• PrivateNoob@sopuli.xyz
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      17 days ago

      Old soviet blocks countries are persistent on calling themselves central europeans whereas everyone eastern neighbor is automatically categorized eastern europeans.

      Why are they doing this? Because when people think about Eastern Europe, the first thing to come in mind are poor people with intense alcohol issues and the Soviet Union, so this is a huge prestige / perception hit to these countries.

      • bitjunkie@lemmy.world
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        17 days ago

        I had a Romanian friend in college who vehemently denied that her home country’s name and/or language had anything to do with Italy. It’s fucking wild the gymnastics people are willing to do in preservation of ego.

        • uSeRnAmE396@lemmy.world
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          16 days ago

          What the fuck are implying here man ? Re-read what you wrote because yeah : romania and romanian have nothing to do with Italy

          What the fuck? Please explain how and why romania has anything to do with italy! And also give context of the country you’re from (if you can )

      • mushroomman_toad@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        16 days ago

        “Eastern Europe” is literally a euphemism for “former Soviet”. Finland is not Eastern European, Greece is not eastern European, but Poland is Eastern European.

        The term is meaningless, just say Baltics, Balkans, and Black Sea.

    • halvar@lemy.lol
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      17 days ago

      Central Europe exists as a concept between the Balkans, but mostly Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Germany, Czechia and Austria are usually placed in Central Europe, however some countries that are more to the East also sometimes try to snuck in, as Central Europe has a much better ring to it than Eastern Europe and comes with less prejudice. These countries mostly include Hungary (hey that’s where I’m from), Romania and some neighboring countries. It would be a pretty bald move to draw Central Europe as such in a textbook since the actual non-debated border ends three countries left to Moldova where this does.

      • GreenShimada@lemmy.world
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        17 days ago

        To be fair to the “Southern/Mediterranean” section, Balkans do love to tell the Spanish, Italians, and Portuguese that they’re honorary Balkans. But it’s laughable for Serbia and Bulgaria to get lumped in there.

        But for Eastern Europe to not start at one end of Slovenia or the other is silly.

      • plyth@feddit.org
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        16 days ago

        Austria are usually placed in Central Europe

        Of course, a country which is named Eastcountry, is part of Central Europe. The propaganda starts much earlier. /s

        • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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          16 days ago

          It makes sense when you consider that the Osterreich was a border princedom against the Magyars originally before growing into something far more notable. Same thing happened with Brandenburg and Pomerania with the Old Prussians.

            • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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              16 days ago

              Given the fact that was the eastern borderlands of the Franks and covers roughly Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands I’m gonna assume the only connection to Austria these territory has is the Aust portion. Also Austria evolved out of Otto the Greats Holy Roman Empire not the Carolingian Empire though admittedly it does have its roots in Charlamagnes campaign against the Avars.

              Point is East is relative, the East Coast of Asia is to my West.

      • shneancy@lemmy.world
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        17 days ago

        i think the biggest ??? happens to Poland when we’re talking “central vs eastern europe”. because geographically - pretty central, historically - pretty eastern, and right now? who knows

        • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
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          17 days ago

          Right now, definitely politically Central European. Culturally, they’ve played an important role in de-stigmatising Eastern Europe by not being monumental assholes for most of their time in the EU, while retaining their Eastern European culture.

          Full disclaimer: I have yet to meet a Pole I think is anything less than a decent, nice person.

          • shneancy@lemmy.world
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            17 days ago

            i’ve met a few! but… i’m polish, so you know :D i’m glad most of the bad eggs are contained here though

  • ODGreen@lemmy.ca
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    17 days ago

    I’d grant maybe Transylvania as Central Europe given it was part of Austria-Hungary for a good while. Good number of the German and Hungarian minorities in Romania are from there.

    Moldova? Definitely not central Europe.

    Romania is an odd Venn diagram really. Is it Balkan? Sort of. Eastern European? Yeah kind of. Maybe find where the stuffed vine leaf/stuffed cabbage leaf divide is and split it that way. Analogous to the olive oil/butter divide in Italy.

  • mech@feddit.org
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    16 days ago

    Are we talking about politics or geography?
    If you make a cardboard cutout of the European continent and balance it on a pin, the center point is in Lithuania.

    If you go by geographical definition, 80% of the Russian population lives in Europe.

  • Sharlot@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Romania really said ‘we’re the main character of Europe’ 😂 Honestly, that’s the confidence we all need.

  • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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    17 days ago

    The fact the piece of Russia in the European peninsula is also Central Europe makes this look more like an Axis map than anything.

    Which makes Romania booting Hungary into the east and claiming parts of Bulgaria all the more relevant.

    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      It slightly bugs me that the U in “YOURSELF” isn’t also rainbow. A hidden message of “BE YOU” makes much more sense than “BE YO.”

      Unless that’s the point, like a meme I’m simply out of the loop for.

    • Kornblumenratte@feddit.org
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      16 days ago

      There is a border drawn between Moldeva and Romania - it aligns partially with the Danube looking more like a river unless you zoom in. Still, you’re not wrong - claiming Moldova for Central Europe is sort of indirectly laying claim to it.

    • plyth@feddit.org
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      16 days ago

      They would be the westroman empire.

      Everybody is stressing their own country’s distinctive Westernness or at least Centralness because deep down they know, with all their papal coronations, crusades and column rich buildings, that Romania is the cradle of the remaining west roman values and the true center of the west.