Recent content by Reflected

Because I feel like I hijacked the topic, with irrelevant posts about Byzantium, I will leave you discuss about Japan and not not disturb you any more with byzantine posts. After all, this topic is supposed to be about Japan. It's been nice to know you

But what is a Turk really? Even today Turkey's numerous ethnic groups have not totally integrated with each other. One third of the population are Kurds yet, their language is complete different to Turkish (Turkish is closest to Japanese by the way). Many Assyrians that have lived in Turkey for...

''That is why the Ottoman were allied to the Germans and Austrians during WWI, is it ? I know that they first made war with the Austrians in the previous centuries, but how do you explin this sudden good relationship that has brought hundreds of thousands of Turks to Germany ?'' Maciamo, I...

''Have you ever heard of modesty or ever tried to double check what you so boldly put forward ?'' Maciamo, I simply stated that lifestyles in South Europe have changed a lot in the past decades. They've become much more individualistic with passing years. I disagree that Japanese are more...

''They obviously didn't exterminate all the people living there'' and who said they did? I said that they extreminated the European (Greek) minority, and Armenian. Turkey has been found fuilty of the Armenian genocide as well as the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus. The other minorities are...

'''Greece actually got its independance from the Muslim invader in the war of 1821-32. That would have been unthinkable had it remained the Greek-speaking Christian Byzantine Empire.'' That wouldn't be unthinkable at all. Why? Because, simply, there wouldn't be any Turkey to ethnically cleanse...

And before you tell me that the situation in Turkey might as well change and approach the European norm, let me tell you that I speak of *now*. I stand by what I said elsewhere, i.e that Turkey has far more in common with Syria, Iraq and Iran than it has with South Europe.

''because the majority of women nowadays work and dont have the time, or mood to invite friends at home'' Note for example, that nowadays South Europe has one of the highest number of women univercity graduates in the EU, and one of the lowest birth rates worldwide. Contrast that with the...

''large gatherings '' it should read 'large family gatherings'

''If you ask them, Japanese people will usually tell you that their society is a very collectivist one. They are very group-minded, sociable, care enormously about what others think about them, and often do things only because other people do it too ("if everyone jumps in the river, they let's...

'''Nowadays, lots of Japanese don't keep regular contact with their extended families (cousins, uncles, aunts, let alone second cousins). I've asked lots of people about that and 2/3 very rarely or never meet their cousins, some keep contact with a few cousins and I am yet to meet someone who...

Hi again Maciamo You replied: ''So, why do you think there are fractions of Muslims in the Balkans or Bulgaria now ? There are remnants of the Turks. There were no Muslim in Europe before them.'' but here's what I wrote actually: '''''In fact there was a segragation between the Christian...

'''''''So are Turkey, Israel or Syria Western countries because they were part of the Roman Empire, have a long Christian history (and still some Christians amomg the Muslim and Jewish now), have inherited Greek science and philosophy with the rest of the Arabic world, etc.''''''' I think you...

One more thing.... You write: ''''''The cultural differences you cited are not very deep - they certainly aren't more substantial than the differences between North and South Koreans, and would disappear in a generation if the political and educational system were to change.'''''' If that is...

Maciamo writes: @religion '''''''''You are right about Christianity, but I am not Christian and most younger Europeans cannot really claim being "real" Christians anymore (the situation is very different in the US, except for 5% of Atheist, a few Muslim, Buddhist, etc.). If Westerness starts...