# Buying Greenland



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Remember when Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland? People in Denmark got downright testy. Now...
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*BBC News*: The US has announced a $12.1m (£10m) aid package for mineral-rich Greenland -- a move welcomed by the Danish territory's government. This year the US will also open a consulate in the vast Arctic territory, whose (mostly Inuit) population is just 56,000…. The US official in Washington said the aid was not "designed to pave the way to purchase Greenland".
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Nonetheless, the move may be welcome in Greenland but it seems considerably less so in Denmark!


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## Forsooth (Apr 17, 2018)

Love this guy!!


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

KenOC said:


> Remember when Trump floated the idea of purchasing Greenland? People in Denmark got downright testy. Now...
> -------------------------------
> *BBC News*: The US has announced a $12.1m (£10m) aid package for mineral-rich Greenland -- a move welcomed by the Danish territory's government. This year the US will also open a consulate in the vast Arctic territory, whose (mostly Inuit) population is just 56,000…. The US official in Washington said the aid was not "designed to pave the way to purchase Greenland".
> -------------------------------
> Nonetheless, the move may be welcome in Greenland but it seems considerably less so in Denmark!


Given how few coronavirus cases they have there, and the fact that just living there is by definition social distancing, I would be absolutely fine moving to the 51st state, Trumpifornia.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

This is by no means a new idea. Secretary of State Seward first explored the purchase of Greenland in 1867 (he seems to have had a fondness for chilly places) but the idea was nixed in Congress. With the Nazi takeover of Denmark, the US governed Greenland directly from 1940 to 1945. In 1946 Truman offered $100 million for the island, but Denmark failed to accept the offer due to the lack of consent of one house of its legislature.

Meanwhile, Denmark had sold other possessions (some Caribbean islands) to the US in the WWI era. Nobody got all snippy about that!


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

KenOC said:


> This is by no means a new idea. Secretary of State Seward first explored the purchase of Greenland in 1867 (he seems to have had a fondness for chilly places) but the idea was nixed in Congress. With the Nazi takeover of Denmark, the US governed Greenland directly from 1940 to 1945. In 1946 Truman offered $100 million for the island, but Denmark failed to accept the offer due to the lack of consent of one house of its legislature.
> 
> Meanwhile, Denmark had sold other possessions (some Caribbean islands) to the US in the WWI era. Nobody got all snippy about that!


Real estate is always a good investment.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Where next - the Faroe Isles? They are also under Denmark's umbrella but geographically are much closer to the UK. A handy stop-off point for DT when visiting his Aberdeenshire golf course, perhaps?


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Trump's a golfer. They golf on green land. That's all you need to know folks. Nuuk Trump North will have two 18's, one designed by Jack, the other by Tiger.

You know how golfers are - once they get hooked on the game they will pursue it in favor of all other considerations.


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

I like Orange Man's idea!


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Radames said:


> I like Orange Man's idea!


which one? That people should inject disinfectant to kill coronavirus?


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

America needs to get its rare earth from another source than China, so if they can find it under the Greenland ice sheets, it would be a great alternative.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

KenOC said:


> Meanwhile, Denmark had sold other possessions (some Caribbean islands) to the US in the WWI era. Nobody got all snippy about that!


THe US Virgin Islands! did not know that. Also weird for some reason to think of the Danes as running slave plantations


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Jacck said:


> which one? That people should inject disinfectant to kill coronavirus?


To be fair, that wasn't a statement; it was a stupid question he asked of the medical experts.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Manxfeeder said:


> America needs to get its rare earth from another source than China, so if they can find it under the Greenland ice sheets, it would be a great alternative.


