seen as a failing on your part, as we tend to use it as a re-enforcement of our false sense of superiority.
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@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I've just noticed you're in Kent, FFM. Apropos of nothing in particular, I lived in Kent for a year in the late 80s, in a little village called Alkham. It was between Dover (yeuch) and Folkestone (quite nice IIRC). Being a mere youngster then, and already a fan of Lovecraft, i of course dubbed the place Arkham, and the graveyard there did a fair impression of HPs moon-dappled moss-strewn ghoulyards at night, I must say.
Lovely Summer, that was. You've got one of the best places in Blighty for weather, I reckon.
Eco.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
[The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."
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Aye... And it's been roasting for the past few days! I'm just a few miles outside Maidstone, so am pretty central for anything really. |
Originally Posted by MrCaptainMan_NA
Lovely Summer, that was. You've got one of the best places in Blighty for weather, I reckon.
Eco. |
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Quote:
Care to define roasting? I always wondered what is considered hot for weather over in the UK.
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Originally Posted by FloatingFatMan
Aye... And it's been roasting for the past few days! I'm just a few miles outside Maidstone, so am pretty central for anything really.
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Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious
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it's probably a good temperature, as when i went to the UK, there was a little bit of snow, for the first time in 10 years, atleast for the area i was in (Leamington by Spa) and i've never seen such chaos before, traffic was at a standstill, a one hour drive from Stanstead took about 6 hours, and there were cars in the ditches. |
Originally Posted by Oyasumi_Nasai
Care to define roasting? I always wondered what is considered hot for weather over in the UK.
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It was barely at the freezing point, people dressed like they were headed to the north pole, so... i don't think they're too used to actual cold temperatures
Roman numerals are still used in Poland in some places (including government offices) for months, so you'll see 17/XI/2008 in a date field, for example.
/facepalm
Eco.
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