Lego Collectible Minifigures by Nationality

[Aanchir]

I guess this whole conversation start to move away from LEGO's original purpose: FUN!

Even thought I found many of these explanations about some nationality of these figures (who invented, who won the most) arbitrary, why not just leave someone, who spent so many time with this research happy with his findings? There shouldn't be any 'must's in this topic "you should have followed a more simple pattern". If someone thinks that a skier is Swedish to HIM, than it's okay for me. I never wanted to tack some nationality on every minifig, but if this makes someone happy, why not.

But this only my opinion.

The thing is, if you wanted to post your own personal theories about the nationalities of the CMFs and weren't interested in making your list open to discussion/critique/suggestions, why make a topic for it? It could just as easily be posted in one of the existing CMF discussion topics, or in a personal off-site blog. When someone posts a topic like this it is implied that they want feedback, and it's not good sport to only welcome positive feedback while rejecting any negative feedback or suggestions that conflict with your own thought process.

Overall, Itaria No Shitaku, you're doing an OK job in that in many cases you're actually responding to criticism rather than just ignoring it or rejecting it with a flat "your opinion doesn't matter", but some of your comments still seem a bit rude. Sure, a one-second Google search will tell you a lot of things. But what it tells you depends on your search terms, and an individual's personal knowledge is no less valid because a Google search suggests something different. On the subject of Elizabeth Blackwell, she was BORN in England, but moved to America early in her childhood and is well-known for her accomplishments and contributions in America. So it is really subjective whether you consider her "nationality" American or British.

As for Florence Nightingale, according to Wikipedia, she was born in Italy to a British family and grew up in England. But I'd argue that neither Florence Nightingale nor Elizabeth Blackwell have a strong connection to the minifigure, because the CMF Nurse looks like a more modern nurse than either of them, and where nursing was invented or which countries and individuals are highly associated with nursing doesn't have any real bearing on her. Aristotle is considered the father of marine biology, according to Wikipedia, but that doesn't mean a marine biologist minifigure should be assumed to be Greek, particularly if he/she had, say, red hair and freckles.

I don't mean to say your research is invalid, but looking for who is credited as creating a profession doesn't seem like a very reliable way to determine a minifigure's nationality, particularly when the inventor of that profession is from a wholly different time period than the costume of the CMF in question.

EDIT: While I was making this post you posted an awful, pretentious reply to an earlier comment, which really peeves me. I don't care if you're an expert on these topics, that doesn't excuse the condescending attitude you're taking to a simple plea for respect. Even if you're an expert on these topics, you're not immune to criticism, and people are entitled to offer their critique no matter how much research or prior knowledge they have on the topic. That's the nature of a public discussion forum.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Aanchir

[Itaria No Shintaku]

I don't mean to say your research is invalid, but looking for who is credited as creating a profession doesn't seem like a very reliable way to determine a minifigure's nationality, particularly when the inventor of that profession is from a wholly different time period than the costume of the CMF in question.

I understand that, but I wrote that if a particoular minifig can be of any country (like nurse), I used a criteria: who did invent that profession?

It's a criteria, anyone can have one different from that.

I can accept any criteria different from mine, of course, what I don't accept is (and I believe I am right in that) is:

-another criteria, which has absolutely no reliability

-criticism without any option given and a valid reason for.

I mean, it's easy to say "no, you're wrong" without saying why one's wrong and providing a complete information.

My first research took me 2 hours.

After I was criticized by many users, I humbly redid my research taking 4-5 hours more.

I had good will, but I also expect people to act politely and respect the time I spent.

[Chocolatecake]

The royal guard could be danish too, and not just english.

The text is in danish, but just look at the picture.

http://forsvaret.dk/LG/Vagtkompagniet/Vagt/Amalienborg%20Slot/Pages/default.aspx

Grandma's visitor - the story is colleceted by the Grimm brothers.

Viking could be from Norway or Denmark. Because of our scandinavian history.

Fisherman from Denmark - sorry to say, but I would say no.

Greenland is still a part of Denmark, but If you want to respect the people of Greenland, so write Greenland instead.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Grandma's visitor - the story is colleceted by the Grimm brothers.

But indeed came from a French pen.

