Do You Believe Germanics Are Superior to Other Europeans?

[Sigurd]

I think we are superior to other European cultures. If we weren't, we wouldn't mind adopting their cultures and mingling with their people.

That'd be seeing it black and white. We are undoubtedly the major culture bearers in Europe and the world, whose approach to life was considered best. It doesn't lift us above all others though just because we naturally consider ourselves the best.

Someone is seen only as superior if people universally regard them with either admiration or envy. Whilst there are some cultures who would seek to destroy us out of such envy, there are others who traditionally never had to envy us because they had a vibrant culture of their own: These are the Celtics, Baltics and Fennics. They have never sought to destroy us and even when we ruled over their lands, retained their culture in most respects.

I do however agree in as far as that Southern Europeans, with the exception of Hellenes, regards us with envy, there are some who can't beat themselves to go like "I have blue eyes, yay, I'm Germanic". Due to their envy, we can consider our culture as superior to theirs --- but we are at par with others in Northern Europe.

Under your argument, for instance the Irish, Finnish or Estonians, for instance, would have long given up their culture for ours even though we ruled them for several centuries, but the fact that they haven't shows that they are at par with us. It is only the Southern Europeans who oft have an inferiority complex about their identity and wish that they were a little more like us: Italians seem to have it oft enough even though they had the Roman Empire.

In the wider world, we also see that the Chinese, Japanese and Indians seem to be able to point to their own cultural achievements without feeling the need to be envious of us.

I don't think all cultures have something to be proud of. Worshiping a paedophile like Islamics do isn't a good reason to be proud. Just an example.

Islam is a faith, and an oppressive and dogmatic one at that. As such, much of their ancestral culture and history has been wiped out. However, most of their ancestors have cultures that resound until today in world memory: The Egyptians, the Hettites, The Sumerians. It is a shame that Islam has eroded that folk consciousness in favour of an unnatural religion disjointed from their folk soul in all intents and purposes.

Before the advent of Islam, many of their countries invented important things, such as the wheel, irrigation, the code of laws ... but within a few hundred years of Islam, their advancement fell behind ours.

It's an innate feeling. Some people deny it because they're afraid of being perceived as "racist", but it's still there.

Yes, and I have never denied that innate feeling. I even pointed out in my post that I always point out how great we Germans are, and what we have created.

However, reason still minds me to say: Pride in my own, does not mean that I am superior to another. It just means that I am different, and for a good reason. I may consider German beer to be supreme above all others, but a person of another folk group might consider theirs as supreme.

There are areas where we are truly supreme, such as our creative spirit, our knack for order, our adventurous spirit to discover more, our thought, and yes, our cuisine ... and are regarded as such across the world.

But just because we feel that we were supreme, doesn't mean that we are: That only comes when another also attributes that to us. Just like a man of honour is a man of honour because most consider him to be so - rather than just himself and a few of his closest peers.

[Gustavus Magnus]

Under your argument, for instance the Irish, Finnish or Estonians, for instance, would have long given up their culture for ours even though we ruled them for several centuries, but the fact that they haven't shows that they are at par with us.

Not true. In fact, most of what today is Finnish "culture" is adopted from the ruling Swedish culture. New words that were imported into Finland during the last thousand years first came through (filtered, if you wish) Sweden. Not much of the original Finnish culture (pre Swedish rule) is left. The Finnish sagas etc, that are left -- were collected and saved by Swedes. This is pretty telling. The saga of Kalevala that they're so proud of was conserved by a Swede, they wouldn't remember it were it not for him.

So, yes, they have given up on their original culture.

[Sigurd]

Not true. In fact, most of what today is Finnish "culture" is adopted from the ruling Swedish culture.

Actually, I would not hold that to be true. That actual mythology is similar to Germanic (and consequently, other Indo-European) mythology, except for its higher importance of landwights and land spirits shows that already before Swedish influence, they had some relation to each other.

The claim that Finns had a non Indo-European culture, I see as false --- the same could be said of the Estonians, with whom they are closely related: Estonian language is understood to be Uralic, whilst Estonian culture is understood to be largely Baltic. The same could be said of the Finns.

This is again well heralded by similar names between gods in mythology: Thunder-god Perkele vs. Lithuanian Perkunas.

Not much of the original Finnish culture (pre Swedish rule) is left.

Cross country skiing is understood to have been originally Finnish, the Sauna is deeply Finnish and has been around since before pre-Swedish times, and whoever tried to call the Kantele or Karelian Pasties Swedish should be hanged, drawn and quartered. Just to name a few.

Taking from your profile, I see that you are from Delaware --- as such, I assume that your contact with Finnish culture has been in passing; and as such I wouldn't make such bold claims about a country you've neither visited nor likely have any friends, associates nor even many acquaintances of a cultural-preservation background and viewpoint.

The Finnish sagas etc, that are left -- were collected and saved by Swedes. This is pretty telling. The saga of Kalevala that they're so proud of was conserved by a Swede, they wouldn't remember it were it not for him.

