Why is it called the 'Anglo-Sino' alliance and not 'American-Sino' Alliance?
POSTED BY: MarginalRevolution
UPDATED: Sunday, May 7, 2006 14:54
VIEWED: 15516
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Aother point of continuity i'd like to ask. If the Alliance had the ability to terraform a planet, certainly they would have done so with Earth. therefore, the debate that seems to exist on whether or not the planet physically still exsists must be moot o this point. If it does physically exist, it would have been utilized by now. the fact that it's become "myth" must indicate the fact it was somehow "destroyed." Although I don't know what sort of tehcnology the Alliance could possess to kill a planet (seeing htey don't even have FTL travel).
Terraforming just makes a planet liveable, but if there's no resources there, living on it aint of much use.
"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."
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I always thought that Anglo refers to English-speaking, so that the 'Anglo' part in the alliance would stand for the English-speaking world (which is lead by America).
However, from Dictionary.com:
An English-speaking person, especially a white North American who is not of Hispanic or French descent.
Usage Note: In contemporary American usage, Anglo is used primarily in direct contrast to Hispanic or Latino. In this context it is not limited to persons of English or even British descent, but can be generally applied to any non-Hispanic white person. Thus in parts of the United States with large Hispanic populations, an American of Polish, Irish, or German heritage might be termed an Anglo just as readily as a person of English descent. However, in parts of the country where the Hispanic community is smaller or nonexistent, or in areas where ethnic distinctions among European groups remain strong, Anglo has little currency as a catch-all term for non-Hispanic whites. ·Anglo is also used in non-Hispanic contexts. In Canada, where its usage dates at least to 1800, the distinction is between persons of English and French descent. And in American historical contexts Anglo is apt to be used more strictly to refer to persons of English heritage, as in this passage describing the politics of nation-building in pre-Revolutionary America: “The ‘unity’ of the American people derived... from the ability and willingness of an Anglo elite to stamp its image on other peoples coming to this country“ (Benjamin Schwarz).
So it seems like 'Anglo' refers to white non-Hispanics, therefore, if America is represented by the 'Anglo' part in the alliance (which it is), then apparently there aren't any non-whites or Hispanics left in America, at least that many... so there's only white non-Hispanics and Chinese people represented by the alliance... does that seem a bit racist to you? 
I was okay with the name of the alliance before (thinking it referred to culture and language), but if that's the contemporary definition of Anglo (based on ethnicity), then I do think the Anglo-Sino alliance is misnamed.
Other people can occasionally be useful, especially as minions. I want lots of minions.
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A previous discussion on this: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=4923
Other people can occasionally be useful, especially as minions. I want lots of minions.
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Quote:Well, right in the definition you've cited there is ample evidence of the meaning of the term changing both regionally and temporally, so I wouldn't be bothered by the implications of one particular current meaning.
Originally posted by Khyron:
However, from Dictionary.com:
An English-speaking person, especially a white North American who is not of Hispanic or French descent.
Usage Note: In contemporary American usage, Anglo is used primarily in direct contrast to Hispanic or Latino. In this context it is not limited to persons of English or even British descent, but can be generally applied to any non-Hispanic white person. Thus in parts of the United States with large Hispanic populations, an American of Polish, Irish, or German heritage might be termed an Anglo just as readily as a person of English descent. However, in parts of the country where the Hispanic community is smaller or nonexistent, or in areas where ethnic distinctions among European groups remain strong, Anglo has little currency as a catch-all term for non-Hispanic whites. ·Anglo is also used in non-Hispanic contexts. In Canada, where its usage dates at least to 1800, the distinction is between persons of English and French descent. And in American historical contexts Anglo is apt to be used more strictly to refer to persons of English heritage, as in this passage describing the politics of nation-building in pre-Revolutionary America: “The ‘unity’ of the American people derived... from the ability and willingness of an Anglo elite to stamp its image on other peoples coming to this country“ (Benjamin Schwarz).
So it seems like 'Anglo' refers to white non-Hispanics, therefore, if America is represented by the 'Anglo' part in the alliance (which it is), then apparently there aren't any non-whites or Hispanics left in America, at least that many... so there's only white non-Hispanics and Chinese people represented by the alliance... does that seem a bit racist to you?
I was okay with the name of the alliance before (thinking it referred to culture and language), but if that's the contemporary definition of Anglo (based on ethnicity), then I do think the Anglo-Sino alliance is misnamed.
Also of note from the Visual Companion, the formal 'Alliance' itself was not formed until after Sihnon, Londinium and other central planets were already, independently, well established. So the 'Anglo-' half may be derived more directly from the planet name than its Earth-That-Was associations.
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Many Sci-fi games and books over the years have used Anglo to mean English speaking people . Look at Star-ship trooper, you think the hero is English/Americian until the last pages. It turns out that he is Filipina.
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I believe it harks back to Churchill's use of the term Anglo-Sphere to describe English speaking nations. Anglo is often used to describe English speaking nations today, including the USA.
Quote:
Aother point of continuity i'd like to ask. If the Alliance had the ability to terraform a planet, certainly they would have done so with Earth. therefore, the debate that seems to exist on whether or not the planet physically still exsists must be moot o this point. If it does physically exist, it would have been utilized by now. the fact that it's become "myth" must indicate the fact it was somehow "destroyed." Although I don't know what sort of tehcnology the Alliance could possess to kill a planet (seeing htey don't even have FTL travel).
You have to ask what the terra-forming process involves. Despite the lack of resources that has already be addressed the terra-forming technology may not have been able to work on Earth. It is also indicated that Earth was over-populated, something terra-forming could do little about.
I doubt that people, at least large populations, would be able to survive on the surface of the planet during the procedure either.
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Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
I believe it harks back to Churchill's use of the term Anglo-Sphere to describe English speaking nations. Anglo is often used to describe English speaking nations today, including the USA.
Right... Anglo-America refers to the United States and Canada specifically, even given the diverse racial composition of each.
That and, once everyone left their old homes, particular nationalities probably meant very little. If you were Anglo- by virtue of being from Europe, Canada, or the United States, it likely didn't matter. KF
~KF
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Forgive what you can and send me on my path. I will walk on until you bid me rest.
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