In the semifinals, Spain beats Germany 1-0 and Netherlands beats Uruguay 3-2 (hey, a good score!).
So much for the LA Times headline: "Germany's World Cup streak may be result of a multicultural team." In reality, Germany did about as good in 2010 as it usually does: semifinalist in 2010, semifinalist in 2006, finalist in 2002, quarterfinalist in 1998 and 1994, champion in 1990, finalist in 1986 and 1982.
The only way I think the American liberal soccerati can spin a Spain v. Netherlands Final as Another Triumph of Soccer Diversity over racist American sports like football is to focus on the immigrant stock players on the Dutch team as proof that Pym Fortuyn got what he had coming.
So much for the LA Times headline: "Germany's World Cup streak may be result of a multicultural team." In reality, Germany did about as good in 2010 as it usually does: semifinalist in 2010, semifinalist in 2006, finalist in 2002, quarterfinalist in 1998 and 1994, champion in 1990, finalist in 1986 and 1982.
The only way I think the American liberal soccerati can spin a Spain v. Netherlands Final as Another Triumph of Soccer Diversity over racist American sports like football is to focus on the immigrant stock players on the Dutch team as proof that Pym Fortuyn got what he had coming.
The ironies pile up. The South African Boers will get to watch their ancestral team play Spain, a team that looks at least as white as the Washington Senators of the late 1930s, who used to sneak, pre-Jackie Robinson, a couple of part-black Cuban players onto the squad on the grounds that they were Latin so the color line didn't count.
So, in reality, soccer remains a white-dominated sport. Where are the calls from the American SWPL soccer fans for affirmative action programs so that the non-white majority of the world doesn't continue to suffer such relentless disparate impact in the World Cup?
So, in reality, soccer remains a white-dominated sport. Where are the calls from the American SWPL soccer fans for affirmative action programs so that the non-white majority of the world doesn't continue to suffer such relentless disparate impact in the World Cup?
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I don't know about your Spain assessment. They look a lot whiter than Germany. BTW, did all the blond Germans die in the war because they were the most enthusiastic adherents of Hitler and thus the most likely to volunteer or was Germany never really a blond country beyond the part that's right next to Denmark? (The German team's non-German look reminded me that in two trips to Germany -- Munich and Berlin -- I've never seen that many German-looking Germans.)
yawn...you already made this point and people already discussed what was right and wrong about it. don't descend to the bang the drum idiocy of Climate Audit or What's up with that. New points, please.
So much for the LA Times headline: "Germany's World Cup streak may be result of a multicultural team."
I don't know where this particular bit of nonsense got started. The German team is one of the less "multicultural" ones around.
Check out the so-called "Dutch" team sometime.
The German team's non-German look ..
What exactly are you referring to?
If you'll allow a repost: Uruguay is too white.
[Hat tip The Derb.]
Eleven of Germany's 23 players would have been eligible to play for other countries, including Polish-born forwards Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, and 21-year-old Turkish playmaker Mesut Ozil.
Ozil was born in Germany, I don't know in what sense he is "Turkish".
Klose and Poldolski are ethnic Germans whose families ended up on the Polish side of the border after WWII and moved back to Germany under the German version of the "Law Of Return".
Paul the Octopus was correct, again.
"Check out the so-called "Dutch" team sometime."
The "so-called Dutch" team is as Dutch as our team is American. There is a non-trivial number of Afro-Dutch for historical reasons. The Swiss team, on the other hand... I had never heard of an Afro Swiss before this.
The World Cup is like the opposite of the NBA, a bunch of white men play whilst a crowd of black fans watch.
I don't know about your Spain assessment. They look a lot whiter than Germany.
This is just semantics. Spain is comprised entirely of native ethnic Spaniards, and Germany has a few non-native ethnic Germans on its team. Thus Spain is technically "whiter."
Don't know about the Spanish team. IMHO they all look like ordinary Spaniards, except perhaps Pedro Gonzalez, a Canary Islander. Exoticness lies in the eye of the beholder.
