Are "easterners" barbarians?

[bushbush]

The east is extremely barbaric.

Are "easterners" barbarians?

I just want to discuss the perception by some people in regards to parts of the world that has some differences.

1. On difference of cuisine:

Cultures that farm dogs are barbaric.

notwithstanding the fact that dogs were widely in diets of cultures around the world in history, is that a fair comment? Should indians judge cultures that eat cows (pretty much everywhere else) as barbaric for similar reasons?

2. Different religion

I could not give a what a bunch of impoverished Indians think about me, they are pagans, and yes, to judge eastern barbarism, it is completely fair.

People can judge me whether I will it or nil it, but they are generally not smart enough to understand what they are judging and make a series of assumptions based upon their own experiences or what they have been told and not on reality. I never mind pointing out that their judgements are shallow.

If the Indians were to convert to Christianity and become properly educated on it, than I would not ignore their moral arguments.

so are people of non-christian faith "not smart enough" in your view? simply because they are "pagans"? are they not "educated" and their morals mean thus nothing because of their different faith?

3. Are the West "morally superior" thus because of these differences?

The east is extremely barbaric.

The west is morally superior, by any reasonable estimation, 7/8 of the world's population owe their existence to western technologies and the christian manner in which they are distributed around the world.

Is this true?

discuss please.

[Lord of Lost Socks]

The real question is, is being barbaric bad? Conan was a barbarian and he's pretty awesome.
On a more serious note: They're less developed, and have less money, so if that's barbaric, then by all means.

[Aetius]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

[bushbush]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

I think you have mistaken how much in history west has borrowed from muslism civilizatoin, egyptian civlization, Chinese civilization and indian civlization. To this day they are still interacting. I don't think superiority is demonstrated by facts.

btw, pants were worn by barbarians, alphabets were given by egyptians, west didn't exactly create a lot of things you said.

The real question is, is being barbaric bad? Conan was a barbarian and he's pretty awesome.
On a more serious note: They're less developed, and have less money, so if that's barbaric, then by all means.

are they barbaric because they have a different culture and religion? that's the key.

[MehemtAli_Pasha]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

tell me you are joking please, because if it wasn't for the east, the west would have not been in the place it's in today. history speaks of itself. i have no more to say.

Edit: last i checked, China was part of the east. because i think you are only taking into account 300-400 years of history here.

[mrcrusty]

Silence, thou art nothing more than pagan barbarians, to be in subservience to Westerners!!

Sarcasm hath spoken.



On the whole though, the large eastern countries aren't first world countries (with the notable exceptions of Japan, South Korea and a few others), but developing countries instead such as India and China, the two countries with the largest population on the planet. Because they are developing, they are starting to accumulate the wealth that is associated with higher tier countries, but the government, infrastructure and the general populace are in a state of transition and still "look" like lower tier countries.

So there is that perception that eastern civilisation is inferior to western civilisation. Wait a few decades for China and India and the like to stablise and try to bridge the gap between extremely rich and extremely poor and we'll see how "barbaric" they look.

In any case, you'll have to define "eastern" and "western" culture. Western culture is mostly associated with Western Europe, so in terms of antiquity roots, we're talking about the Greeks and Romans here, but if you consider the Egyptians as "eastern" culture, then well... score major points for the easterners. Technically, by that regards, Phoenicians are also eastern, so Carthage and pretty much anything North Africa has given during that timeperiod goes to the easterners.

It's probably best if split east up into Middle East and Far East.

Also, it's foolish to say that eastern civilisation hasn't contributed much to society.

Considering that many eastern countries lived in relative isolation with little opportunity to interact with different civilisations, or different races, with vastly different cultures, then they've done very well for themselves. A simple wiki check will show how much China alone has contributed, discovered and invented.

[bushbush]

Silence, thou art nothing more than pagan barbarians, to be in subservience to Westerners!!

Sarcasm hath spoken.



On the whole though, the large eastern countries aren't first world countries (with the notable exceptions of Japan, South Korea and a few others), but developing countries instead such as India and China, the two countries with the largest population on the planet. Because they are developing, they are starting to accumulate the wealth that is associated with higher tier countries, but the government, infrastructure and the general populace are in a state of transition and still "look" like lower tier countries.

So there is that perception that eastern civilisation is inferior to western civilisation. Wait a few decades for China and India and the like to stablise and try to bridge the gap between extremely rich and extremely poor and we'll see how "barbaric" they look.

In any case, you'll have to define "eastern" and "western" culture. Western culture is mostly associated with Western Europe, so in terms of antiquity roots, we're talking about the Greeks and Romans here, but if you consider the Egyptians as "eastern" culture, then well... score major points for the easterners. Technically, by that regards, Phoenicians are also eastern, so Carthage and pretty much anything North Africa has given during that timeperiod goes to the easterners.

It's probably best if split east up into Middle East and Far East.

Also, it's foolish to say that eastern civilisation hasn't contributed much to society.

