Culture was Re: [OT] Vietnam and modern combat

On Tue, 4 May 2004 08:58:30 +0100 Roger Burton West
<roger@firedrake.org>
writes:
>On Mon, May 03, 2004 at 04:30:39PM -0500, warbeads@juno.com wrote:
>
<snip>
>>I think the fine gradation between NSL and FSE is pragmatically 
>minute
>>and more a game device.
>
>How much time have you spent in Europe? 

"IN" Europe?  Zip, as that is not my AOR so why go on my own money? 
<grin>	We averaged about 6-8 European exchange students (plus a few
Asian and/or African) each year in high school plus both times I went to
college full time I managed to end up with a high percentage of my
classes having European fellow students (although many more Asian
students/TAs since we are talking Seattle and California (Los Angeles
and
Sacramento.))

There is a _huge_ cultural 
>gulf
>between "northern" and "southern" Europeans, and while it isn't quite 
>as
>cleanly along national borders as the NSL/FSE depicts, it should
>certainly not be ignored.
>

I can't comment on degree of difference from on site experience but I
see
the FSE Pseudo-French Dominated (vaguely "Northern" or "Western" 
European, depending on how you learned it in the 1950's/1960's ) and the
NSL Pseudo-German dominated ("Western" or "Northern" Europeans again; 
"Southern Europe" was relegated to Spain and Portugal by default of
never
being addressed.)  The classic example from my college experience was a
French programmer and her German husband.  Oh yeah, big cultural
differences but also much in common.  Not that I would have told her
that...  <grin>

I admit there are cultural differences, just look at East Coast versus
Left Coast (basically Socialist versus Anarchist <grin>) in the USA. 
The
differences are just exaggerated for effect in the Tuffleyverse.  IMO. 
But I'll have to take consideration of others' first hand experience
since I don't see myself out of country (I turned down the chance to be
a
'tourist' in S.E.A.  this year already) in this life time.

>Roger
>

Gracias,
Glenn

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