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| Is the English-speaking world superior? |
| Yes |
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68% |
[ 42 ] |
| No |
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27% |
[ 17 ] |
| Undecided |
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3% |
[ 2 ] |
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| Total Votes : 61 |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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 Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:22 pm Post subject: Is the English-speaking world superior? |
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The seven 'E2 Visa' countries - Aus, Can, Ire, NZ, UK, USA, SA - comprise 7% of the population of the world (467 million is 7% of 6,600 million).
These countries together account for 38% of world GDP. The United States (population 4.54%) alone is 27%.
See for yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29
As you can see, there are three English-speaking countries in the GDP top 10 - the US, the UK and Canada. Remarkably, Australia (population 20 million) is 15th place, with a not entirely dissimilar GDP to Mexico and India. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Not necessarily better, just different. China is poised to overtake the USA in 2020, as the world's biggest economy. It, too, has its' flaws & strengths. |
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Omkara
Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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Turns out, Asians have 2-3 IQ points advantage on average.
The advantages enjoyed by the english speaking world are owing to geographical and historical conditions, ie, accidents.
Read "Guns, Germs and Steel" on the issue. It's helpful and checks our assumptions lucidly.
Most opinions on this issue will be understudied, linguo/ethno-centric, and express nothing more than prejudice.
Furthermore, what credit do we deserve as individuals for our cultural accomplishments? We deserve only credit for that which we have individually contributed.
We'd do well to check ourselves on our arrogances. |
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Treefarmer
Joined: 29 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| i always find it so depressing when i read how much of the worlds wealth america has that your welfare system is like a 3rd world one |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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pastis
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Omkara wrote: |
| Turns out, Asians have 2-3 IQ points advantage on average. |
Rubbish. Where's your source? |
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pastis
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| chris_J2 wrote: |
| China is poised to overtake the USA in 2020, as the world's biggest economy. |
Not likely. We keep hearing these 'projections', but they assume that China will be able to keep up double-digit growth for that long. Anything can happen before then, and China's already got huge problems (environmental, social etc.) |
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Omkara wrote: |
Turns out, Asians have 2-3 IQ points advantage on average.
The advantages enjoyed by the english speaking world are owing to geographical and historical conditions, ie, accidents.
Read "Guns, Germs and Steel" on the issue. It's helpful and checks our assumptions lucidly.
Most opinions on this issue will be understudied, linguo/ethno-centric, and express nothing more than prejudice.
Furthermore, what credit do we deserve as individuals for our cultural accomplishments? We deserve only credit for that which we have individually contributed.
We'd do well to check ourselves on our arrogances. |
That sounds rather defensive.
For starters, we should eliminate race from the discussion. The English-speaking world is very multi-racial and proponents may believe this is one respect in which the English-speaking world is indeed superior.
Then there's the presumptuous aspect. There is no arrogance here. It's just a question. That question is, is the English-speaking world being superior a conclusion Daves posters are happy to draw from this information (and other information if they wish)? Very cool experiment. My own view is unknowable and not deducible from the OP.
EDIT:
On China: China has 20% of the population of the world and 5.4% GDP.
The UK has 0.9% population and 5% GDP. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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Superior?
I have rarely heard that word ever uttered where I grew up, West Coast Canada. And even then just tongue-in-cheek or assumed-pompous airs.
It's usually the Brits who make that word part of their everyday vocabulary.
Hierarchical thinking. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Superior? In what? GDP? OK. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: China |
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pastis wrote:
| Quote: |
| Not likely. We keep hearing these 'projections', but they assume that China will be able to keep up double-digit growth for that long. Anything can happen before then, and China's already got huge problems (environmental, social etc.) |
China has been growing at approx 10% per annum, for the past 25 years. Its growth is historically unprecedented, eclipsing even the monumental changes in England during the Industrial Revolution. About the only thing that could stop the current growth is a major war. (either international or civil). Not likely any time soon. Last time I looked, China had jumped from Australias 25th, to 9th biggest trading & export partner. Australia also signed a $3 billion contract for supply of natural gas from WA & bauxite / aluminium from Qld with President Hu in 2006. Resource rich countries like Australia & Canada should latch on to the boom in China, while it lasts, and it doesn't look like fizzling out any time soon, regardless of ensuing environmental social problems.
The USA has just concluded a successful bilateral trade talk discussion with China too, making Chinas' future economic success more likely, rather than less. |
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bobbyhanlon
Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| It's usually the Brits who make that word part of their everyday vocabulary |
yeah, those damn buck-toothed, can't-cook, pompous, arrogant bastards.. i'm so open-minded and liberal towards all the peoples of the world, but screw those british wankers!
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SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
Superior?
I have rarely heard that word ever uttered where I grew up, West Coast Canada. And even then just tongue-in-cheek or assumed-pompous airs.
It's usually the Brits who make that word part of their everyday vocabulary.
Hierarchical thinking. |
That is breathtakingly incoherent.
You (a) clearly place value on West Coast Canadians rarely uttering the word 'superior', (b) single out the Brits for use of this term, the implication being such use is of less value than its opposite, even the British are of less value than West Coast Canadians! (c) your position is completely hierarchical despite suggesting hierarchical thinking is bad!
It's also not very nice to suggest that the motivtion for this enquiry is my nationality.
Other than those tiny difficulties, it's an excellent point.  |
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swetepete
Joined: 01 Nov 2006
Location: a limp little burg
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Superior to everybody? No. Superior to some? Definitely. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Isn't the US badly in debt to China? |
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