Greenland is a member of the "Rigsfællesskab" with Denmark in the same way as the Faroe Islands, which means that we have common foreign politics and cooperate about a few other things, but Denmark doesn't own Greenland as such and therefore we have no right to sell it. And furthermore the Greenlanders don't want to become a part of the US. However Denmark and Greenland have had a long standing collaboration with the US about the Thule Base in northern Greenland. The Danish secretary of foreign affairs sees the new initiative from th US as a natural extension of this collaboration. But I am sure, that this will become a hot issue for discussions in Denmark in the nearest future.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Bwv 1080 said:


> THe US Virgin Islands! did not know that. Also weird for some reason to think of the Danes as running slave plantations


Sadly, slavery had been more like the norm for most civilizations and nations through history. The notion of it being an absolute moral evil is a relatively new idea.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Maybe Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel can come together and come up with a new album, "Selling Greenland By the Pound."

Gabriel can wear some kind of mask - a Caribou, or halibut, or any other animal representative of the country.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

It could be a great boon to the craft ice cube industry. I saw some travel/food show with Gordon Ramsey on Disney+, where he was in Alaska and went on a boat to have a nice cocktail prepared using ice freshly carved off of a glacier.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

So much winning...


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> Maybe Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel can come together and come up with a new album, "Selling Greenland By the Pound."
> 
> Gabriel can wear some kind of mask - a Caribou, or halibut, or any other animal representative of the country.


Trump Mask Replica


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> It could be a great boon to the craft ice cube industry. I saw some travel/food show with Gordon Ramsey on Disney+, where he was in Alaska and _went on a boat to have a nice cocktail prepared using ice freshly carved off of a glacier_.


Which is all very well assuming a bear or seal hadn't peed all over it first.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> Which is all very well assuming a bear or seal hadn't peed all over it first.


Just adds to the unique flavor! Isn't there some super expensive coffee bean you can buy that first passes through the digestive system of some rodent?


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

Well, if these hipsters will insist on wasting their money...


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

elgars ghost said:


> Which is all very well assuming a bear or seal hadn't peed all over it first.


You joke, but liberals are always blaming global warming for melting glaciers, but neglect the impacting of peeing seals. Back in the 70s, when baby seals were being clubbed, the glaciers weren't melting - so there is some real science for ya


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

premont said:


> Greenland is a member of the "Rigsfællesskab" with Denmark in the same way as the Faroe Islands, which means that we have common foreign politics and cooperate about a few other things, but Denmark doesn't own Greenland as such and therefore we have no right to sell it...


In that case, Denmark can require no compensation should Greenland decide to join a different polity, and in fact would have no say in the matter at all. And we should remember that 88% of Greenland's population are Inuit, whose land of origin is Alaska, part of the United States. Kind of an American Anschluss, no? 

So, if the US were to offer every inhabitant $10,000, cash on the barrelhead, to annex their island to the US, with a US promise of continuing annual subsidies of at least the level of Denmark's subsidies now, how many would accept? I suspect a healthy majority! And that price is less than half the price we offered Denmark in 1946, when adjusted for inflation. Think I'll drop Trump a line...


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

US under trump has indeed changed its course...4 better or worse. I cant imagine such proposals by any other ''mainstream'' candidate, whether dem or rep 1.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Flamme said:


> US under trump has indeed changed its course...4 better or worse. I cant imagine such proposals by any other ''mainstream'' candidate, whether dem or rep 1.


Why? There is a rich history of it. Dutch sellers bought Manhattan island for 60 guilders from the local native population back in the 17th century. Jefferson bought 828,000 square miles, from Louisiana to Montana, from the French for $15 million. We bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million, or 2 cents per acre.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

Yeah bro but it was like 2 centuries ago...It is not a part of modern US politics 2 do such enteprises...


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Ja, mein Freunds we need Lebensraum. And, since Greenland is full of white people, it's officially not a scheiße loch country. America needs to export to Greenland what it does best, so 50 miles of strip malls on either side of Nuuk would give some orgasmic pleasure. Blubber and Steak special at Denny's Friday nights, only $10.95!