That is no argument. It was a Christian who preserved the Heathen tales of old in the form of the Edda. Likewise, most of what we know about ancient Germanics was collected and saved by a Roman, Cornelius Tacitus. That argument shall stand to no reason.

I would rather understand it quite to the contrary, it is understood that Lönnrot as a Finlandswede travelled all around to collect all these tales in a definitive version. Just like the Brothers Grimm found in the 1700s that some fairy tales and legends based upon pre-Christian times, a good thousand years past by times were still going strong in the oral tradition - so will Lönnrot have found.

That he actually was able to collect these tales I would see as an indication of the preservation via oral tradition before that going so strong that the culture and legends were better preserved than one'd like to see at face value.

And let's not forget the lads from the Häme region who washed their baptism off in Lake Katuma and continued their traditional life after the Swedes left back to the coastline where they settled. Sure, the Finlandswedes as the ruling elite, will have had some influence upon them --- however to assume that all that preserved with the county-bumpkins who later stormed the cities in the 20th century were null and unimportant is fallacious.

If judged in light of their continuous being foreign-controlled, I'd say they've actually done a commendable job in preserving their culture than many other long-time occupied countries have.

[Gustavus Magnus]

Taking from your profile, I see that you are from Delaware --- as such, I assume that your contact with Finnish culture has been in passing; and as such I wouldn't make such bold claims about a country you've neither visited nor likely have any friends, associates nor even many acquaintances of a cultural-preservation background and viewpoint.

Actually, I am very Swedish and live in Sweden. As such, I have met more Finns than I care to think about, and I can make claims about them as bloody much as I want to.

The reason why I chose Delaware was that it was the only Swedish state flag that was available... So stop judging people you know by text alone.

[Loki]

Coming back to the original topic of the thread:

I don't think in terms of superiority and inferiority. To me, a people is superior if they can relate to me in an intelligent way, and I can understand them and they understand me. Basically, a subjective experience. And in my subjectivity, I can safely say that Germanic people are my people. I have a distrust for others.

I previously thought that meta-ethnic culture was skin-deep, and that all light-pigmented people are basically the same as Germanics. But this is not the case, and with age and experience I have come to understand this -- for example, the Finnish psyche is something which is very different from that of Germanic people.

[Sigurd]

The reason why I chose Delaware was that it was the only Swedish state flag that was available... So stop judging people you know by text alone.

First of all, there is no need to be so snappy about my comment. I can only accept things at face value: If I put "Age: 53, Country: Norway, State: Nor-Trondelag, Subrace: Nordid" --- what reason would you have to assume that I was anything else than what I say I am? As such, it is pretty logical of me to assume that if you combine the Swedish flag with an American state flag, that you are either a native Swede living in the U.S., or an American who takes pride in his Swedish heritage.

As a Swede residing in Sweden, you of course have every good judgment of Finns, so I take back the assumption that you know no or few Finns --- but your profile information is more than just a little misleading, so you might consider doing something about that if you do not wish to be misinterpreted as being a U.S. resident.

Secondly, if you want any State Flags added consult the Country & State Flags topic in the Staff Announcement section and feel free to suggest them. In adding State Flags, we took no discrimination, and usually added them where available upon request, and if you provide us with Swedish state flags, we may be able to add them for you, so that people are not misled as to your geographical identity much in the same manner that I was.

[Loki]

... so that people are not misled as to your geographical identity much in the same manner that I was.

Tyrol is in Germany?

[Sigurd]

Tyrol is in Germany?

No, that's something different - that is a bit of an ethnic and to some extent political statement. I am a believer in the Großdeutsch solution rather than the Kleindeutsch solution which we currently have, and believe that Germany and Austria should be unified. I do not believe that our nation should be split, which is why I would not use the Austrian flag.

It is much the same as combination between a Flemish person used the Dutch flag and an Afrikaner used the old South African flag, and directly opposite but somewhat related to the use of the Confederate States or England/Scotland flags.

Besides the point that a case could be made that I am a German citizen who hails from the state of Tyrol, also correct. If a person is a Swedish citizen residing in America or in fact even had the unlikely belief that the US should be part of Sweden, I would have no fuss with him using such a combination. A Swede however using a state flag which he has no connection to is however misleading.

I think it is more than clear to most what I am trying to express by using the flags for Germany and Tyrol together, and will see the state clarification as a closer pointer. And as to the use of Black-Red-Gold over Black-White-Red, do I really have to explain that the former was the one used by proponents of the Großdeutsch solution and the latter by the German Empire that eventually excluded Austria?

[Vingolf]

I previously thought that meta-ethnic culture was skin-deep, and that all light-pigmented people are basically the same as Germanics. But this is not the case, and with age and experience I have come to understand this

Welcome on board, captain! Putinism overboard!

[BeornWulfWer]

Do You Believe Germanics Are Superior To Other Europeans?

No.

In the past, yes, but certainly not now.