Viking could be from Norway or Denmark. Because of our scandinavian history.

Strongly arguable. I'd say a big no, sorry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings

Fisherman from Denmark - sorry to say, but I would say no.

Greenland is still a part of Denmark, but If you want to respect the people of Greenland, so write Greenland instead.

As long as Greenland is within the Kingdom of Denmark, i'll say DEN.

If not, I should have separated SCO characters and ENG characters, instead I put UK.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Itaria No Shintaku

[TrumpetKing]

I was going off of previous memories and thoughts I had. I will also have you know Wikipedia is not always a reliable source, since it can be edited. If you are going to blow up at people for trying to help, it might be a good idea to very honestly think "Was the arguing really worth creating the topic?", because it is honestly starting to appear to me that you are pretty much rejecting everybody else's ideas, because you are the only one who is right. I'm sorry to say it, but you should be open to suggestion and not blow up and say that we are offending you. We might not know as much as you do, but you still need to put up with it and accept suggestions in order to make everybody else feel involved.

I would also like to point out that many of these figures could go in many countries, such as the Fisherman, or Soccer Player (looking at the overall idea of the sport.) However, I don't think any of them, even if it is obvious, have a specific nationality. LEGO left it up to us to decide, using our imaginations where these figures should be from.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Maybe we should just all declare our nationalities of choice for the characters. Itaria has his list, which is fine; we can each come up with our own.

I suffer from pro-American bias, so I see most of the characters as being from the U.S.A. Except the Lumberjack; he's clearly Canadian, eh? :D

[Itaria No Shintaku]

...because it is honestly starting to appear to me that you are pretty much rejecting everybody else's ideas, because you are the only one who is right..

Is this the reason why I changed many figures out of suggestions of people and re-did 4 hours of researches?

Sorry, but I feel you want to attack me without reasons and I honestly can't get the reason why...

If I offended you in any way I beg pardon, but I really feel your attacks on me are really unnecessary.

[TrumpetKing]

I am not attacking you, Itaria No Shintaku. There was no mention at all that you did 4 hours of research. I really agree with RelspaLoquitur. Maybe this topic isn't really worth the imagination. I see a majority of my figures U.S. and that is my choice. These figures are not required to be a specific nationality, but you have your own list, and I have mine. End of story. I wish not to argue any longer.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

I am not attacking you, Itaria No Shintaku. There was no mention at all that you did 4 hours of research. I really agree with RelspaLoquitur. Maybe this topic isn't really worth the imagination. I see a majority of my figures U.S. and that is my choice. These figures are not required to be a specific nationality, but you have your own list, and I have mine. End of story. I wish not to argue any longer.

Let me please add a little more.

It's very easy to tell "I have my list, you've yours" when I posted my list of 160 minifigures and you hardly posted 4 or 5.

Actually I do have a list and you have not.

Hence, I can be attacked and criticized and you can not.

This is unfair.

You should post your list too here, so that we can argue about how inaccurate it can be, and when you'll be in my shoes after hours of research to be attacked randomly, you will finally be able to see my point of view, because you actually can't.

That's it. It's easy to say "that's wrong" without saying what's correct.

That's not a constructive attitude, IMHO, and Lego teached my how to construct, since that's a building toy ;)

No offence meant!

[AmperZand]

At the risk of making a heated discussion even hotter, might I suggest an alternative, if somewhat impractical, method of assigning nationalities? An opinion poll. Not of CMF collectors or even of FOLs, but of the general public. You would have to survey an equal number of people in each country and/or control for the respondent's own nationality/culture. A survey of this kind would resolve the disputed nationalities. Do you...?

A. Agree

B. Disagree

C. Think AmperZand is completely nuts!

D. Other (please explain)

[Itaria No Shintaku]

At the risk of making a heated discussion even hotter, might I suggest an alternative, if somewhat impractical, method of assigning nationalities? An opinion poll. Not of CMF collectors or even of FOLs, but of the general public. You would have to survey an equal number of people in each country and/or control for the respondent's own nationality/culture. A survey of this kind would resolve the disputed nationalities. Do you...?

A. Agree

B. Disagree

C. Think AmperZand is completely nuts!

D. Other (please explain)

Lol!