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Room2201974 said:


> Ja, mein Freunds we need Lebensraum. And, since Greenland is full of white people, it's officially not a scheiße loch country. America needs to export to Greenland what it does best, so 50 miles of strip malls on either side of Nuuk would give some orgasmic pleasure. Blubber and Steak special at Denny's Friday nights, only $10.95!


it is not about markets, but about the competition in the Arctic and about natural resources of Greenland
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2019/8/12/great-power-competition-extends-to-arctic


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Flamme said:


> Yeah bro but it was like 2 centuries ago...It is not a part of modern US politics 2 do such enteprises...


Actually, Truman made an offer to buy Greenland in 1946, and it was seriously considered by Denmark, failing narrowly in its legislature. Thirty years earlier Denmark sold some of its possessions in the Caribbean to the US in an apparently amicable manner.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Flamme said:


> Yeah bro but it was like 2 centuries ago...It is not a part of modern US politics 2 do such enteprises...


Alaska was sooner.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Room2201974 said:


> Ja, mein Freunds we need Lebensraum. And, since Greenland is full of white people, it's officially not a scheiße loch country. America needs to export to Greenland what it does best, so 50 miles of strip malls on either side of Nuuk would give some orgasmic pleasure. Blubber and Steak special at Denny's Friday nights, only $10.95!


Right. Because offering to buy Greenland is exactly analogous to the Nazi land grab but military force. At least we aren't getting hyperbolic here.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

KenOC said:


> Actually, Truman made an offer to buy Greenland in 1946, and it was seriously considered by Denmark, failing narrowly in its legislature. Thirty years earlier Denmark sold some of its possessions in the Caribbean to the US in an apparently amicable manner.


who in their right mind would now sell real estates? And if, then only paid in gold


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Jacck said:


> who in their right mind would now sell real estates? And if, then only paid in gold


Sounds like Greenland is a net drain on Denmark financially.


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> Right. Because offering to buy Greenland is exactly analogous to the Nazi land grab but military force. At least we aren't getting hyperbolic here.


I once shot a three game set of 300,300,300 = 900 at the Hyper Bowl.

Of course Greenland has another advantage, a native population ready made to be caged. Oh, wait, my bad, I keep confusing brown people with native indians. The brown people we can cage, the native indians we'll offer peace treaties to which we'll never break; their land and way of life in exchange for the exclusive rights to deal blackjack (unless, oil, gold, or other precious minerals are found in their land, then all bets are off). So yeah, based on history I can see the majority of Greenlanders (Inuits) defiantly being OK with Uncle Sugar! Oh, but there I go again, being hyperbolic.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Good to see you understand that the U.S. has not changed at all over the >200 years of its existence. Yes, we did some bad things with Native Americans - over a century ago, if not longer. Seems like the Greenlanders don't have problems with the Danes having control over them, so long as they help prop them up financially.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Actually, Truman made an offer to buy Greenland in 1946, and it was seriously considered by Denmark, failing narrowly in its legislature. Thirty years earlier Denmark sold some of its possessions in the Caribbean to the US in an apparently amicable manner.


Never heard of it...Sounds far fetched.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Flamme said:


> Never heard of it...Sounds far fetched.


Wikipedia has that information as well: "Following World War II, the United States developed a geopolitical interest in Greenland, and in 1946 the United States offered to buy the island from Denmark for $100,000,000. Denmark refused to sell it."


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> Good to see you understand that the U.S. has not changed at all over the >200 years of its existence. Yes, we did some bad things with Native Americans - over a century ago, if not longer. Seems like the Greenlanders don't have problems with the Danes having control over them, so long as they help prop them up financially.


Yep and since the Danes don't have our history the Inuits have exactly zero logical reasons to change. It's a "silly story" with that in mind and should be treated accordingly! Lockdown diversion story number 756!


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

As 4 above mentioned alaska I know many russians want 2 scrap that deal and take it BACK.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Room2201974 said:


> Yep and since the Danes don't have our history the Inuits have exactly zero logical reasons to change. It's a "silly story" with that in mind and should be treated accordingly! Lockdown diversion story number 756!


