First Layer On Cold Mold

[TANSL]

America long ago switched to the metric system ....

don't make Americans look any more ignorant than ....

At least Americans did not have ....

America has 35 countries. What are you referring to?

Calm down fellas, just a joke.

The joke may be funny , but it does not look very clever, does it?
Be calm, dirtydiego41, just a joke.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

America has 35 countries. What are you referring to?

.

Hint: Australia was sometimes referred to as the "51st state". That probably peaked in the 1960's, when allegedly a visiting US Congressional deputation raised the possibility of it being formalised !

 

[TANSL]

Even if Australia were to become the 51st state of the United States of America, America would still have 35 countries. (The truth is that I am not quite sure about it. What is a country?)

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Certainly, in many parts of the world, "America" is shorthand for the United States of America, if only because it is a convenient contraction, but probably also because the USA is in economic terms, dwarfing any other country in the Americas.

 

[TANSL]

Certainly, in many parts of the world,.....

I do not want anyone to bother about my comment but it is possible that the only part of the world where people believe that is in the United States of America.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Even if Australia were to become the 51st state of the United States of America, America would still have 35 countries. (The truth is that I am not quite sure about it. What is a country?)

That time appears to have passed, TANSL. It might have owed it's popularity at the time to the "Domino Theory" putting the frighteners into people. These days the incipient concern is that Australia might become a far southern Chinese province.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

I do not want anyone to bother about my comment but it is possible that the only part of the world where people believe that is in the United States of America.

Not really, many European people are speaking of citizens of the USA when they speak of Americans, in my experience. And I'm not always entirely sure what they are referring to when talking about Brazilians.......

 

[TANSL]

I can not know what your experience is in that sense, and therefore, I should not say. My experience is not that.
And frankly, I would be surprised to see a European (although I can not categorically state that there are not) who does not know what a Brazilian is, and what he is not.
What will the Australians (New Zealanders, consider themselves Australians?) think of their absorption by China?
I think I have no more arguments to continue with this interesting discussion.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

The "Brazilian" reference was a joke of sorts, that may not have successful traversed the language/culture divide. And one does get the feeling that Chinese influence in Australia is burgeoning, where that goes only time will tell.

 

[PAR]

I know and understand there's only one America, though in the "Americas" (which is an entirely different thing) there are many countries, across a couple of continents. Countries are easy to define, though some just barely qualify, because of the lack of functioning governments, if you ask their citizens, you'll find they consider themselves Brazilians or Trinidadians, etc., not Americans. Even in places like Somalia, where there's literally no functioning government, the citizens call themselves Somalian, not African.

Rest assured the same is true in New Zealand, where they'll quickly present a bar fight, if they're mistaken as Australians. China will have a quick, though likely short term improved relationship with the lower Pacific western rim nations, where geopolitical and natural resources can be exploited, but this is a short term goal, until their aging and dwindling workforce can be replaced by the soon to appear baby boom, that's about to occur (it is here now). With the new, fresh and young manpower force, their employment short falls will self heal and they'll return to a more centralized economic arrangement, if history is to be repeated (it always is). China is on a precipice of sorts and with the right moves can really enter the world's markets as a real player, but significant economic and geopolitical changes will be necessary to fully realize this potential, which in recent decades, it's been reluctant to perform.

 

[dirtydiego41]

China is far beyond entering the world as a real player, they are the league officials. I could never understand what my dad was talking about when he said this country was going to ****...Now I know. We live in a disposable world, and China supplies the finest disposable products available.
Myself, I shop local(which does not include walmart(non-caps, as deserved)), and will continue to produce and support a high quality American made product that has become all but extinct in this country, just as my dad taught me. You used to be able to buy quality, now quality is custom because you have to tell the manufacturer how to do it right. When all the resources are spent, the guy with the most $ will own it all, and right now his name is Cheng. Teach your children well, it's the only chance we have.

 

[dirtydiego41]

Sweet hijack BTW.

 

[PAR]

America and China both account for about 20% (respectively) of the whole world's manufacturing base, easily doubling the next nearest manufactures, which tends to flip flop between Japan and Germany each year. Both China and the USA make good and disposable products and in recent years, China has made a strong surge to improve its reputation, about poor quality and manufacturing. All rising manufacturing powers experience this type of growth. In the early 1800's the USA's products were considered third world quality, so most just purchased raw goods and natural resources. The only exception was ship building, where our hulls proved surprisingly faster, than the equivalent European models. Japan also went through this as they emerged from the devastation of WWII. In the 50's - 60's a Japanese product was considered junk, but by the late 70's they'd learned how to manufacture things and this reputation changed. China is undergoing this learning process now. Interestingly enough, South Korea seemed to learn this much more quickly than Japan. It took them about 10 years to produce really fine automobiles, while it took Japan two decades.

This learning process in indicative of all societies, as they acquire skills, learn processes, develop laws and regulations, etc. to address things they and the rest of the world recognize as concerns. This "evolution" isn't constrained to manufacturing, but applies to every aspect of a growing society.