63 replies to this topic

[Surtr]

I thought the Jarnfolk were out in the deep periphery or something?

[Jarl Dane]

Surtr, on 18 July 2013 - 06:03 PM, said:

I thought the Jarnfolk were out in the deep periphery or something?

That is true. They are. They have dealings with the Hansa and some other periphery powers.

Anyways the Danes (and Icelanders) are clearly too smart to sit around in that war torn Inner Sphere.

Edited by Mech The Dane, 18 July 2013 - 06:06 PM.

[Carl Wrede]

Snowcrow, on 30 June 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

It is quite strange, as norway and sweden have more in common with denmark, than finland.

You forget the 600 years that Finland was the eastern half of Sweden.

[Odanan]

tommilator, on 30 June 2013 - 08:04 AM, said:

Or maybe the creators of Battletech thought Denmark was the capital of Sweden

Knowledge of foreign cultures wasn't the strong point with the Battletech creators... (see the name of the Kuritan leaders, for instance)

[Steinar Bergstol]

I'm fairly certain the Danes were left out of the FRR because you guys keep insisting you're gonna use that insane, incomprehensible numbering system of yours. Halvfjerds indeed. What the heck does that even mean? So obviously it's your own fault since when you asked the other guys to verify your the coordinates for the jump they couldn't understand what you meant.

Nah, kidding. We love our Danish neighbors. Good, cheap beer, lovely ladies and a country so flat and small it all counts as beachfront property. What's not to love?

Edited by Steinar Bergstol, 13 August 2013 - 12:28 PM.

[BookWyrm]

Odanan, on 31 July 2013 - 06:21 PM, said:

Knowledge of foreign cultures wasn't the strong point with the Battletech creators... (see the name of the Kuritan leaders, for instance)

Battletech creators were good ol' 'merican's. We still have a hard time understanding why the rest of the world doesn't like us policing them or exporting cholesterol, Coca-Cola, and pseudo democracy followed up with a tactical drone strike. Some of us still think Africa is a country and New Zealand is a state in Australia.

Edited by BookWyrm, 13 August 2013 - 10:22 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

^ Pfft. I doubt most of us have heard of New Zealand.
If only you could have been there the night I was at Outback Steakhouse, and my Kiwi friend decided to mess with the waitress.
He was looking at the lamb on the menu and asked "Where is this New Zeh-uh-land?"
The waitress had no idea even though it was on a map, on the wall next to her.

...And it's disgusting how many of us can't name the 50 states in our own country, or figure out where most of them are relative to our own state. Heck, a lot of Americans can't even find their own state on a map, much less realize that Mexico or Australia have states.

As for me, I think it's ironic that Mexico's smallest dog and largest state share a name, and Tabasco sauce isn't actually made in Tabasco.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 14 August 2013 - 11:56 AM.

[NoClass]

Honestly,

My first instinct is to place new Zealand somewhere in northern Europe. Happens everytime.

I sincerely doubt most Europeans can name every "nation-state" in that big dumb union of theirs.

[NoClass]

BookWyrm, on 13 August 2013 - 10:21 PM, said:

Battletech creators were good ol' 'merican's. We still have a hard time understanding why the rest of the world doesn't like us policing them or exporting cholesterol, Coca-Cola, and pseudo democracy followed up with a tactical drone strike. Some of us still think Africa is a country and New Zealand is a state in Australia.

You know, it is absolutely infuriating to me when Americans and those living within her benefactor nations sit back and criticize her foreign exploits; while simultaneously reaping from the bountiful harvest those exploits have sewn. If it wasn't America vying for hedgemony after the War, it WOULD have been someone else. Be thankful and be proud it wasnt.

[BookWyrm]

VigilanceHawkwind, on 14 August 2013 - 01:26 PM, said:

You know, it is absolutely infuriating to me when Americans and those living within her benefactor nations sit back and criticize her foreign exploits; while simultaneously reaping from the bountiful harvest those exploits have sewn. If it wasn't America vying for hedgemony after the War, it WOULD have been someone else. Be thankful and be proud it wasnt.

