Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/09/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]PHC wrote: > You're quite right, of course, that is the way "Anglo-Saxon" is used > these days, but I'm still curious to know why. It seems totally > random - you could equally say "Celtic Capitalism" for example. > > Here, in Spain, when people say "Americano" they mean someone from > South America. Someone from the US or Canada would be "Nordeamericano". > > And speaking as one who is Anglo-Irish, born in a part of Ireland > that is part of the UK but not part of Great Britain, but, yes, is > part of the British Isles, I long ago gave up trying to explain the > complexities of British political geography to anyone! > In any case when you play rugby, or football, you're different nations, and this is what matter most to many :-D phx > Cheers, P. > > ******* > Paul Hardy Carter > +44 (0)20 3239 9573 > www.paulhardycarter.com > www.lightstalkers.org/phc > Skype: paulhardycarter > ******* > > > > On 18 Sep 2008, at 08:05, Philippe AMARD wrote: > >> Nathan Wajsman wrote: >> >>> I am sure that the term Anglo-Saxon is not accurate in an ethnic >>> sense, but for better or worse, it is commonly used in continental >>> Europe (especially in the context of discussing business and >>> economics) to refer to the USA and UK especially, but sometimes >>> also including the other main English-speaking countries, i.e. >>> Australia, NZ and Canada. When people talk about "Anglo-Saxon >>> capitalism", for example, they refer to an economic system with a >>> light regulatory touch, limited role for the state, limited worker >>> protection, a high degree of competition and a higher degree of >>> inequality, just to name a few of its features-- not all of which >>> are negative, since it is also acknowledged that those countries >>> are more dynamic and inventive then the Continent. >>> >>> I used the term in that sense. And whether you like it or not, >>> Europeans usually do not make distinctions between the different >>> kind of Americans. You are just Americans and that's that. In a >>> similar vein, most people on the Continent simply call inhabitants >>> of Britain "British" and do not give a hoot whether someone is >>> English, Scottish or Welsh or from Northern Ireland. >>> >>> >> Another European voice : >> Same about business and economics here. Yet I think in France, "the >> English" is the commonly mistaken generic word for the whole of the >> UK's population and, sometimes, the Republic of Ireland's ... people >> over the Channel, who have good beer, terric pubs and senoritas, and >> speak a language we don't understand. >> >> Anglo-Saxon rather refers to heritage ; language, culture (common >> law countries, etc), in part to the Commonwealth of Nations, to name >> but a few, as opposed to motleyed Asia, "fuzzy" Africa, and Russia, >> which in many people's minds still includes its former USSR >> countries... Continental Europe is still marked by the Roman >> heritage, is more or less founded on civil law, and seems to have a >> tendency to severe the links between state and religion. >> >> I'm not sure there's any bias in the use of the term Anglo-saxon, it >> is oversimplification due either to lack of knowledge, or of a >> better term to describe what unifies these countries. >> NATO can't do, so should the US ever join the Commonwealth that >> might be it :-D >> Phx >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >