Why only "American" & "Muslim/ ME" sub-fora?
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:34 pm
I'm wondering about the fact that within "Current events" are only 2 sub-fora, one about "American" other about "Muslim / ME" topics.
Speaking about World affairs, shouldn't one be equally interested in each of the World's major regions.
- USA obviously deserve their own subforum (or maybe even better "Northern America", with Canada & Mexico)
- Middle-East also deserves a subforum
But what about Far East: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam... are they countries of no significance?
What about Europe & Russia?
What about South Asia?
South America?
Africa?
We presently have long & bulky & unconvenient threads for "Europe", "China", "Japan" & such:
- No way to get a distinct topic discussed seriously at different points in time. How e.g. can one follow through such distinct topics as European sovereign debt crisis / European demographics / Innovation in Europe / European militaries / Russian politics / British relation to the EU / and so on and so forth... when they are all mixed up in a single monstrous size thread? Same argument for East Asian topics, and all other World's regions
- Focus is put on two regions which obviously are important... but at the expense of all others: the very fact that those two sub-fora exist make us discuss more what is of concern to these two regions. Why? Are Far East, or Europe, less important? And others?
I see existence of these two sub-fora as a distant consequence of 9/11 and recent US wars: these have put the focus on America and the Middle East, yes.
However, is it not time to move on?
Is our time revolving, will the whole darn 21st century revolve entirely around America & Middle-East?
My suggestion is to keep the two existing sub-fora. However:
1. Change name of the American subforum to "Northern America"
Move there Canada and Mexico threads
2. Clarify name of other subforum to "Middle-East"
This subforum should be about a region of the World. Muslim is the name of a religion, not a region. Neither Indonesians nor Moroccans are Middle-Easterners
3. Add "Far East" subforum
Move there the threads about China, Japan, etc.
4. Add "Europe / Russia" subforum
All European and Russian threads goes there
As a side remark, in its former acception, the word "Europe" was understood to include Russia, which has 3/4 of its population west to the Urals. The usage changed during the Cold War... but Cold War has been over for 20 years.
5. Add "South Asia" subforum
This one is debatable, but I don't think it fair to lump together more than half of humankind, countries as diverse as India, Japan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Taiwan or Burma, and attribute them one single subforum. So I don't recommend having one single "Asia" subforum.
South Asia would include all countries from Pakistan & Afghanistan to Burma. Extend it to Central Asia up north till Kazakhstan
6. Add "Africa" subforum
Egypt would be in Middle East, as an exception. Morocco and all the other White African countries would be in "Africa"
7. Add "South America" subforum
Not including Mexico obviously
The "Current events" folder would be devoted only to global topics / or transverse topics not particular to a single part of the World.
We could get topics followed through.
We would be inclined to develop more discussions about parts of the World just as important than USA or Middle-East
In a word, reflect Multi-Polarity in the structure of the forum itself
What do you think?
Speaking about World affairs, shouldn't one be equally interested in each of the World's major regions.
- USA obviously deserve their own subforum (or maybe even better "Northern America", with Canada & Mexico)
- Middle-East also deserves a subforum
But what about Far East: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam... are they countries of no significance?
What about Europe & Russia?
What about South Asia?
South America?
Africa?
We presently have long & bulky & unconvenient threads for "Europe", "China", "Japan" & such:
- No way to get a distinct topic discussed seriously at different points in time. How e.g. can one follow through such distinct topics as European sovereign debt crisis / European demographics / Innovation in Europe / European militaries / Russian politics / British relation to the EU / and so on and so forth... when they are all mixed up in a single monstrous size thread? Same argument for East Asian topics, and all other World's regions
- Focus is put on two regions which obviously are important... but at the expense of all others: the very fact that those two sub-fora exist make us discuss more what is of concern to these two regions. Why? Are Far East, or Europe, less important? And others?
I see existence of these two sub-fora as a distant consequence of 9/11 and recent US wars: these have put the focus on America and the Middle East, yes.
However, is it not time to move on?
Is our time revolving, will the whole darn 21st century revolve entirely around America & Middle-East?
My suggestion is to keep the two existing sub-fora. However:
1. Change name of the American subforum to "Northern America"
Move there Canada and Mexico threads
2. Clarify name of other subforum to "Middle-East"
This subforum should be about a region of the World. Muslim is the name of a religion, not a region. Neither Indonesians nor Moroccans are Middle-Easterners
3. Add "Far East" subforum
Move there the threads about China, Japan, etc.
4. Add "Europe / Russia" subforum
All European and Russian threads goes there
As a side remark, in its former acception, the word "Europe" was understood to include Russia, which has 3/4 of its population west to the Urals. The usage changed during the Cold War... but Cold War has been over for 20 years.
5. Add "South Asia" subforum
This one is debatable, but I don't think it fair to lump together more than half of humankind, countries as diverse as India, Japan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Taiwan or Burma, and attribute them one single subforum. So I don't recommend having one single "Asia" subforum.
South Asia would include all countries from Pakistan & Afghanistan to Burma. Extend it to Central Asia up north till Kazakhstan
6. Add "Africa" subforum
Egypt would be in Middle East, as an exception. Morocco and all the other White African countries would be in "Africa"
7. Add "South America" subforum
Not including Mexico obviously
The "Current events" folder would be devoted only to global topics / or transverse topics not particular to a single part of the World.
We could get topics followed through.
We would be inclined to develop more discussions about parts of the World just as important than USA or Middle-East
In a word, reflect Multi-Polarity in the structure of the forum itself
What do you think?