The whole world in the web? [Rant actually]

[Nikolas]

Well...

I was thinking. Here in AGS, for example, or all over the place, actually, you get plenty of uk based, USA based, Australia and New Zeland, most of Europe really, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, Romania, French, Dannish, Finnish, etc!

But! BUT I've never seen anyone Swiss! Noone! Ever!

Of course I guess that there could be somewhere hidden, but the fact is that in 6-7 forums that I'm in, I've never seen people from switzcherland (sp?). It just feels that they are not so much on the internet...

In addition to that, I've been in Geneva a couple of times and I've never felt more uncomfortable and unwelcome in my life. It was plain obvious that they didn't like seeing us there! I've been all over europe really, and outside and never had much of a problem, as a tourist, or living there, but Geneva was... shitty from that perspective (although beautiful and we had a great time).

Bottom line: It seems to me that the Swiss would love to lock themselves inside their little country and forget about the world. True? False? Dunno really...

[Khris]

True.
There are (big, popular) factions in Switzerland who'd like to send all immigrants back home right on the spot. Their election posters usually bear an uncanny resemblance to Nazi posters, using few colors, much red, with distinct hand gestures and black silhouettes.

Unfortunately, the Swiss have been like this for a long time; during WW II they secretly collaborated with the Nazis to get rid of the Jews while officially pretending to stay neutral.

It's a sad development that these people have become increasingly popular in the general population among the last years.

Of course this doesn't tell us anything about the occasional Swiss surfing these forums who most likely won't share these thoughts.

Edit:
Radiant: I know about Godwin's Law, but it obviously doesn't apply to a thread about the Swiss being nationalistic.
I didn't compare them to Nazis, I was repeating what I had read in a big newspaper about their election posters (the article even depicted one or two).
The second paragraph mentioning the Nazis is a fact from history.
You seem to believe that a) I said "the Swiss are all Nazis" (which I didn't) or b) comparing them to Nazis was somehow inappropriate (an opinion I don't share).

[Radiant]

While I have no doubt the Swiss are nationalistic, comparing them to Nazis is going way too far. Did you hear the one about Godwin's Law?

[Nacho]

Unfortunatelly, the world is full of black sheeps.

A (translated) messenger chat I had with Lorena' s smaller (and sillier) cousin, he is 12.

Nacho: What's that image for displayn in msn you have? Concentration against the latin bands?
LC: Yes, Nazi bands are coming to fight with the blacks.
N:But are you with the blacks or against?
L:Against... what would you do if they punch your friend?
N:Ahm... one thing... What if the guy who punched your friend was blonde? Would you go punching blonde people?
L:No... blacks.
N:But what if he was blonde?
L:We won' t go fighting blondes then.
N:Why? Why do you fight with blondes, but with blacks you do?
L:Because they are black.
N: So... it' s not for the agression, no? You are basically a racist.
L:Half of both reasons.
N:Ok.. Idiot.

Cute, eh? 

[voh]

I should beat up his friend, being a blonde jew. That'd confuse the hell out of him.

But I do sort of miss the link between the nazi remarks and the original post. I have to agree, I know a lot of people online, and none of them are swiss. But, to be honest, I've hardly seen any Austrians either. Those are the only European countries I can remember never having any internet contact with. Other than that, all are represented. Guess they keep to their own corners or something.

[InCreator]

Heh, I hail nationalism in Europe with both hands. There's quite a lot of tiny countries (such as one I live in myself), whose nation can simply blend to non-existence when being too liberal.

This is not an excuse to be unfriendly or racist though.
But if someone wants to keep to his own, and doesn't harm others by doing this, why should we care?

Japan has defended itself like this for centuries, being TOTALLY isolated...  and opened its cultural borders only few centuries ago. That's why they have still so much different and interesting left in their culture. Is that bad? I read recently a book about Russian frigate "Pallada" and how It took long trip from St. Peterburg to Japan in 1853. Quite a reading, I must say, and recommended, too. It describes Japanese nationalistic paranoia to a humorous extent.

[Oddysseus]

Actually, isolation has tended to encourge feelings of superiority which can later lead to violence.  For example, Japan's invasion of China during WWII - though they'd been provoked by invasion attempts by China in the past, I think the feeling of national superiority is what inevitably leads to delusions of world policing or world conquest.  America, of course, is the most popular example.  Our long history of isolationism has led to arrogance and the "USA#1!" mentality, even though our economy is now in the process of being outstripped by Asian competitors, and we have a long history of botched wars done for the sake of maintaining our own interests.

In summary, I would agree that individuals should be left alone, but countries need to learn to play nice with others.

[Nikolas]

Heh, I hail nationalism in Europe with both hands. There's quite a lot of tiny countries (such as one I live in myself), whose nation can simply blend to non-existence when being too liberal.

Keeping traditions and being yourself is completely different to being a nationalistic jerk, in short. And, yes, I can't say that I enjoy the little that I know about those few countries that are too closed to themselves (and the citizens). I've met tons of Japanesse people (mainly females) and I get a weird impression. I've never met anyone from austria, btw! But Germany was rather nice, although I didn't expect it too much :p

In all honesty a simple world poll like "would you like your country to be detached from the rest of the world, without loosing any comfort?" would wield a huge YES from Switcherland, Japan, prolly Austria and while I'm tempted to put the uk in as well (since they love it SO much to be on an island or at least it seems to me), I can't even compare Swiss with the UK. No comparison. UK is teh best actually! They are totally open to immigration (almost to a ridiculous point, but whatever really...)