Considering that many eastern countries lived in relative isolation with little opportunity to interact with different civilisations, or different races, with vastly different cultures, then they've done very well for themselves. A simple wiki check will show how much China alone has contributed, discovered and invented.

good post, if history is a race, civilizations run ahead and fall behind from different times. But to some of the oldest CIVILIZATIONS on earth (indian, chinese, muslims) "barbaric" is just silly. They were civilized before a lot of parts of the world that was still technically barbaric.

[mongrel]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

Try typing one billion nine hundred and seventy four thousand and seventeen without using Arabic numerals. If you are able to, and be able use an alternate number system in you day to day life, we would like to see it.

[Thema'zandaar]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

Modern Eastern architecture is in fact a blend of traditional Eastern and modern Western. You won't find buildings like the Burj al Arab in the typical Western architecture. You won't find the Palm Island either.

Western clothing is available in the East but traditional clothing hasn't gone away either. Go to Pakistan - you'll see an interesting mix of traditional eastern and modern western.

"Democracy" wasn't exclusively Western invented. Ancient/Pre-Islamic India was similar to Feudal England (warring lords). The Islamic culture has had a tradition of "shuraa" (consultation) dating back to the time of the Prophet and infact, the first three caliphs of Islam were "elected" in the sense that all people determined, and then swore loyalty to who should lead them. The four caliph, Ali was not elected by general consensus and that sparked the civil war that lead to the Umayyad monarchy. The concept of "civil examinations" originated in China.

And between the ninth and eleventh centuries, scholars and aspiring scholars from all over the world went to Baghdad or Corduba to expand their minds.

During the Renaissance, it was the West that was adopting everything from the East, including innovations in technology. That is how the West moved forward - it adopted, changed and progressed. Now the East is doing the same.

Lastly, I wonder (genuinely) which culture should be called superior: one that is advanced but stangnant or one that is backward but changing, adopting, progressing?

[Last Roman]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

ya, we never borrowed ANYTHING from the east. Not gunpowder, not movable type, not paper, not cuisine...

[Machiavelli25]

ya, we never borrowed ANYTHING from the east. Not gunpowder, not movable type, not paper, not cuisine...

Thats a strawman though, we are obviously discussing the present day.

[bushbush]

Thats a strawman though, we are obviously discussing the present day.

I don't know, from what RTW Fan has said, it seems it's about civilizational history. In another thread he was telling me since the beginning of the time, East ate babies and West saved the world and etc.

[Last Roman]

Thats a strawman though, we are obviously discussing the present day.

Not really, I wasn't avoiding the argument at hand. We still use those things on a daily basis. My point being that the east, while perhaps not as influential as European civilizations, is hardly some "barbaric" backwater, and we can see that today in facets of western culture. I may disagree with some parts of eastern cultures, but that hardly makes mine superior.

[Mikelus Trento]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

You mean like paper? The compass? Gunpowder? Printing? Hydraulics? Mathematics? Rocketry?

[Carach]

The real question is, is being barbaric bad? Conan was a barbarian and he's pretty awesome.
On a more serious note: They're less developed, and have less money, so if that's barbaric, then by all means.

Barbarity is a point of view. Not a fact.

social and economical features are facts, one can be 'superior' in these aspects. Barbarity is an ancient term that applies to few people(s?) in present day. More associated with those that go against more widely accepted social and martial rules.

[mongrel]

LOL. Christianity is an Eastern religion. Deficio Magnus!

[Xander]

I'm sorry but whoever posted that is so mind bogglingly ignorant.... I just can't beleive that.Im gonna assume this person was an American......

I don't think they are barbarians, maybe some nations aren't as developed as some "western" nations...But that doesn't make them "barbarians"

[bushbush]

I'm sorry but whoever posted that is so mind bogglingly ignorant.... I just can't beleive that.Im gonna assume this person was an American......

I don't think they are barbarians, maybe some nations aren't as developed as some "western" nations...But that doesn't make them "barbarians"

yes, the quotes in OP are quite shameless if you ask me....that's why i want to understand why people have such beliefs....scary if you ask me.

[Doctor]

I'm sorry but whoever posted that is so mind bogglingly ignorant.... I just can't beleive that.Im gonna assume this person was an American......

I don't think they are barbarians, maybe some nations aren't as developed as some "western" nations...But that doesn't make them "barbarians"

Wow this is comment on someone being ignorant is in itself extremely ignorant. Way to go my friend ! Honestly how can you object to someone lumping a culture together as barbarians and then yourself display the exact same amount of ignorance by lumping together all Americans as ignorant. As I said before way to go ! Have a good day my ignorant sir, keep on lumping people together !.......

[Lost Sultan]

I would say we are culturally superior.

Look at how the Easat has adopted everything we have.

Look at their cities, its western architecture. Look at their clothes, its western. Look at their government style, its western created.

Look where eastern students go for to study.

If we are to define West as anything west of Greece and east as anywhere east of Greece the sharing of information has been really mutual. So mutual in fact I would name it as a single culture: Mediterrenean.
and I would argue that mediterrenean culture has been the most dominant culture in the world. Does that make it superior? That is a different topic.