Do you think that the British Isles are a part of Europe?

Discussion in 'Opinion POLLS' started by Lindis, Oct 17, 2021.

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Do you think that the British Isles are a part of Europe?

  1. yes

    20 vote(s)
    74.1%
  2. no

    4 vote(s)
    14.8%
  3. England is a part of Europe

    3 vote(s)
    11.1%
  4. Wales is a part of Europe

    1 vote(s)
    3.7%
  5. Berwick upon Tweed is a part of Europe

    1 vote(s)
    3.7%
  6. Scotland is a part of Europa

    2 vote(s)
    7.4%
  7. Northern Island is a part of Europe

    2 vote(s)
    7.4%
  8. the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands are also part of Europe

    1 vote(s)
    3.7%
  9. the Republik of Ireland is a part of Europe

    2 vote(s)
    7.4%
  10. the UK is no part of Europe

    2 vote(s)
    7.4%
  11. other

    2 vote(s)
    7.4%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Do you think that the British Isles are a part of Europe?
     
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  2. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yes, it is part of Europe. The world breaks down into several different regions, and the British Isles are in the region of Europe, including culturally and historically.
    There is some amount of distinction made. France and Germany are considered part of Continental Europe, and the British will often refer to "The Continent" or describe certain things as "Continental". So there is a little bit of a certain type of special difference between British culture and that of France or Germany, although they are all about equally different from each other.
     
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  3. Josh77

    Josh77 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It depends on what you are talking about. Do you mean is it physically part of europe? Yeah, it is physically part of that continent.
    Are they politically part of Europe? Well, that is entirely up to the British people and government.
     
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  4. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Now every option in the poll has got exactly ONE vote. :)
     
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  5. HonestJoe

    HonestJoe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yes. The British Isles is geologically and geographically part of Europe and however you choose to define them, the various political nations/regions/areas of the British Isles are all politically and socially part of Europe.

    Note that the European Union doesn't define what is part of the European continent any more than the United States of America defines what is part of the American continent.
     
  6. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    The EU does not think that it is all of Europe.
    It is rather the English (or: many English) who think that they are not part of Europe, but something very very special ...
     
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  7. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Now 4 say: Yes!
     
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  8. perotista

    perotista Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Europe has always been considered from the Ural Mountains to the UK and Ireland to include Iceland.
     
  9. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Yes, of course! :)
    But do the English know that?
    I doubt it! :)
     
  10. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    And do you know why I mentioned specially
    Berwick upon Tweed?
     
  11. perotista

    perotista Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Somehow I get the feeling this whole thing has something to do with the European Union. The EU is more or less a political organization, not a continental one.
     
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  12. Hoosier8

    Hoosier8 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Western or Eastern Europe? Rome tried to conquer the UK but eventually failed after 4 centuries.
     
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  13. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    England was a part of the Roman Empire, but was mostly on its periphery. If the Roman Empire did not conquer further territory on the British Isles, that was because it was too far away and, moreover, not worth it, since England was by far the most valuable part of the British Isles.
     
  14. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    What makes you think, however, as you said in another post, that the people of the U.K. don't believe their nation is part of Europe? They can think that they are "something very, very special," and at the same time understand where they are located. Americans, for example, consider themselves-- full disclosure: that includes me-- very special, and yet that does not make us think we aren't part of North America. (Cases of Americans who say that we aren't, or that we are ALL of North America, are almost certainly honest assertions, based on simple geographical ignorance).
     
  15. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    No, absolutely not. Totally different places and cultures.
     
  16. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    I know that from my time there.
     
  17. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    Well, we may be interpreting the question differently, as Lindis likes to leave his OPs a bit undefined, for my taste. But, just because two places have different cultures, does not mean that they can't be parts of the same continent. There are, no doubt, HUGE disparities between the culture of Denmark, and that of Spain, for example: but both are part of Europe. I'm sure that Greek culture differs considerably from Dutch culture (both, part of Europe). Norway is doubtless much different than Italy. Need I go on?