German team's non-German look...
I'm referring to the popular notion that Germans look nearly like Scandinavians rather than run-of-the-mill, could-be-from-anywhere Europeans.
From my limited travels in Germany, it certainly doesn't seem to be true now. Germans may be more fair than the folks in Naples, but I couldn't pick them out from groups of English, Irish, Belgians, French, Spaniards.
Was this always the case, or did all the blond Germans get so excited by Hitler's rhetoric that they self extinguished via excessive enthusiasm for the war? (And if Germany was never a blond country, if it was always a country where the vast majority of folks had brownish hair and hazel/brown eyes, how did Hitler get to power extolling the virtue of blonds?)
"New points, please."
Where's your blog, I'd love to read it.
"I'm referring to the popular notion that Germans look nearly like Scandinavians rather than run-of-the-mill, could-be-from-anywhere Europeans."
Most Germans don't look like Scandinavians, I don't know what made you think this was a "popular notion". The distinguishing factor isn't mainly hair color either. Blonds are more common in Scandinavia than in Germany, but typical German blonds look different than typical Scandinavian blonds. The Munich-born actress Jeri Ryan, for example, is blond, but has a distinctly German look. Compare to the Stockholm-born actress Malin Akerman. I'd call her look distinctly Swedish, but since it's also what became the blond archetype in the U.S., we don't think of it as distinctively Swedish.
Ozil was born in Germany, I don't know in what sense he is "Turkish".
Yeah, it's a real brainteaser why someone might call a devout muslim going by the name of Mesut Ozil who looks like this "Turkish."
Haven`t you guys ever seen a nordic people before ;D Most of those guys in the german team were as nordic as it gets. There is no country were blond hair is the majority. Blue eyes majority countries exist, I think. Most of the people I see in the TV look nordic, when I watch american television series.
The "so-called Dutch" team is as Dutch as our team is American. There is a non-trivial number of Afro-Dutch for historical reasons. The Swiss team, on the other hand... I had never heard of an Afro Swiss before this.
All the starters are Dutch. There are 8 non-native Dutch players on the team, some of whom may have some Dutch ancestry. Of these 8, there are 3 that look to be entirely of black heritage, 2 or 3 of partial black heritage, and 2 or 3 that are about as swarthy as many of the southern European players and could pass as one of them.
Anonymous said..." New points, please."
Steve doesn't make news, he responds to and analyzes the news out there. I'm sure he'll move on to new points when the left finds some new hobbyhorse to ride.
In the meantime, now that you're finished yawning, you can hold your breath waiting. And don't blame Steve if your lips turn blue, you aren't waiting on him to change, you're waiting on the left.
A Canary Islander myself, I can tell you that roughly 16 to 18 % of current Canarians´genetic "heritage" hails from the original inhabitants of these islands, the "Guanches". These people appear to have been related to North African Berbers, which actually came in different skin-shades (check Zidane, who is a Berber). That might be the reason for Pedro´s looks, I guess. I will also reveal a dirty little secret: the Spanish side is a bit Japanese! The other Canarian player (again!) has a mother of Japanese descent - David Silva. At any rate, with the exception of that tiny misdemeanor, we are going to crush the Dutch without any foreigners. What a pride.
'I'm referring to the popular notion that Germans look nearly like Scandinavians rather than run-of-the-mill, could-be-from-anywhere Europeans'
In Sweden, not so long ago, you ran the risk of being bullied if you looked German, or at least Swiss-German.
"(And if Germany was never a blond country, if it was always a country where the vast majority of folks had brownish hair and hazel/brown eyes"
Like Scandanavia you mean? Although most Danes, Swedes, and Norweigans are also brown haired. The old stereotype of Germans is that they have square heads ('box heads' as they are called in Britain), which is true...
"
Ozil was born in Germany, I don't know in what sense he is "Turkish"."
Parentage? I understand that the children of Turkish guest workers were previously not allowed German citizenship or something.
"Paul the Octopus was correct, again."