[Timosity]

The only person around AGS I've noticed from Switzerland is Dorcan, although I don't think he's that active these days, neither am I, but there's probably a lot of countries in Europe that are not well represented on the web.

I could be wrong, but It may be more to do with language than anything else. English is the most widely used language on the web, as with this forum and many others, English is the common language. There are a lot of people here with English as a 2nd language, and it probably helps with learning English.

Other countries not well represented are most African Nations and South American. For these countries it might be more to do with wealth than the language barrier.

But the web has brought people closer, probably even made north Americans realise there are others out there, other than aliens, but its probably those wealthy countries getting closer together leaving the poorer one's in their wake that will keep the natural progression of rich getting richer going

[Obi]

Well I once met a man from one of those crazy countries. He had one eye and was in his 70s, he taught me the basics of building time machines. I used this information to make my own time travel machine and went back in time to kill him. Which I did and I did it quite well. I stayed there and became famous you might of heard of me, I'm Winston Churchill. Which is funny because babies look like Winston Churchill and so did Winston Churchill as a baby. But then I went back in time a few minutes and told my other self to stay there and came back to the present time. Which by now was a few years ago, when I had a full head of hair and 7 yoyos in my pocket.

As for the web, it's one of those crazy fads that will die out in a few years allowing me to take on my bid to host the 2032 Olympics in my back garden, which should be quite good I have a barbeque and everything. So if in doubt always use a condom unless you want Children or to win the wonderful lottery of sexually transmitted diseases.

[Gregjazz]

Unfortunately, the Swiss have been like this for a long time; during WW II they secretly collaborated with the Nazis to get rid of the Jews while officially pretending to stay neutral.

What?? Where did you get that idea? Hitler was planning on invading Switzerland, I don't see how they would have any sort of alliance.

I'm half Swiss, by the way.

[OneDollar]

In all honesty a simple world poll like "would you like your country to be detached from the rest of the world, without loosing any comfort?" would wield a huge YES from Switcherland, Japan...

But where would our PS3s and Wiis come from? Microsoft would dominate the console market like they do the computer one...

I've never been to Switzerland, but my house mate went on a skiing trip there and said the Swiss came across as a bunch of miserable tourist-haters. I kind of respect the neutrality in any war thing, but they do have a stereotype of being somewhat xenophobic and shut off.

[Akatosh]

Unfortunately, the Swiss have been like this for a long time; during WW II they secretly collaborated with the Nazis to get rid of the Jews while officially pretending to stay neutral.

What?? Where did you get that idea? Hitler was planning on invading Switzerland, I don't see how they would have any sort of alliance.

I'm half Swiss, by the way.

Well, I think he got a few facts half wrong there. It IS true that Switzerland worked together with Germany a bit (I think the Nazis had a few bank accounts there, for example) to prevent being invaded, and thus it went down on the far low end of Hitler's invasion priority list. Switzerland didn't collaborate or did this to get rid of any jews, they just wanted to be spared from an attack.

[ildu]

Yah, the collaboration with nazis doesn't have anything to do with Jews, or this conversation. Finland collaborated with the nazis to keep the dirty russians out, and we certainly aren't racist by heredity.

[Becky]

Most of Europe collaborated with the Nazis.  Fascism and authoritarianism certainly wasn't and hasn't ever been the sole province of Germany and Italy. 

[Mould Cheeze]

I have a hypothesis:
In the Swiss there are spoken four official languages. Rather than learning English they would be more likely to learn another language from their own country to understand their own landsmen rather than peoples from other nations.

That why you wouldn't find many of them in English spoken internet.

[Nikolas]

I have a hypothesis:
In the Swiss there are spoken four official languages. Rather than learning English they would be more likely to learn another language from their own country to understand their own landsmen rather than peoples from other nations.

That why you wouldn't find many of them in English spoken internet.

Well... the internet is filled with Japanesse sites... Why not French, or German, or whatever anyways? You have no trouble knowing that the japanesse are in the Internet, have you?

[Gregjazz]

In the Swiss there are spoken four official languages. Rather than learning English they would be more likely to learn another language from their own country to understand their own landsmen rather than peoples from other nations.

That why you wouldn't find many of them in English spoken internet.

Sure, there are multiple languages spoken in Switzerland depending on which region you live in, but a lot of Swiss people pride themselves in speaking English--very good English, in fact.

[dasjoe]

Well... the internet is filled with Japanesse sites... Why not French, or German, or whatever anyways? You have no trouble knowing that the japanesse are in the Internet, have you?

Language	Web Pages	Percent of Total
English	214,250,996	68.39
Japanese	18,335,739	5.85
German	18,069,744	5.77

also, see http://funredes.org/lc2005/english/L3.html

[Andail]

I don't mind people preserving their traditions and languages and whatnot, but when it affects their immigrant policies it leaves a sour taste.
Haven't got any statistics right now, but I think when it comes to accepting refugees, countries like Switzerland don't really top the charts.