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jdd2007
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Cincinnati
Aug 2001
time: 00:15
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List of Obvious Attributes of Civs Shown On Thread-
Arabs-Religious (Their whole culture is based on Muslim)
USA-Industrious (Won World Wars by changing our auto industry into tanks, shipbuilding into carriers and airplane industry to fighters)
Germans-Militaristic (German ancestors, Goths, i think, were barbarians who took a big part in the destruction of Rome)
Spanish-Expansionist (Conquered South America, South North America, fought off Muslims with the help of El Cid, discovered America and had largest empire for hundreds of years)
Greeks-Scientific (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Archimedes...)
Japan-Militaristic (Undefeated for thousands of years until 1945)
Vikings-Expansionist/Military (Colonized Iceland, Greenland and sighted Newfoundland/Were Extremley warlike, raided everyone, had military presence as far south-east as Byzantium)
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jsw363
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Not so many inventions per se, but.... The Incas had advanced farming and terracing techniques. They were also astronomers, who had followed the position of the stars and the planets. They had a complex road and trade network (more impressive than it sounds if you consider the engineering involved in building roads and bridges in the Andes. They were also medically advanced and IIRC used to perform brain surgery.
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Ironwood
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Fresno, CA
Oct 2001
time: 21:15
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I'd have to agree with Tniem (and the Civ3 dev team) about America being Expansionist and Industrial. We are *not* a religeous nation (if we were, Jerry Farwell wouldn't be complaining). We could be described as being commercial, but that's primrarily a coastal phenomenon, in the early years. We're not specifically scientific. Mostly, we take the great concepts discovered by Europeans and others, and actually *apply* it (though we're the ones developing concepts, now).
I object strenuously to the idea that America has a militaristic culture. This is very much not the case. Were it the case, we would've won vietnam, because we wouldn't have been stopped by our own people from doing that which is necessary to win wars. We avoided World War II like the plague, and only joined when Japan forced the issue (this was in spite of having a Europhile president at the time). World War I was also an issue of something being forced on us (though less so).
Today, our military is the most powerful in the world, though were you to listen to the word on the street, you wouldn't know it. Most people in America resent militancy. Were we to attempt to devise a militia system for the common defense, we'd have about as much success at it as the English did (which is to say, we'd have to force the issue with the people). The Army has a great deal of difficulty recruiting manpower, and even those they find aren't exactly itching for a fight.
Certainly, our military isn't the finest. There are other countries with harder, more valiant soldiers. Indeed, our military could do little were it not for the sheer weight of our economic prosperity behind it, were it not for the fact that our industrial complex produces so much that it is genuinely without peer. And yes, that includes Japan. Industrial is applicable.
Our early history is expansionist in the clearest sense. Our more recent history, that which causes others to label us "militarist" due to the fact that they can't distinguish between cultural and military expansion, is somewhat expansionistic as well (at least, our corporations are expansionistic... who here couldn't go to a McDonalds if he wanted to?).
Industrial/expansionistic fits us like a glove.
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Inverse Icarus
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flying too low to the ground
May 2001
time: 00:15
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quote:
Originally posted by aaglo
Yeah, sorry. But it only SOUNDS like it, thank god you AREN'T like it. But I have two words for USA:
Atomic Bomb  |
so the fact that the USSR was developing them means nothing? just because we did it faster, we are blamed? just because we used it to save countless american lives, we are ridiculed?
the only way to beat the japanese was to hit them at home, we had to show them their ruler was not a god. they estimated that a mainland invasion of the heavily fortified island chain known as japan would kill about 5 million american soldiers. so we nuked and asked them if they were done. they said no, so we did it again, and said "hey, we can do this forever", and they gave up. we killed less people than we would have lost if we didnt use the nukes. if you equate all human life to the same amount, it was better that way. but most people for some reason equate american lives to less than 1 other life, and thats just plain sickening.
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JamesJKirk
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Dixon, CA USA
Jan 1970
time: 21:15
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I would be tempted to place the Americans as Commercial/Expansionist, and move the Germans to Commercial/Militarist, since there're just those few infamous examples of large scale expansion, and even then nothing permanent, or on the scale of the US, Russia, or even the British and French empires. I know the US in this case would have the same specs as England, but I think it fits the US better: The expansion is obvious, and I can see why industrious would be tempting, but if one were to look at the times the US has used force over it's history to exert it's power and affect foreign policy, it's been for typically commercial reasons, eg: Mexico in the 1910's, Cuba after the Spanish American War, Haiti and Dominican Republic from the 1910's thru the 30's, Iran in 1953, and Guatamala in the 30's and in 1954, just to name some.
As for England? I dunno, I'm sure there's something that fits better
and for the Scientific/Militaristic combo, I think it fits Greece well, especially with Alexander as the leader
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Pyrodrew
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quote:
aaglo:I don't know the truth about 5 million american soldiers "would be killed"... But that's what the soldiers are for - to kill and be killed. And USA nuked ONLY CIVILLIANS. If that is not terrorism, then what is... |
Your "soldiers are... to be killed" comment says how little you weigh a soldier's life compared to a non-soldier's life. Hint: if a war doesn't end citizens (often teenage boys) become the new soldiers instead of citizens. I'm glad you're no military leader in real life.