I wondered if someone would mention Paul. He needs a punditry job, maybe he could replace Mark Lawrensen on the BBC?
Yeah, it's a real brainteaser why someone might call a devout muslim going by the name of Mesut Ozil who looks like this "Turkish."
If he was born in America he could be a devout Mulsim called Mesut Ozil and nobody would call him "Turkish".
He's German. He's at least as German as Ashely Cole is English or Jozy Altidore is American or Ryan Babal is Dutch.
The captain of the Dutch team is Indonesian. There is also a Berber Muslim and several blacks on the teem. On the other hand, there are no whites on any African, Asian or Middle Eastern team. Since whites are so good, perhaps they should consider adopting some :)
1/3 of Germans have married non- Germans, mainly impure eastern Europeans and Slavs. There is no Nordic race for the nordicists to be fighting for!
I will also reveal a dirty little secret: the Spanish side is a bit Japanese! The other Canarian player (again!) has a mother of Japanese descent - David Silva.
I didn't know this about Silva until reading this, and a Google search confirms it. All this time I had thought Silva was one of the more 'Visigothic' players on the Spanish team because his hair seemed to be a lighter shade of brown. I guess you get thrown a curveball now and then.
To say Spaniards, as a group, are indistinguishable from Germans is ridiculous. It's true that most Germans aren't blond, but most Scandinavians aren't blond either, and very few ethnic Spaniards are natural blondes (probably none outside of Northeast Spain). Blonds, to varying degrees, are a minority everywhere. The majority of Northern Europeans and West Slavs are light burnettes. Saxons (see Hamburg) in North-Central/ Northwest Germany are the blondest Germans, but they're outnumbered by Bavarians and Swabians among others who aren't very blond.
Regardless, hair color is a distraction. As a commenter mentioned above, many Germans share physical features that are unique to them, same for the Swedish, and so on. White Americans, who vary significantly from each other, aren't the keenest observers of these subtle differences.
A Canary Islander myself, I can tell you that roughly 16 to 18 % of current Canarians´genetic "heritage" hails from the original inhabitants of these islands, the "Guanches". These people appear to have been related to North African Berbers, which actually came in different skin-shades (check Zidane, who is a Berber). That might be the reason for Pedro´s looks, I guess. I will also reveal a dirty little secret: the Spanish side is a bit Japanese! The other Canarian player (again!) has a mother of Japanese descent - David Silva. At any rate, with the exception of that tiny misdemeanor, we are going to crush the Dutch without any foreigners. What a pride.
7/07/2010
Dude, The mongrel Silva is the best player in the tournament. And everyone knows that Spaniards have a dollop of moorish blood, which is why they have been looked down upon by nordicists.
Fred:
Most Germans don't look like Scandinavians, I don't know what made you think this was a "popular notion". The distinguishing factor isn't mainly hair color either. Blonds are more common in Scandinavia than in Germany, but typical German blonds look different than typical Scandinavian blonds. The Munich-born actress Jeri Ryan, for example, is blond, but has a distinctly German look. Compare to the Stockholm-born actress Malin Akerman. I'd call her look distinctly Swedish, but since it's also what became the blond archetype in the U.S., we don't think of it as distinctively Swedish.
True. Brown haired Scandinavians look more like Scandinavians to me than blond Germans. I'm of partly Scandinavian origin, but not German at all. The difference is pretty clear, especially for the Western/Northern Scandinavians (my Norwegian family's from Trondelag and Bergen).
Although there are a lot of very blond people in my family (as well as some definite brunettes), they do not look "German". Maybe it's the high cheekbones and almond eyes. Whatever it is, there's a clear difference.
Well, not being European I guess I can't dispute all you Europeans who think you can distinguish different nationalities by head shape and whatnot in addition to coloring. I'd love to see an experiment (or more likely some sort of European game show) where people tried that. (BTW, if Germans have box heads, then wouldn't the English folks who call them box heads tend to have box heads, too?)