Well, for every single minifig who represents a job/profession, I could also have stated: it's Chinese.

Nobody could argue about the fact that there are more Chinese nurses than other countries', so butchers, waiters, and so on.

By the way, I would like to add a thing: I find it funny that I chose just a minifigure in a total arbitrary way and yet nobody found that.

Yes, 159 out of 160 follow a criteria, one is totally arbitrary, and nobody has yet found that!

[AmperZand]

Itaria No Shintaku,

I should have clarified that the question would be on the country/culture the respondent most associates with a person that looks like a particular minifig. It wouldn't be a question about where there are the most people in a particular line of work.

You might even want to ignore or attach a negative weighting against an answer for the respondent's own nationality/culture to reduce bias. For example, if a Frenchman says the nurse is French, you don't count that answer (or count it less). But if the French respondent says the nurse is Greek, that counts (in full).

Amps

[TrumpetKing]

Let me please add a little more.

It's very easy to tell "I have my list, you've yours" when I posted my list of 160 minifigures and you hardly posted 4 or 5.

Actually I do have a list and you have not.

Hence, I can be attacked and criticized and you can not.

This is unfair.

You should post your list too here, so that we can argue about how inaccurate it can be, and when you'll be in my shoes after hours of research to be attacked randomly, you will finally be able to see my point of view, because you actually can't.

That's it. It's easy to say "that's wrong" without saying what's correct.

That's not a constructive attitude, IMHO, and Lego teached my how to construct, since that's a building toy ;)

No offence meant!

I'm done, Itaria No Shintaku. I will not repeat it again. I do not want to argue. Just because I haven't listed my full list doesn't mean I don't have one, and if you were paying attention you would clearly know that I said I see s vast majority of my figures as U.S. Natives, because that's where I am from, and that's how I like them. I'm using my own imagination. You are being incredibly rude and snotty, as well as disrespectful to me. I can see your point of view, but nobody here is "attacking" you. You are attacking the other members with your reactions to their constructive criticism. I tried to help you, not once did I say you were wrong. If you think it is unfair that you should be attacked and given constructive criticism because you made the list, then you shouldn't have been so rude to other people's suggestions. I have tried to help you and you have been rude to me quite a bit here. I am done, there is no use in arguing over something that is subjective to the imagination. Good day to you, sir.

EDIT: If you want my list, so be it. I mostly went by ReslpaLoquitir's criteria, seen below.

Series 1

Tribal Hunter- American

Cheerleader- Likely America, could be anywhere, but America is often stereotyped for their over-sexifying Cheerleaders, though this one isn't.

Caveman- Could be anywhere

Clown- Could be anywhere, but I typically imagine him to be in a traveling Circus, which ( by not factual evidence, but my imagination) are typically European. Just how I imagine it.

Zombie- Anywhere

Skater- Anywhere, but I see him with a more American look.

Robot- Anywhere

Demolition Dummy- Anywhere, but if someone can tell me where they are primarily tested I can change it.

Magician- Anywhere

Super Wrestler- Has a very Mexican look, but it could easily be everywhere.

Nurse- Anywhere

Ninja- Japan comes to my mind first

Spaceman- Anywhere, but I think he has a very stereotypical "American Hero" look.

Forestman- Somewhere European, Middle-Aged England possibly.

Deep Sea Diver- Anywhere

Cowboy- America comes to my mind first.

Series 2

Maraca Man- Clearly Mexico

Spartan Warrior- Clearly Sparta, Ancient Greece

Ringmaster- Anywhere, I imagine America. Or following my traveling circus ideas, then Europe.

Witch- Anywhere.

Vampire- Stereotypically, Romania (Transylvania, Romania)

Traffic Cop- Anywhere

Jungle Explorer- Likely Britain

Lifeguard- Anywhere

Mime- Paris comes to my mind first, but I'm sure there are mimes elsewhere.

Weightlifter- Anywhere

Pop Star- Anywhere

Skier- Anywhere

Disco Dude- Anywhere, but I think of America

Karate Master- Anywhere

Surfer- Anywhere, but I'm inclined to say Australia.