Sure, just as long as you don't look hard enough, like at their colonies in West Africa (a lot of which is present day Ghana), from which they obtained slaves to use in their Danish West Indies colonies, which were part of the triangular trade.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Room2201974 said:


> Yep and since the Danes don't have our history the Inuits have exactly zero logical reasons to change. It's a "silly story" with that in mind and should be treated accordingly! Lockdown diversion story number 756!


So you think the population, on the whole, would turn down that $10K per capita offer? People in Nuuk might be darned glad to have a Denny's! It might be especially popular in Qeqertarsuatsiaat.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

And as we already own Alaska - once we got Greenland, Canada would be surrounded!


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## sstucky (Apr 4, 2020)

I was there twice in the 1970s. There already is a golf course at Thule AB. It’s nine holes drilled into the top of a mesa near the fjord.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

KenOC said:


> In that case, Denmark can require no compensation should Greenland decide to join a different polity, and in fact would have no say in the matter at all. And we should remember that 88% of Greenland's population are Inuit, whose land of origin is Alaska, part of the United States. Kind of an American Anschluss, no?
> 
> So, if the US were to offer every inhabitant $10,000, cash on the barrelhead, to annex their island to the US, with a US promise of continuing annual subsidies of at least the level of Denmark's subsidies now, how many would accept? I suspect a healthy majority! And that price is less than half the price we offered Denmark in 1946, when adjusted for inflation. Think I'll drop Trump a line...


I'm betting that very few of them would accept an agreement from the USA. The USA is not trustworthy, especially lately. How many treaties with Native Americans were broken? How did they treat Puerto Rico after it was decimated by a hurricane. Trump has threatened the UN, WHO, the EU, North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Russia, China, even Venezuela. We abandoned the Kurds. Have we already forgotten Trump's threat to Iran?:

_"To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE"_

Or THIS comment: _"Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries come here?"_

And that's just the leadership. Americans, to those on the outside, are intolerant gun-crazy yokels.

No one would make a deal with a crazy country like the USA. We're *untrustworthy*. Any promise made is a potential broken promise. And worldwide, Trump's key foreign policies are extremely unpopular, especially his random _*tariffs*_, and his withdrawal from _*climate change*_ agreements such as the *Paris Agreement*. Also very unpopular are his immigration policies, his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear weapons agreement.

Most Americans are extraordinarily Americentric, and know or care very little about the world past its own borders. Hell, a large number of us don't even know about or care about our own country . . .

The majority of the rest of the world thinks we're "Ugly Americans" who eat a lot of burgers, have huge shopping malls and are ruled by an arrogant government. They think we're obnoxious, big and loud; overweight people, mass shootings, bigots, racists, and bullies.

*And we make the world's worst beer.*

If *Greenland* were to join another country, I suspect that *Canada* would be their first choice, the world's most trustworthy nation. Or perhaps *Norway*, the world's 3rd most trustworthy nation.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

pianozach said:


> I'm betting that very few of them would accept an agreement from the USA. The USA is not trustworthy, especially lately. How many treaties with Native Americans were broken? How did they treat Puerto Rico after it was decimated by a hurricane. Trump has threatened the UN, WHO, the EU, North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Russia, China, even Venezuela. We abandoned the Kurds. Have we already forgotten Trump's threat to Iran?:
> 
> _"To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE"_
> 
> ...


No, don't hold back. Tell us what you REALLY think about your country. Most Americans are Americentric, huh? What a bizarre notion. As opposed to the rest of the world, who all much prefer some other nation to their own? The French aren't particularly proud to be French? Germans German? British British?

There is a definite subpopulation of Americans who have a particular self-loathing of their country - particularly when the political chips down fall as they like. Pray tell - if the rest of the world thinks so poorly of the USA, why is it we even need to discuss limiting the amount of people who come here?