*shrug* No offense intended, it's my country too. One that I actually served 5 years in the military for. But I have to admit sometimes that our world view is a bit narrow. You can see it in a lot of things; like how we call ourselves "Americans", completely ignoring that America encompasses two entire continents of people and not just a single country:)

[NoClass]

BookWyrm, on 14 August 2013 - 04:00 PM, said:

*shrug* No offense intended, it's my country too. One that I actually served 5 years in the military for. But I have to admit sometimes that our world view is a bit narrow. You can see it in a lot of things; like how we call ourselves "Americans", completely ignoring that America encompasses two entire continents of people and not just a single country:)

Fair enough.

I dont find this example to be narrow at all. There is an emotional dimension to life that extends far beyond the factual. The word American implied an identity that is understood not only by those in the united states who evoke it, but worldwide, in a way that extends far beyond the factual implications and descriptive quality of the word America.

Every man's world view is going to be narrow because it is derived from his position. What constitutes ourselves both internally and externally always results in different formulations of the same world. Groups at large will display this same tendency towards being narrow minded in Outlook because they are defined by the views of the dominant constitution of individuals. Even the idea of an open world view as a desirable quality is by definition narrow minded, so it's a wash.

Edited by VigilanceHawkwind, 15 August 2013 - 01:25 PM.

[Abivard]

Ahh the american bashing, Having traveled many places... I can assure you that the rest of the world is far more ignorant and stupid than the average american.


Democrats.... well like Bob Hope said, mindless zombies.

[Liquid Leopard]

BookWyrm, on 14 August 2013 - 04:00 PM, said:

*shrug* No offense intended, it's my country too. One that I actually served 5 years in the military for.

Me, too. I was in the Air Force, working down the road from some "aerospace fighters."
Went to Fort Hood once, and enjoyed their museum of "pre-myomer battlemechs".

BookWyrm, on 14 August 2013 - 04:00 PM, said:

But I have to admit sometimes that our world view is a bit narrow...

I've been to a couple of different countries and seen that they each think they're the center of the universe, and everyone should know everything about them.
I've met Afghans that didn't know their *** from a hole in the ground, but I've also seen Afghan kids in elementary school that spoke English really well (all the more impressive knowing it's their 3rd or 4th language) and could find Washington D.C. on a map of the world.

I darn sure wish more U.S. citizens could find D.C. on a map. I think it's largely a matter of attitude, and partly a matter of education. When someone can't find their capitol on a map, it's not that they never saw a map. They saw it for multiple years of school...They just decided it was unimportant, and brain-dumped it. The same with not finding your own state on a map, not remembering that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, now knowing "your" from "you're"...

We can do better.

I can tell you something that stumped me, and made me wish I had done better: One day, I saw a bunch of guys in uniforms that looked familiar, wearing patches of a flag I was sure I should recognize. But, most of the text on their uniforms was Arabic, so I couldn't read it. When I finally saw "Jordan" on one of their uniforms I thought, "Duh... I should have remembered them from Transformers 2".

When I said it out loud later, this Army LtCol asked "Why did you watch Transformers 2?" and I said, "Because it was the sequel to Transformers 1, sir."

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 16 August 2013 - 08:15 AM.

[Dennis de Koning]

Tor Gungnir, on 29 June 2013 - 11:26 AM, said:

Sweden, Norway and Finland. As a Swede, this naturally leads me to wonder why our fellow Vikings, the Danes, weren't included as well?

Interesting:
"Whatever happened to Denmark" is a statement.
"What ever happened to Denmark?" is a question.
"Whatever happened to Denmark?" is a questioned statement.
...ya, I guess that makes sense; carry on.

[C E Dwyer]

Snowcrow, on 30 June 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

It is quite strange, as norway and sweden have more in common with denmark, than finland.

Well its probably born out of ignorance you'll notice that whites are either North American or European, no Australian or New Zealanders, and I don't think there is a single mention of any African or Middle Eastern, Central or South American Nation...

if you notice there are Irish and Scots but no English or welsh Mentioned despite Ruperts land being in Canada yes I know he's not English but he sponsored the American expeditions while part of Charles II court its trendy for an American to be either scotish or Irish but not welsh or English it seems

Not only no Danish, but no Dutch, Portugese, Spanish, whom along with the English and Chinese, and if you believe Leif Ericson discovered Greenland the greatest explorer nations in history, and without there would be no nation on the American continent as its recognised today...

