4 ms·

> we In line with the sibling comment, note that the word "we" is subject to a 70 year scope creep here.

coldtea 9y ago
There's such a thing a state continuity though -- and oftentimes cultural continuity. It's not implausible to imagine a ruling AfD in the next 15-20 years.
- dmichulke 9y ago
  I agree and I understand what the original comment means. But "we" is first of all the plural of "I", so it means above all "people" and there is no "people continuity", at least not over 70 years. In a sense he says that I (assuming he is German) started a war which is (AFAIK) not the case. Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I?
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I? Well, people voting term after term pro-war politicians might allow one to say that too. Either that, or they should admit it's not a democracy, and leaders can do such important BS such as going to war without people consenting. (Not American though).
    - dozzie 9y ago
      Don't be so quick with this "voting" part. It's not like people voting could choose only a part of politician's program or take different parts from different candidates. The pro-war attitude comes in a package with much more things much more directly affecting the voters than raids for killing foreign people somewhere far away.
      - coldtea 9y ago
        >It's not like people voting could choose only a part of politician's program or take different parts from different candidates. No, but "going to war and killing people/invading other countries" should matter more than other parts of their program. >foreign people somewhere far away That's the problem right there. So it's not that they can't: it's that they don't care.
  - esrauch 9y ago
    > Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I? I think most Americans are comfortable with the sentence "we invaded Iraq" if that is what you mean. Also "we won our independence from the UK", even if their ancestors were English for generations after that war happened, in the sense that the individual is a member of the group "Americans", and "Americans" is the group that fought the war.

There's such a thing a state continuity though -- and oftentimes cultural continuity. It's not implausible to imagine a ruling AfD in the next 15-20 years.

dmichulke 9y ago
I agree and I understand what the original comment means. But "we" is first of all the plural of "I", so it means above all "people" and there is no "people continuity", at least not over 70 years. In a sense he says that I (assuming he is German) started a war which is (AFAIK) not the case. Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I?
- coldtea 9y ago
  >Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I? Well, people voting term after term pro-war politicians might allow one to say that too. Either that, or they should admit it's not a democracy, and leaders can do such important BS such as going to war without people consenting. (Not American though).
  - dozzie 9y ago
    Don't be so quick with this "voting" part. It's not like people voting could choose only a part of politician's program or take different parts from different candidates. The pro-war attitude comes in a package with much more things much more directly affecting the voters than raids for killing foreign people somewhere far away.
    - coldtea 9y ago
      >It's not like people voting could choose only a part of politician's program or take different parts from different candidates. No, but "going to war and killing people/invading other countries" should matter more than other parts of their program. >foreign people somewhere far away That's the problem right there. So it's not that they can't: it's that they don't care.
- esrauch 9y ago
  > Assuming you are US-American, I shouldn't say that you invaded Iraq either, should I? I think most Americans are comfortable with the sentence "we invaded Iraq" if that is what you mean. Also "we won our independence from the UK", even if their ancestors were English for generations after that war happened, in the sense that the individual is a member of the group "Americans", and "Americans" is the group that fought the war.