I don't know how much of a say Greenland has in Danish politics. But if they were to be made the 51st state, in spite of the fact that they have a population of less than 60,000, they would automatically be granted 2 senators and 1 representative.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> No, don't hold back. Tell us what you REALLY think about your country. Most Americans are Americentric, huh? What a bizarre notion. As opposed to the rest of the world, who all much prefer some other nation to their own? The French aren't particularly proud to be French? Germans German? British British?
> 
> There is a definite subpopulation of Americans who have a particular self-loathing of their country - particularly when the political chips down fall as they like. Pray tell - if the rest of the world thinks so poorly of the USA, why is it we even need to discuss limiting the amount of people who come here?
> 
> I don't know how much of a say Greenland has in Danish politics. But if they were to be made the 51st state, in spite of the fact that they have a population of less than 60,000, they would automatically be granted 2 senators and 1 representative.


Oh dear lawdy lawdy.

Americentric. Yeah, sure, Americans seem to have an abnormal helping of nationalism, but people OUTSIDE of the US are more interested in the world outside their borders, while Americans are not. Not only are Americans ignorant of the world, they seem to be proud of that ignorance, and thoroughly incurious about world affairs. It wouldn't surprise me if it's related to the US having one of the highest levels of income inequality in the developed world. But that's another discussion.

More people in _other_ countries speak more than one language.

Most people in the US can't find North Korea, Spain, or Iraq on a world map. Most probably couldn't name the president of Mexico, or what language is spoken in Argentina. Most don't seem to realize that Hawaii is part of the US. I'm amazed how many people cannot compute a 10% tip.

But, to be clear, I'm referring to *Americans' lack of general world awareness*.

Most don't know why the Argentines aren't so hot on the British. Or why the US has such bad relations with Iran today but it didn't back in the early 70s.

Or why Yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore. Or why there is a Northern Ireland and a Republic of Ireland.

Americans don't know why Rhodesia was dissolved, much less where it was located? Why is there a North Korea and a South Korea?

Why'd they stick Napoleon on an island and not kill him? Why was there an East Germany and a West Germany and why isn't there anymore?

Why does Quebec seem to talk about secession basically more than Texas does?

Many Americans really, seriously, do know nothing or next to nothing about the rest of the world. That is why a lot of people worldwide think Americans are ignorant. Because many actually are.

So, back to *Greenland* . . . without Googling you likely couldn't tell me any basics about it: Official language, capital city, major religion, type of government, currency, or even which side of the road they drive.

Greenland will certainly NOT want to be part of America, even if you paid each of them $10,000 for it. 2 Senators and a Representative. BFD. I'm sure that they're likely not impressed with our obstructive political system. And they're probably exquisitely aware of how brown people are treated in this country. I'm sure the Greenlandic Inuit won't find that to be a lure.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> ...I don't know how much of a say Greenland has in Danish politics. But if they were to be made the 51st state, in spite of the fact that they have a population of less than 60,000, they would automatically be granted 2 senators and 1 representative.


Uh.. I really didn't have in mind making them a state. I was thinking more of forcing the Greenlanders to burrow deep into their frozen glaciers to mine ice, specifically ice for the cocktails held by the plump and manicured fingers of evil plutocrats and rapacious captains of industry. I understand there are many such where pianozach lives, so the demand definitely will be there.

Anyway, we'll get our $10K worth of profit out of them, and then some! (cackles evilly)


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

pianozach said:


> Oh dear lawdy lawdy.
> 
> Americentric. Yeah, sure, Americans seem to have an abnormal helping of nationalism, but people OUTSIDE of the US are more interested in the world outside their borders, while Americans are not. Not only are Americans ignorant of the world, they seem to be proud of that ignorance, and thoroughly incurious about world affairs. It wouldn't surprise me if it's related to the US having one of the highest levels of income inequality in the developed world. But that's another discussion.
> 
> ...


You've done an extensive study on what Americans on average do and don't know? Or do you just base this on watching those old Jay Leno man on the street quizzes? 
I could answer many of those questions about Greenland but you'd probably just accuse me of looking it up.