I can also make no statistical counter argument to the repeatedly made assertion that a minority of Scandinavians are blond. I spent a couple weeks in Norway and I'd have been willing to bet otherwise, at least for women who were not old enough to be gray (blond men are always rarer). I'd have also guessed that blue eyes were not only in the majority but wildly so.
Finally, any thoughts on whether WWII changed the genetic makeup of Germany because those who best fit Hitler's ideal did the most fighting? No responses needed from folks who regret that the Reich didn't work out so well (the word "impure" is not one that belongs in this discussion. If you want to say that increased mating among different ethnic groups has diminished differences, you probably want to phrase it differently.) I'm not trying to lament German DNA developments; I'm just wondering if Hitler succeeded in culling the numbers of the people he most liked to anything like the degree he succeeded on the other end. It would be one of history's amusing ironies.
"If he was born in America he could be a devout Mulsim called Mesut Ozil and nobody would call him 'Turkish'.
He's German. He's at least as German as Ashely Cole is English or Jozy Altidore is American or Ryan Babal is Dutch."
I understand your point. People outside of Germany don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of a non-ethnic German being a German. I always provoke an argument in the U.S. when I say that Albert Einstein was German. Just like the Baltic people and Sorbian slavs in eastern Prussia were Germanized over the centuries, so were many Jews in Central Europe, as the large percentage of German names among Jews can attest. However, the notion of ethnic German purity persists, even among liberal ESPN commentators.
I've always been bored by the embarassingly prevalent notion that the "blond" Scandinavians are the standard bearers for the white race, primarily when you consider that their contribution to Western Civilization pales in comparison to Northern Italians alone, not to mention the big three: Germans, British, and the French. For most of European history, the Scandinavians were unremarkable bystanders.
I can also make no statistical counter argument to the repeatedly made assertion that a minority of Scandinavians are blond. I spent a couple weeks in Norway and I'd have been willing to bet otherwise, at least for women who were not old enough to be gray (blond men are always rarer).
Actually, blond men are not that much rarer. You see more blond women because a lot of women die their hair.
Besides dyeing, hair color can change with exposure to sunlight and thus with season of the year. In the 1990s, I read a PJ O'Rourke article in which he spent two weeks in Scandinavia in February. He said there were many fewer blonds than he expected. I then went outside in downtown Chicago in July and it was full of blond men in business attire, much more than I would have guessed. Why? It was July and they had been out in the sun.
"when you consider that their contribution to Western Civilization pales in comparison to Northern Italians alone, not to mention the big three: Germans, British, and the French."
How about Tuscany? Here's your Ninja Turtle starting lineup just from Tuscany (current population 2 million):
Dante
Leonardo
Michelangelo
Galileo
Donatello is on the bench.
The World Cup is like the opposite of the NBA, a bunch of white men play whilst a crowd of black fans watch.
Very droll. Well done.
It's not a white-dominated sport. It is a sport where whites do very well. Brazil has lots of blacks. France won once and made it to the finals the second time because of its blacks. Their blacks this time around sucked though.
I did not go to Scandinavia in the winter as my object was to have fun rather than write humorous prose. I was there in August, after maximum sun dying opportunity, but I still saw a lot more blonde than in Chicago or East Hampton or any other U.S. venue. I also found myself regretting that there were not about ten times as many Scandinavians (well, Scandinavian women). No box heads there.
Okay, Spain 2 Netherlands 1.
You can bet on it.
Why were Germans so non-aggressive in the game with Spain? It's like they were committed only to playing defense. It was like Spain was playing pachinko or pinball with the Germans.
i was surprised germany got all the way to the semi-final this time. they had too many starters out for the entire world cup to win the whole thing. ballack, one of their best players, was deliberately injured by a player from ghana a mere month before the world cup started, so he had to miss the whole thing. i think germany was also using their backup goalkeeper the whole tournament. in all i figure about 4 good starters had to miss the big dance.
they were clearly the most prepared team though, having already played a year with the new ball and not having much trouble shooting it. but once muller went out with a double yellow, they were really getting deep into the bench.
spain finally put it all together. they have to be hoping it does not all fall apart now, in the most important game! a loss to the netherlands in the final would be devastating. that could inflict long term psychological damage on them. they already doubt themselves every big game.
