News that makes you say WTF! (30 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ford Prefect
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But you're referring to Sweden as a country that has a huge rape problem, right? I read an article complaining about Sweden's problems regarding immigrants. Their argument was that ever since Sweden started accommodating immigrants, rape rates have been increasing consistently. They were having a look at a few instances publishing the names of the convicts (which were "obviously" Ahmeds and Mohammads of the world), complaining that despite the fact they were found guilty of rape, they were sentenced to a couple of months in jail or some hours of community service. This either tells you something horrifying about Sweden's punishment system (in which "rapists" are sentenced to a few months of jail only, which then should perhaps be accountable for the ridiculously high rates of rape in the country, which we both know is not true), or it tells you something about how loosely (or at least differently from many other countries in the world) rape is defined in Sweden.
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Or when he talks about countries outside the western world. 
Except of course when I talk about countries outside the western world all of my opinions are backed up by independent reports. Unlike the opinions of the citizens of those countries
. As for the religion part, I concede that believers are idiots and it is useless to debate with them.
Except of course when I talk about countries outside the western world all of my opinions are backed up by independent reports. Unlike the opinions of the citizens of those countries . As for the religion part, I concede that believers are idiots and it is useless to debate with them.
. As for the religion part, I concede that believers are idiots and it is useless to debate with them.
To be honest, a lot of people would find it laughable that you of all people would accuse someone else of talking about issues they don't understand. You jump on stereotype bandwagons and make sweeping generalizations very often. I'm sure you're an intelligent person, but part of intelligence is avoiding hubris and knowing your limitations.
I'm sure dubai being a country was backed by one of those independent reports of yours.
To be honest, a lot of people would find it laughable that you of all people would accuse someone else of talking about issues they don't understand. You jump on stereotype bandwagons and make sweeping generalizations very often. I'm sure you're an intelligent person, but part of intelligence is avoiding hubris and knowing your limitations.
To be honest, a lot of people would find it laughable that you of all people would accuse someone else of talking about issues they don't understand. You jump on stereotype bandwagons and make sweeping generalizations very often. I'm sure you're an intelligent person, but part of intelligence is avoiding hubris and knowing your limitations.
International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined territory, one government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Islamic monarch styled emir. This comes pretty close. Dubai has a friggin' monarch. Which other city in the world has a monarch? Which other countries have monarchs?
However, it is also normally understood that a state is neither dependent on nor subject to any other power or state. Given that the UAE do have a federal structure, it would probably make more sense to consider the UAE a country and Dubai a province.
Either way it is a ridiculously retarded structure, right from the Middle Ages or Middle Earth (take your pick).
I find it ironic that you mock me because of it, because you probably have far less knowledge of what constitutes a state than I do.
Also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8382275.stm:
"Dubai, however, has always maintained an air of autonomy within the federation as a result of its long history as a successful free port. When the UAE constitution was drafted this relative independence was taken into account as each emirate was allowed to retain control over its own natural resources and economic development path."
"Although frequently described as a city state or even as a country in its own right, Dubai is a constituent member of the federation of United Arab Emirates along with six other emirates."
As for the rest of your post:
It's difficult to assess anyway, because when does one not understand an issue? And who gets to determine if they understand it or not? As for jumping on stereotype bandwagons.. I do that rarely, if ever.
- Dubai has significantly more autonomy than the rest of the Emirates, that much is true.
- If having a monarch is one of your criteria, then all Emirates in the UAE have a ruler or "Emir".
- Foreign Affairs, Defense, Security, Education, Labor, Immigration, Interior Affairs are all under the purview of the Federal Government, does that make Dubai sound like a country to you.
- You have a dangerous combination of extreme confirmation bias and escalation of commitment. Instead of scouring the internet for sources and little quotes that attempt to excuse and justify your gaffe, it would be better if you just owned up to your mistake and stopped digging yourself into a deeper hole. We all make mistakes, and perhaps if you had a little less hubris, you'd make less of them.
- If having a monarch is one of your criteria, then all Emirates in the UAE have a ruler or "Emir".
- Foreign Affairs, Defense, Security, Education, Labor, Immigration, Interior Affairs are all under the purview of the Federal Government, does that make Dubai sound like a country to you.
- You have a dangerous combination of extreme confirmation bias and escalation of commitment. Instead of scouring the internet for sources and little quotes that attempt to excuse and justify your gaffe, it would be better if you just owned up to your mistake and stopped digging yourself into a deeper hole. We all make mistakes, and perhaps if you had a little less hubris, you'd make less of them.
Having a monarch is definitely one of the possible criteria. If you have a monarch, you are a monarchy. Monarchies are a form of government. I acknowledge that all Emirates have an emir (hence their name). Funnily enough Qatar also has an emir. Would you say Qatar is not a country?
As for various things being under the purview of a federal government, you seem to be missing one tiny factor. Which is the European Union. Lots of things are governed by EU law, not national law. Yet you'd still call Italy a country, not a province.
This has nothing to do with confirmation bias. What is or is not a state is hard to define. Dubai in particular has been defined as a state by some. I find it ironic that you must insist on mocking me, when it is clear that one could make an excellent case for Dubai effectively being a country. FWIW it was a quote on a BBC website. Not exactly the least informed news source. And it was made by Christopher Davidson, who teaches about the subject.
I think you'd do yourself a huge favour if you just admit that you were a wee bit fast with your judgment here.
Oh, and as for owning up to my mistakes: I said in the original thread (dating back to 2008) that I probably should not have called Qatar a country. I sure as shit didn't bring it up this time.. But if you are going to keep getting back to it, I will come at you and I will for the love of Allah and all that is holy to you, keep proving that you can call it a country if you want to.
But European countries are sovereign states, the EU does not and cannot make foreign policy decisions on behalf of all it's member states, there isn't one ruler that has more authority than the individual heads of state, the country's immigration policies are independent to a very large extent. The differences between Emirates in the UAE and European countries is such a terrible analogy on so many levels.
No, it isn't. The UAE is just further down the road than the EU is. The USA is down that same road. Notice how they are even called states?
It is not easy to say what may or may not be a state. This is a huge debate in international law. Especially when we are talking about Federal, confederal or unions.
I did mistakenly use the wrong word back in 2008. I will admit it was worded pretty badly. But it was a very long time ago, I said as much in the original thread and I could even make a strong case for it not being nearly as wrong as people might think..
You can hold lots of my own quotes against me, but I really don't think this is the best one..
It is not easy to say what may or may not be a state. This is a huge debate in international law. Especially when we are talking about Federal, confederal or unions.
I did mistakenly use the wrong word back in 2008. I will admit it was worded pretty badly. But it was a very long time ago, I said as much in the original thread and I could even make a strong case for it not being nearly as wrong as people might think..
You can hold lots of my own quotes against me, but I really don't think this is the best one..