So I'll just give my short response and then await your next lengthy diatribe. You've got a lot of anger. You can talk with people about that.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

KenOC said:


> Uh.. I really didn't have in mind making them a state. I was thinking more of forcing the Greenlanders to burrow deep into their frozen glaciers to mine ice, specifically ice for the cocktails held by the plump and manicured fingers of evil plutocrats and rapacious captains of industry. I understand there are many such where pianozach lives, so the demand definitely will be there.
> 
> Anyway, we'll get our $10K worth of profit out of them, and then some! (cackles evilly)


Oh no, I would totally make them a state just to pi** off D.C.


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

pianozach said:


> I'm betting that very few of them would accept an agreement from the USA. The USA is not trustworthy, especially lately. How many treaties with Native Americans were broken? How did they treat Puerto Rico after it was decimated by a hurricane. Trump has threatened the UN, WHO, the EU, North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Russia, China, even Venezuela. We abandoned the Kurds. Have we already forgotten Trump's threat to Iran?:
> 
> _"To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE"_
> 
> ...


*

Brilliant - Denmark gives us Greenland in exchange for a non aggression pact that lets them reconquer Norway!*


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

To one of our members, I offer the following bit of doggerel in hopes he may consider it to his betterment.

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne’er within him burn’d,
As home his footsteps he hath turn’d,
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

I never saw so many emotions b4 trump came into power in US politix...I was always fascinated by laid backness of american ppl, who didnt jump on each others throats 4 political arguments, now I c ppl who wanna end their opponents and if words were bullets...


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Flamme said:


> I never saw so many emotions b4 trump came into power in US politix...I was always fascinated by laid backness of american ppl, who didnt jump on each others throats 4 political arguments, now I c ppl who wanna end their opponents and if words were bullets...


It's merely a popular indoor sport in plague times.


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## TMHeimer (Dec 19, 2019)

pianozach said:


> Oh dear lawdy lawdy.
> 
> Americentric. Yeah, sure, Americans seem to have an abnormal helping of nationalism, but people OUTSIDE of the US are more interested in the world outside their borders, while Americans are not. Not only are Americans ignorant of the world, they seem to be proud of that ignorance, and thoroughly incurious about world affairs. It wouldn't surprise me if it's related to the US having one of the highest levels of income inequality in the developed world. But that's another discussion.
> 
> ...


I like your post and was mildly surprised to see you're from California, U.S.--reads more like a Canadian's or other non-American's view. I will say, having been born & raised in New York and a dual citizen of Canada/US from 1981-2017, I really don't think a majority of Americans behave this way. I know I didn't--particularly regarding geography (but travelling was always an interest of mine). I think the majority of Americans are almost indestinguishable from your "average" Canadian (whatever that is). But, there IS a certain segment that IS like that-- "squeaky wheel", etc. 
These are the people who basically say "good riddance and don't let the door hit you on the way out" when you tell them you renounced U.S. citizenship because of the FATCA tax deal and that the U.S. taxes citizens who are non-residents (for me, strictly a financial decision). But, how dare I even consider renouncing citizenship from the Greatest country on Earth that ever existed....


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Best reason for the US to buy Greenland: To invade Canada from its eastern flank if it ever decided to attack us.


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## TMHeimer (Dec 19, 2019)

DaveM said:


> Best reason for the US to buy Greenland: To invade Canada from its eastern flank if it ever decided to attack us.


Could happen. Think it was predicted on an episode of South Park.
I haven't read all posts here. Was it mentioned that Greenland may vote for independence next year?


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

Thats a gr8 idea...Those pesky canadians always make fun of you...Time 2 show them whos the BOSS and I hear l8ly they are in dire need OF FREEDOM


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Flamme said:


> Thats a gr8 idea...Those pesky canadians always make fun of you...Time 2 show them whos the BOSS and I hear l8ly they are in dire need OF FREEDOM


Do they make fun of us? If somebody makes a joke and nobody was listening, is it even funny? That's the great thing about Canada - nobody knows anything about what they are doing because nobody cares.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Reminds me of when a Canadian and an American used to frequent one of my favoured watering holes a few years ago. I asked the Canadian if he and the American - who got on well, by the way - ever had any cross-border digs at each other. He said, 'Of course, but his barbs about me being Canadian were so obvious I could see them coming a mile away yet with him he never seemed to be any the wiser when I was taking the p*** out of him...'. 