"I've always been bored by the embarassingly prevalent notion that the "blond" Scandinavians are the standard bearers for the white race, primarily when you consider that their contribution to Western Civilization pales in comparison to Northern Italians alone, not to mention the big three: Germans, British, and the French. For most of European history, the Scandinavians were unremarkable bystanders."
And what about the pathetic contribution to modern science of Spain, Portugal and Southern Italy or Greece of late ? Was it due to the infusion of low I.Q. Arab blood?
"I understand your point. People outside of Germany don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of a non-ethnic German being a German."
Actually a lot of people want to promote an inclusive definition of German-ness because any concept of German genetic purity/ homogeneity scares the shit out of them. I am non-White and have many German friends, loads of them actually and trust me the notion of ethnic German-ness is alive and fine among the Germans. So Sorry.
For most of European history, the Scandinavians were unremarkable bystanders.
-Anon
Well, to be fair, if Leonardo et al had to chop wood every day instead of painting and sculpting I don't think they would have had quite the same impact on culture.
I say it over and over, but people still don't quite seem to understand just how poor Northern Europe was until very recently (late 20th century). Do you think all those Norwegians moved to North Dakota because they had a swell life back on the fjord?
For most people, life in Scandinavia meant year-round back breaking labor, most of it in driving rain or bitter cold. Italy was a veritable paradise in comparison. Olives, wine, pretty brown-eyed girls -- it's no wonder the Normans took Sicily at the first opportunity.
"I've always been bored by the embarassingly prevalent notion that the "blond" Scandinavians are the standard bearers for the white race, primarily when you consider that their contribution to Western Civilization pales in comparison to Northern Italians alone, not to mention the big three: Germans, British, and the French. For most of European history, the Scandinavians were unremarkable bystanders."
Maybe white nationalists admire the Scandinavians for their enlightened leftism?
Actually it is quite easy to make out Northern Euros from Southern ones. The truth is about half of people in Iberia look like Northern Euros except that they have unique Iberian features. But the other half can pass like Arabs or Northern Europeans. I am Bangladeshi and I have relatives and friends who look similar to many Spanish and Portuguese people I have seen. This is nearly impossible with Northern Euros who are very distinct even if they have dark eyes and dark hair. Many of those darker Southern Euros would be mistaken as upper class/ caste Indians if they were to frequent any North Indian city. Indeed in one Hindi movie 'Houseful' they had a fair Northern Indian guy play the role of an Italian.
"And what about the pathetic contribution to modern science of Spain, Portugal and Southern Italy or Greece of late ? Was it due to the infusion of low I.Q. Arab blood?"
Maybe we can blame the demise of the German universities on the Turks.
"(blond men are always rarer)"
This is because of hair dye. I only have one female friend who has natural blonde hair. I know 6-7 males who do though. I'm guessing its due to the fact that guys spend more time outside in the sun. Also, because many blond girls dye their hair a lighter blond from a very early age, and everyone knows that dyeing ones hair darkens it and dulls it over time.
"I've always been bored by the embarassingly prevalent notion that the 'blond' Scandinavians are the standard bearers for the white race, primarily when you consider that their contribution to Western Civilization pales in comparison to Northern Italians alone, not to mention the big three: Germans, British, and the French. For most of European history, the Scandinavians were unremarkable bystanders."
Norway makes good phones, but most Germanic and Scandanivian nations have stopped being centers of innovation for quite some time.
The rise and fall, rise and fall.
Japan hiberanted under the Tokugawas, awoke in the 19th century, was on the rise and rise after WWII and now... it is falling asleep again.
"Steve, the MMA is another sport that Whites dominate. If wrestling was not allowed, Blacks would dominate it (e.g. boxing when Blacks were interested in boxing)."