Pharaoh- Egypt

Series 3

Fisherman- Anywhere

Pilot- Anywhere

Tribal Chief- America

Samurai- Japan

Snowboarder- Anywhere

Space Villain- Unknown, could be a human from anywhere

Sumo Wrestler-Japan

Mummy- Likely Egypt

Elf- Nonexistent, not of a human race.

Tennis Player- Anywhere

Race Car Driver- Anywhere

Gorilla Suit Guy- Anywhere

Space Alien- Nonexistent, not of a human race

Hula Dancer- Likely Hawaii, USA

Rapper- America appears first in my mind, but could be anywhere.

Baseball Player- Anywhere

I'll finish the rest over time. I actually unfortunately don't have much right now. Toodles!

Edited April 11, 2013 by TrumpetKing

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

OK, here's my list. My personal criteria are:

1) If it's got an inherent or obvious national identity ("Egyptian queen"), it gets that country.

2) If it could be more than one country, we'll list both, or give it a region or a continent.

3) If it could be any country, we'll call it "indeterminate."

4) If it's a fantasy character (no realistic human country), we'll say "inapplicable."

Series 1:

The Tribal Hunter and Cowboy could be either American or Canadian.

The Wrestler is probably Mexican, but could be from anywhere that has wrestling.

The Ninja is probably Japanese (unless there's another country that has Ninjas?)

The Forestman is probably English, but could conceivably be from any European medieval nation.

The Caveman, Spaceman, and Robot have no inherent country. (Nations didn't exist in caveman times!)

The Cheerleader, Clown, Zombie, Skater, Demolition Dummy, Magician, Nurse, Deep Sea Diver could be from anywhere.

S2

The Spartan Warrior is Greek.

The Pharoah is Egyptian.

The Maraca Man is Mexican.

The Vampire could be English, Romanian, or Transylvanian, so we'll just call him "European."

The Explorer is "probably" British based on his appearance, but could be from anywhere.

The Lifeguard, Witch, Pop Star, Weightlifter, Ringmaster, Karate Master, Surfer, Traffic Cop, Mime, Skier, Disco Dude,

S3

The Hula Dancer, Race Car Driver, Tennis Player, Baseball Player, Fisherman, Rapper, Gorilla Guy, Snowboarder, and Pilot could be from anywhere. (The Pilot has a bit of an old British look, but I'm open to him being from anywhere.)

The Tribal Chief could be American (unless there were any Canadian tribes who dressed like that?)

The Samurai Warrior and Sumo Wrestler are Japanese.

The Mummy is probably Egyptian, althoug there are other cultures that use mummification.

The Elf, Space Villain and Space Alien arren't from any human nation.

S4

The Artist, Crazy Scientist, Hazmat Guy, Hockey Player, Ice Skater, Lawn Gnome, Punk Rocker, Sailor, Street Skater, Surfer Girl, Soccer Player, and Werewolf could be from anywhere.

The Kimono Girl is Japanese.

The Monster, apparently representative of the Frankenstein legend, would be German.

The Musketeer is French.

The Viking is Scandinavian--probably Norse.

S5

The Cave Woman and Evil Dwarf have no country.

The Boxer, Fitness Instructor, Graduate, Lizard Suit Guy, Small Clown, Snowboarder and Zookeeper could be from anywhere.

The Detective and Royal Guard are probably British based on their appearances.

The Egyptian Queen is...Egyptian.

The Gangster is probably American, but he could be Canadian, Cuban, or any other country with snazzy dressers.

The Gladiator is Italian.

The Ice Fisher could be American, Canadian, or any other Northern Country with people who dress like that.

The Lumberjack is probably Canadian, but could be an American who likes red, white, beavers and flannel.

S6

The Bandit could be American or Canadian.

The Butcher, Mechanic, Skater Girl, Surgeon and Sleepyhead could be from anywhere.

The Classic Alien, Clockwork Robot, and Intergalactic Girl have no human nation.

The Flamenco Dancer is Spanish.

The Genie is Arabian.

The Highland Battler is Scottish.

Lady Liberty is probably American, but could be French.

The Leprechaun is Irish.

The Minotaur is Minoan (which is now part of modern Greece).

The Roman Soldier is Roman (which is now Italy)

S7

The Aztec warrior is from what's now Mexico.