Both nice blokes - I wish they were still around.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

I saw some canaidans take as an insult if some1 thinks they are americans, b4 knowing them...


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

It's sad when people hate their own country.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Flamme said:


> I saw some canaidans take as an insult if some1 thinks they are americans, b4 knowing them...


I play safe these days when talking to Canadians for the first time by initially referring to them as North American. The same way of thinking applies with New Zealanders, who are often assumed to be Aussies because of accent similarities (well, _I_ can't tell their accents apart...), so I say Australasian until I know where they are from.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

I have Canadian cousins - they are annoyed when Americans are referred to Americans, as if the United States were the only country in the Americas, let alone North America. I've been asked before - I don't actually know when that term was first used to describe, specifically, citizens of the USA. But at this point, I'm not sure what else you would use. United Staters? Some identify with their particular state, but given how much people move (I'm a transplanted Californian living in Ohio), that also isn't a good option (not to mention the confusion if somebody said they were a Georgian).


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)




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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I don't think Canadians are talking so much about mass killings south of their border right now...


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Bulldog said:


> It's sad when people hate their own country.


Don't be a douche.

Criticizing one's country doesn't mean you hate it.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

pianozach said:


> Don't be a douche.
> 
> Criticizing one's country doesn't mean you hate it.


It depends how vehement that criticism is.


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

I dont really like my country but I am justified...She fought who knows how many wars in last 30 years, lost all of them got its territory shrinked 4 15 % became a Mecca 4 drug delaers an d other criminals 2 a point even the highest echalons of govremnet are involved in selling narcotics...I dont get ppl who h8 successful western democracies and live in them...I can understand ppl from countries struck by ''interventions'' by western military bloc who h8 america and its allies with a passion but ppl born and bred in countries with so much good things going 4 them nope.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

pianozach said:


> Criticizing one's country doesn't mean you hate it.


When a person's criticism is verbally abusive and constant without one favorable feature to relate, hate is the emotion that's displayed.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

pianozach said:


> Americentric. Yeah, sure, Americans seem to have an abnormal helping of nationalism, but people OUTSIDE of the US are more interested in the world outside their borders, while Americans are not. Not only are Americans ignorant of the world, they seem to be proud of that ignorance, and thoroughly incurious about world affairs. It wouldn't surprise me if it's related to the US having one of the highest levels of income inequality in the developed world. But that's another discussion.
> 
> More people in _other_ countries speak more than one language.
> 
> ...


Maybe people outside the U.S. are more interested in the rest of the world because they are less happy with their own countries and their own lot than Americans are (not that we don't need improvement). Maybe they are on the lookout for something better.

English has become the default language in the industrialized world, so what motivation or opportunities do most Americans have to learn and achieve fluency in another language? How many foreign languages do you speak well?


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Open Book said:


> Maybe people outside the U.S. are more interested in the rest of the world because they are less happy with their own countries and their own lot than Americans are (not that we don't need improvement). Maybe they are on the lookout for something better. English has become the default language in the industrialized world, so what motivation or opportunities do most Americans have to learn and achieve fluency in another language? How many foreign languages do you speak well?


maybe it is because the fate of small countries such as mine is often determined by the big players, so we naturally follow the situation in the outside world more. From my own experience, the bigger the country, the bigger the illusion that they are the center of the world. It is not just the US. You can observe the same with the Chinese or Russians.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Open Book said:


> Maybe people outside the U.S. are more interested in the rest of the world because they are less happy with their own countries and their own lot than Americans are (not that we don't need improvement). Maybe they are on the lookout for something better.
> 
> English has become the default language in the industrialized world, so what motivation or opportunities do most Americans have to learn and achieve fluency in another language? How many foreign languages do you speak well?


Agreed. It definitely is good to have a broader knowledge base, and know of more beyond your own borders. And learning a foreign language is a useful skill. But there are some major things to consider.