I'm so sick of this bullshit. Anderson Silva is NOT white.
Rampage destroyed Liddell twice. Forrest Griffin was badly mauled by Evans.
And lots of Brazilian masters are mixed-bloodsters.
There are many good whites MMA fighters but whites do NOT dominate it.
"Well, not being European I guess I can't dispute all you Europeans who think you can distinguish different nationalities by head shape and whatnot in addition to coloring. I'd love to see an experiment (or more likely some sort of European game show) where people tried that. (BTW, if Germans have box heads, then wouldn't the English folks who call them box heads tend to have box heads, too?)"
Can you tell who's a Jew at least?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=walJjsqRrnc
"Well, not being European I guess I can't dispute all you Europeans who think you can distinguish different nationalities by head shape and whatnot in addition to coloring."
Some Europeans can pass for just about any nationality. Alain Delon could pass for French, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Greek, British, etc.
But some Europeans look very much the type. Putin and Khrushchev, for example, looks very Slavic.
Schwarzenegger looks very Germanic. Banderas very Latin.
Lots of Poles have wide faces.
Princess Diana looked very British. Queen Elizabeth, on the other hand, could pass for Spanish.
Steve said,
"How about Tuscany?"
Wouldn't Florence, where these men hailed from, be considered part of northern Italy? It doesn't matter I suppose, but yes, a larger percentage of Italian people are involved in making them a great nation than is commonly credited.
Southern Italy and Sicily are also far superior to the popular imagination's sense of those places. If these places are "backwaters" than the American Southeast is a veritable sewer.
Actually, Putin doesn't look Slavic at all. He looks very much Finno-Ugric. Another person in the news who looks Finno-Ugric is Anna Chapman, the supposed Russian spy.
Bill: Right on. Sweden (which Norway belonged to, at the time) was actually one of the poorest countries in Europe during the middle of the 19th century.
It's certainly true that Italy, England, France and Germany - the big 4 - have contributed much, much more to art & science than Scandinavia, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Iberian peninsula, et al have. Then again, the Nordic countries have, and are, really small population-wise. On a per capita-basis I think at least Sweden and Denmark have achieved quite a lot.
"I'd have also guessed that blue eyes were not only in the majority but wildly so."
Yep. Blue eyes are absolutely the majority in both Sweden and Norway, probably in Finland too, not sure about Denmark. Blond hair is not the most common hair colour - light brown is.
anon:
"Actually, Putin doesn't look Slavic at all. He looks very much Finno-Ugric"
Hmm, good point. I noticed that my part-Finnish 3-year-old son looks a lot like Putin, only blond.
St Petersburg area used to be part of Finland, so there'll be a lot of Finn in NW Russians. And the Fenno-Ugrics seem to have originated a long time ago in the area of the northern Urals.
Funny how when Hollywood casts Russians they use Scandinavians (Dolph Lundgren & Brigitte Nielsen: Rocky IV) or Austrians (Arnold Schwarzenegger: Red Heat).
Shawn:
"Steve, the MMA is another sport that Whites dominate. If wrestling was not allowed, Blacks would dominate it (e.g. boxing when Blacks were interested in boxing)."
I had the impression that both black & white Americans lost interest when it became dominated by white Russians and Ukraineans.
1. Spain/Portugal/Greece and "Southern" Italy's failure to achieve:
You could make a good argument that three of the four had no chance because of the Catholic church's clamp down after the reformation. Indeed, this looks more plausible when you consider that it was not just Southern Italy that did nothing but (after the Renaissance) Northern Italy as well. Italy produced basically no scientists of note between Galileo and the 19th century.
Spain, too, went from being a very productive nation to being a very poor one in a couple steps -- each one timed almost exactly with a decision to execute a religious clamp down -- either on highly productive Moors (the ones who stayed behind tended to be very productive and wealthy) or Jews or just catholics who did not seem catholic enough. And that was it till the 1960s.
As for Greece, well, it's Greece.