So don't feel bad that there is no mention of Denmark

[XphR]

Hrungnir, on 03 July 2013 - 05:09 AM, said:

http://www.sarna.net...ayyad_Caliphate

...though they are not muslim per se. It's just a name that stuck when the Iberian settlers were invaded by settlers of unknown origin

The U May-yad Burrow Caliphate:

Under the not so sheltering wing of Caliph Al-Trololoahman?

Dangerous bunch if you have the wrong food stuffs in stow, be sure the manifests are properly scrubbed before submitting for passage.

Edited by XphR, 16 August 2013 - 09:02 AM.

[General Taskeen]

There is also the official recognition that Norwegians/Danish/Etc (my ancestors). and descendants are the first 'discoverers' of the North America continent, not that douche-nozel Columbus. There is also evidence that they also met Native Americans (who I also have linage with a specific group) on Maine and through the Great Lakes territory all the way to Minnesota.

I'm confident the Danes survived in space. The Space Vikings lie in wait.

[Bishop Steiner]

shabowie, on 02 July 2013 - 02:02 PM, said:

There is no Islamic presence in space either is there? No big Latin American or African culture dominated space empires?

Arkhab Legions in Kurita Space are enclaves of Arabic Nations that would not bow or bend to anyone. And there are many areas in the FWL that are peopled by Latin American Space Descendants, in pl;aces like Galileo. As for purely African, it is unknown, but unlikely, as the diaspora described in Battletech had to do with World Powers and space flight, and Latin America nor Africa looks likely to contribute a scientific or military world power anytime soon. There is at least one colony of tribal African descent mentioned in a MW:DA novel, on a planet that seems largely split between Irish/Welsh, Native American and African colonists.

It's funny, with the fusion of cultures and nations we see TODAY, that people get their panties in a bunch over which cultures are singled out for prominence in Battletech, overlooking the fact that many nations and cultures we have today simply will not exist in 1000 yrs, due to fusion, diaspora, war and other causes. And the Cultures most likely to be used as models and patterned after by Galactic Tyrants looking to give his peons a sense of identity, maybe just maybe would be most inclined to look toward those with a history of military and monetary might.

Heck, as for Denmark, we don't even know if it survived the several wars leading up to the founding of the Terran Hegemony.

[Skoll Lokeson]

The first half decided to stay on earth when they saw the "No Smoking" sign on the space ships. The other half smoked anyway and was sent to the periphery after being ratted on by Swedes .

[Damocles]

Cathy, on 16 August 2013 - 08:56 AM, said:

Stuff

Just some quick infos:

as has been said already: Denmark -> Jarnfolk

Australian references in BT:
Planets: Australia (Lyran Commonwealth), Neerabup (Lyran Comonwealth), Willunga (Lyran Commonwealth), Jerangle (Lyran Commonwealth),
Planet: Coventry - Initially settled by largely Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand colonists

New Zealanders in BT:

Africans in BT:
Planet: Niangol (Senegal IRL, Lyran Commonwealth)

Hispanics and Native Americans:
Planets: Cerillos (FWL), Sierra (FWL), Galisteo (FWL).
Unit: Camachos Caballeros (17th Recon)

Spanish:
Planet: Buena - Settled by a mixture of Latin-Europeans, sominantly Spanish and Italian. (Lyran Commonwealth)
Planet : Leganes (Lyran Commonwealth)

English:
Planet: Alarion - Settled primarily by German, Romanian, and English colonists.

Middle Eastern:
Unit: Arkab(arab) Legions (DCMS)
Planet: Arkab
People: The Azami.
Planet: Dar-es-Salaam - Initially settled by a broad mix of peoples from the Islamic states of Northern Africa and the Middle East (Lyran Commonwealth)

Dutch:
Planet: Kockengen (Lyran Commonwealth)
Planet: Breukelen (Lyran Commonwealth)

Portuguese:
Planet: Itabaiana (Draconis Combine)

The more you know*

Edited by Damocles, 16 August 2013 - 09:31 AM.