    In fact, this reminds me of an interesting theory about why African peoples, & nations, have never developed stronger bonds, among themselves, which has to do with geography. To give you a quick version, since this might seem a bit off the direct path, places of the same latitude, in any region, tend to have similar climates, & therefore develop similar traditions and practices, which become a basis for relating to each other (leading to commerce, and even the spread of elements of culture). But because Africa is long and thin (latitudinally speaking), you wound up with societies being stacked more vertically, than horizontally. These societies existed in much different environments than their neighbors, ranging from desert, to Savannah, to tropical rainforest, and more. This gave them little in common with each other, fostering their keeping apart (and so developing prejudicial ideas about the strange outsiders). My point is that I'm sure you can find greater cultural differences on the African continent, than exist in Europe.

    This brings me to a final point: that the differences you perceive must be considered RELATIVELY, and are not really as great as you think. Of course, every country is going to be unique, in some ways. But if you compare Germany and Britain, both to Japan, or Korea, or China, or Thailand, it is obvious that the two European countries share a lot more similarities with one another, than they do with any of those Far East Asian nations. For starters, look at things as basic as the foods they eat. While they may prepare them differently, both European countries' staple grain is wheat, not rice. While they may prefer different cuts or parts, the Europeans favor the red meats of beef & lamb. The Asian countries have a greater love of pork, even than the sausage-enthusiast Germans, and eat more fish, and goat. All the crops that people grow, and livestock that we raise, have a great effect on the cultures that develop, influencing a wide range of traditions, practices, and, ultimately, ideas, priorities, and perspectives.

    Note the very different lifestyles, even in those Asian nations with standards of living akin to the Europeans. Also the sharp contrast in philosophies, and religion. Far Eastern cultures place a greater emphasis on the goals of, & fitting in with, the overall society. Western society values individuality to a far greater degree. This is a fundamental difference in mindset. It was easy to see it manifest in the way Western peoples, in general, have responded to Coronavirus lockdowns and mandates, compared to those of the Far East.
    And I haven't even mentioned the vast divide in the languages of both regions-- which are, of course, our way of speaking about, and so conceptualizing, our world (and our existence, in it).

    I think that the, "total," differences you remark about, are really much more superficial than you take them to be.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2021
  18. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Do you think that the British Isles are a part of Europe?

    I suppose you were speaking ironically.
     
  19. mswan

    mswan Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I think they are part of Europe, it would have been more obvious in the past when sea levels were a couple of hundred feet lower. Politically and culturally there are some differences, but the same is true of regional differences between regions here in the States. New England is quite different than the Southwest.
     
  20. HonestJoe

    HonestJoe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Or part of Europe but also something very special, just like people in lots of other European countries do. Is appears that it's you who wants to treat the English (and only the English for some reason) differently.
     
  21. Aleksander Ulyanov

    Aleksander Ulyanov Well-Known Member

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    And Greenland, since it is politically part of Denmark. Azores too
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2021
  22. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    No.
    It is not me.
    It is the English.
    And I speak from experience.

    Question: Have you ever been to England?
    Or is it that maybe you yourself is English?
     
  23. HonestJoe

    HonestJoe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not only the English though. Nationalist exceptionalism is an opinion that can be held pretty much anywhere around the world. There have been some high profile examples of it in the UK (not just England) in recent years for obvious reasons but that is far from unique.

    I'm British of mixed background but mostly brought up and lived in England.
     
  24. Grau

    Grau Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Thanks for starting this thread.

    Yes, I've always considered the British Isles to be part of Europe even before I learned that they were connected to France and The Netherlands by an area called Doggerland which was suddenly flooded around 6,500 BCE.

    Over the years, fishermen over what was formerly Doggerland have dredged up the remains of mammoths, lions as well as numerous pre-historic human artifacts such as pre-historic tools, weapons and other signs of earlier human habitation.


    [​IMG]

    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...parated-britain-europe-study-finds-180976430/
     
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  25. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    You are welcome! :)
    And yes - this Doggerland is a fascinating topic! :)
     
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