2. Explaining Scandinavia's lack of achievement by pointing out its poverty isn't really a good argument for folks who think Scandinavians are the uber Europeans -- unless you can show that its poverty was beyond its control.
When you say that Scandinavians are great but could not produce great men because they were chopping wood and struggling to feed themselves when Italians were creating the modern world simply makes your listener wonder why the Scandinavians would be so poor if they were actually so brilliant.
Modern lefties like to argue that poverty precludes great achievement but smart people realize that (most times) poverty simply indicates that you're incapable of achieving even basic things let along great ones.
God how this conversation has wandered from soccer, but I suppose that's because soccer is so boring.
"Norway makes good phones, but most Germanic and Scandanivian nations have stopped being centers of innovation for quite some time.
The rise and fall, rise and fall.
Japan hiberanted under the Tokugawas, awoke in the 19th century, was on the rise and rise after WWII and now... it is falling asleep again."
I wasn't aware that Norway made phones, Nokia is a Finnish company. Scandinavia has never been a center of innovation. That's why the reverence that they're shown by many is underserved.
Germans, on the other hand, have had a consitently high positive contribution to Western Civilization since Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th Century. In recent decades, they've excelled primarily in the area in which they have the most talent, mechnical egineering. They're not exactly on the cutting edge any more, but they've managed to stay relevant.
True; Germans don't seem to be much blonder than the northern French or the Poles. The only exception would appear to be the Low Germans in the north. The typical German has a darker skin tone than the British and Irish, in fact.
Ironically, for those who go on about the blond Aryan race dying out, the blonder whites in Scandinavia, and the whites in the British Isles, will last a lot longer than the darker southern continentals -- 1.8 children/woman for the former groups vs. 1.4 or so for the latter. Norway, Sweden, Britain, and Ireland are the only European countries projected to show relatively large population increases in the next half century; sure, they take in immigrants from places they shouldn't, but unlike other European countries, their native white populations are stable or shrinking gently, rather than collapsing like the Germans or Ukrainians.
France is another ball game altogether -- because they are forbidden from collecting statistics on race and ethnicity, but because of their colonial ties to high-fertility Sahel countries like Senegal and Mali, France is likely host to a rapidly-increasing black population. I mean, look at its World Cup team...
Getting here late, but European ideas of ethnicity are neither as simplistic as the Japanese (the only way to be Japanese is to be born that way and even then you might not stay Japanese) or American (anyone can become an American no matter how old they are when the start the process).
In the case of Germany there's a fair amount of people who are not 'ethnically' German (or only partly so) but who are culturally and linguistically German (since they've lived their whole lives there).
But except for especially observant Muslims they don't create a separate mating pool though so if they have children they're absorbed into the general population. (The Muslims are a mixed bag many of those born in Germany are MINO while others make a show of being Muslim).
Not long after reunification there was a German sitcom about the different mentalities of west and east Germans and a recurring joke was how the main 'western' character had more in common with Turks in his neighborhood than with the Ossis.
There are cases of European soccer teams recruiting and giving citizenship to thirdworlders who'll play for them but AFAIK none of the German team this year fell into that category.
How about super-power China playing a India-Israel-Indian dominated U.S.A-Mexico (merged into one) alliance against a Islamic alliance which includes Eurabia (Islamic dominated Europe plus middle East and North Africa) while keeping resource rich Australia-New Zealand and Africa strictly under its sphere of influence. China would also keep South East Asia under its sphere of influence but what about Japan and Russia?
"2. Explaining Scandinavia's lack of achievement by pointing out its poverty isn't really a good argument for folks who think Scandinavians are the uber Europeans -- unless you can show that its poverty was beyond its control."
Low population. Bad location.
If you take population into account I can't really see how, say, Spain's achievements is that much better than Scandinavia's.
I'm Swedish, so I'm obviously biased, but I can see two clear areas where my country has been a center of invention: literature and technology. In some areas we have never been important, like classical music.
Of course, no European country compares to Nothern Italy.
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