Japanese had/have a tremendous amout of pride & patriotism (they still refuse to fully apologize for PearlHarbor). Even after the 1st nuke (which demonstrated it's power) they STILL had an extreme resistance to surrender, while ignoring the Allies warnings. Thus searching for & nuking 2 military locations (and it's not like there were mini-nukes) instead would have caused to war to last LONGER, more lives lost & possibly cause even more nukes to be used (which then you would be crying about that). America never nuked Tokyo or used it more than was needed to END the war. America also later helped Japan rebuild to become the economic power it is today. I would like to see the WTC terrorists rebuild the WorldTradeCenter! I guess you don't know what terrorism is... the numerous citizens from other countries that were in the WTC (including 300 or so Britians) and their families, sure do.
Last edited by Pyrodrew on 25-10-2001 at 04:47
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Rosacrux
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In a Galaxy far, far away...
Oct 2001
time: 05:15
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About the Greek attributes, well, some things needed to be said:
What we today know as Greek civilization is primarily a product of one city/state, Athens, and secondary of the Greek colonies in Minor Asia (Ionia) and Magna Graecia (South Italy/Sicily).
The militaristic aspect of the Greek civ was represented fairly by the Spartans, who did not have any other impact whatsoever beyond the founding and maintenance of the best army the ancient world has seen (for its size, that is, the Spartans never have been able to field more than 12.000 hoplites - a significant number but ...frankly, kinda ridiculous compared to the numbers of even the Greek kingdom of Macedonia (about 30.000 men at it's peak).
So, the militaristic aspect of the Greek society is represented only by one single city/state and one that had no other achievements to show and did not even hegemonized the Greeks for a significant period (only after the end of the Peloponesian war and for a rather short period) due to inner problems (to give you an idea, the free citizen/slave ratio in Sparta was 1:12... that would be an adequate reason for them not to be extremely willing to leave their home when a slave revolt was highly possible).
On the Alexander issue... well, not even the Macedonian were militaristic. Alexander's army was an army of conscripts, "allies" from the rest of Greece and some mercenaries (from Thrace, Illyrikon, Crete etc.) and not a professional army, like the Spartan force.
The fact that Alexander was a great conqueror does not overule the other - much more significant - aspects of the Greek civilization. And by the same manner, France shoul be militaristic (Napoleon) British too (numerous "conquerors" there...) Persia (Cyrus the Great) and many, many others.
OTOH the ancient Greeks were second only to the Phoenician when it comes to trade. They traded goods from Kolchis (today Odyssa) to the Giblartar straits and beyond (to the north).
Marseille and Nicae in France were originally Greek trade centers (later thriving Greek colonies) and also numerous cities in Hiberia.
So... scientific/commercial is right on spot when it comes to ancient Greek civilization and Firaxis made a great choice.
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Ribannah
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The Netherlands, Embassy of the Iroquois Confederacy
Aug 2000
time: 06:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Oerdin
If you are fighting a life or death struggle and your enemy uses weapons of mass destruction against you and your allies then are you not justified in responding in kind? What the U.S. and other allies did in WW2 was neither worse nor better then the other combatants. |
That is a tough question for any of us, Oerdin. My personal answer is "no".
But, justified or not, I have to agree with Aaglo that 'responding in kind' to terrorism is, by definition, terrorism, too.
Pyrodrew, you could have phrased your point the way you did just now, right away. But I think it is very just to speak about these matters, exactly because 11/9 is fresh in our memory. It is important to realize that terrorism is not 'something bad people do to good Americans', but something that can be done by anyone to anybody. Acts of terrorism are committed all over the world on every single day. It didn't start on September 11 and it won't stop with the downfall of the Taliban regime or Al Qaida. There is the danger that we will forget this once Bush declares victory, if that is going to happen.
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Pyrodrew
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quote:
Ribbannah: It is important to realize that terrorism is not 'something bad people do to good Americans'...It didn't start on September 11 |
Duh. 
quote:
Ribbannah:I have to agree with Aaglo that 'responding in kind' to terrorism is, by definition, terrorism, too. |
1st, as Aaglo pointed out PearlHarbor wasn't terrorism. It was an aggressive act on a military target that led to war. 2nd, Aaglo didn't say "responding in kind to terrorism... is terrorism", re-read the posts. We were talking about the nuke being considered terrorism, not what is happening in Afganistan... which is another WHOLE ball of wax.
If you or Aaglo want to talk about Afganistan, the Bomb, Terrorism, etc... why not just start a seperate Off-Topic thread rather than hijacking this one? And if you think it is "important to speak on these matters" than do it in a proper forum... not by hijacking a thread on a game forum.
Last edited by Pyrodrew on 26-10-2001 at 02:31
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16-09-2001 15:18
Well at least this is just a Civ game & you can start over... opps, guess not. 
And as UberKruX said making America sound like Hitler & saying "no offense" is hardly just. And calling America's actions terrorism about 1 month after 9/11 is very poor form. 
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