Why do most Europeans learn multiple languages? Well, for one, as you said, English has become the international language - it used to be French, now it is English. Also, drive a couple of hours in many European countries and you find yourself in another country with a different language. So learning a different language is not just beneficial, it may be necessary. In contrast, you can drive for nearly 12 hours in practically a straight line and never leave the state of California! It takes days to drive the entire width of the United States, and English will work every single place you stop. So learning another language is more of an academic endeavor than a necessary one. I learned German back in school and have never had the opportunity to use it since.

I agree that Americans need to be more aware of international events - the fact is the American news system does little or no reporting on it anymore. Foreign offices for American news agencies are disappearing. They'd rather spend all their time doing battle with Trump than informing us of important international matters.


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## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

Jacck said:


> maybe it is because the fate of small countries such as mine is often determined by the big players, so we naturally follow the situation in the outside world more. From my own experience, the bigger the country, the bigger the illusion that they are the center of the world. It is not just the US. You can observe the same with the Chinese or Russians.


That, too. It makes sense to watch the big players in the world, the powerful ones whose policies can affect your own country. Some parts of the world get very little attention from anybody, until they do something that might have a global effect.

As for Zach's comment about Americans being too dumb to calculate tips, there are some people who just can't do that math, believe it or not, and they are not exclusive to the U.S.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Back to the original topic. In addition to buying Greenland, I think we need to send some emissaries in secret to Alberta and Saskatchewan and talk with those Canadians about the possibility of moving from the farm league to the major league and become full blown states in the United States, rather than just "provinces."


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> I play safe these days when talking to Canadians for the first time by initially referring to them as North American. The same way of thinking applies with New Zealanders, who are often assumed to be Aussies because of accent similarities (well, _I_ can't tell their accents apart...), so I say Australasian until I know where they are from.


If it helps, Ghost, I remember that New Zealand English uses 5 vowels: I, I, I, O, and I.
Whereas Australian English uses 5 vowels: A, E, I, O and U often in the same syllable. If you think that's an exaggeration, listen to a Sydney native saying "No".


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

elgars ghost said:


> I play safe these days when talking to Canadians for the first time by initially referring to them as North American. The same way of thinking applies with New Zealanders, who are often assumed to be Aussies because of accent similarities (well, _I_ can't tell their accents apart...), so I say Australasian until I know where they are from.


The ball and chain around the ankle, or absence thereof, is usually helpful in distinguishing between them.

God, I'm predictable....


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

> The ball and chain around the ankle, or absence thereof, is usually helpful in distinguishing between them.


One of the ways to get said ball and chain









The bridge the sign is on
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_Mill_Bridge,_Sturminster_Marshall.jpg


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## Flamme (Dec 30, 2012)

What t fooks...


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## Duncan (Feb 8, 2019)

elgars ghost said:


> I play safe these days when talking to Canadians for the first time by initially referring to them as North American. The same way of thinking applies with New Zealanders, who are often assumed to be Aussies because of accent similarities (well, _I_ can't tell their accents apart...), so I say Australasian until I know where they are from.


Seriously, EG, it would be far better to say "Canadians, eh?" upon meeting them despite being unsure as to their provenance - If they're actually Canadians they'll be thrilled to be recognized as such... If they're actually Americans they will be thrilled to have been mistaken for Canadians...


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

New Zealand now can claim its own continent, while the Aussies have to share theirs with New Guinea
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39000936


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Duncan said:


> Seriously, EG, it would be far better to say "Canadians, eh?" upon meeting them despite being unsure as to their provenance - If they're actually Canadians they'll be thrilled to be recognized as such... *If they're actually Americans they will be thrilled to have been mistaken for Canadians...*


Only if they happen to be from Canada, Kentucky!
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Canada,+KY+41519/@37.5524641,-82.3273894,12.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88457ba1e82e7bf7:0x9ea3e46b1df05689!8m2!3d37.6061055!4d-82.3246094?hl=en


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