The Bagpiper is from Scotland.

The Bride, Bunny Guy, Computer Programmer, Daredevil, Hippie, Rocker Girl, Swimming Champion and Tennis Champion could be from anywhere.

The Evil Knight is arguably British, but could be from any European country.

Grandma Visitor appears to be from the Bavarian region.

Jungle Boy could be from any country with a Jungle, but presuambly is from Africa.

The Viking Woman is from the Scandinavian region.

The Galaxy Patrol and Ocean King aren't from any real country.

S8

The Thespian is based on Shakespeare and is presumably British. Same with Businessman--his bio identifies him as serving "the crown."

The Lederhosen Guy is Bavarian.

The Conquistador is Spanish.

The Cowgirl is either American or Canadian.

The Diver, DJ, Pirate, Cheerleader, Skier and Vampire Bat could be from anywhere.

The historic Saint Nicholas is from Myra, which is in modern-day Turkey, so that's where Santa is from. (My Canadian wife would maintain that Santa is geographically located in her country.)

The Evil Robot, Fairy, and Alien Villainness aren't from any human nation.

S9

The Alien Avenger isn't from anywhere.

Mr. Good and Evil and Judge are apparently British.

The Chicken Suit Guy, Waiter, Mermaid, Policeman, Plumber and Roller Derby Girl could be from anywhere.

The Heroic Knight and Forest Maiden are possibly British, but could be from any European medieval country.

The Roman Emperor is from what's now Italy.

The Cylops is Greek.

The Fortune Teller is probably Romanian, but maybe she just dresses that way.

I guess the Battle Mech is Japanese, although his bio says no one knows where he came from.

The Hollywood Starlet is American.

S10

The Librarian, Skydiver, Bee Girl, Grandpa, Paintballer, Sea Captain, Mine, Baseball Fielder, Trendsetter, Decorator, Motorcycle Mechanic and Mr. Gold could be from anywhere.

The Medusa are Warrior Woman are Greek.

The Roman Commander is Italian.

The Tomahawk Warrior is North American (again, not sure if his tribe went into Canada or not)

The Revolutionary Soldier is American.

Actually, I'm almost tempted to say that the Bee Girl is indisputably American based on this. (Come on, you were all thinking it too.)

Ta-da...I'm done.

Edited April 11, 2013 by ResIpsaLoquitur

[theDeanoRama]

S3

The Tribal Chief could be American (unless there were any Canadian tribes who dressed like that?)

Potentially Canadian: http://www.photoscan..._museum_calgary

S5

The Lumberjack is probably Canadian, but could be an American who likes red, white, beavers and flannel.

This actually made me laugh out loud

The historic Saint Nicholas is from Myra, which is in modern-day Turkey, so that's where Santa is from. (My Canadian wife would maintain that Santa is geographically located in her country.)

I was about to say I that I was sticking to my guns with Netherlands until I actually decided to look up Myra and St Nick ect to find out we are talking one and the same. My wife's family being Dutch celebrates Sinterklaas. So I guess Saint Nicholas could be considered European since the same Saint is Celebrated in multiple ways. ref for Sinterklaas: http://en.wikipedia....iki/Sinterklaas

Actually, I'm almost tempted to say that the Bee Girl is indisputably American based on this. (Come on, you were all thinking it too.)

This now brings an understanding as to why the Melon is Blind .....

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Well, even with your most generic list (it's easy to see: no nation and so on), you did some errors.

The Lederhosen Guy is Bavarian.

Actually, not. He can truly be from Tyrol, which is located among Western Austria, Southern Germany, Eastern Switzerland.

The Hollywood Starlet is American.

Actually, not. Many hollywood starlets are indeed not american, take Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Nathalie Portman.

They do totally represent an hollywood starlet, yet they're not american.

So you should say "Hollywood starlet can come from any country".

I'll finish the rest over time. I actually unfortunately don't have much right now. Toodles!

If you do that for me, please don't waste your time.

I do not value any list that says "this character can be from anywhere".

Following this criteria, any character can be from anywhere.

Just you put a costume of that thing, you can do that in any nation.

I can also re write the full list to suit all characters italian, if you want to.

Take series 1:

Clown? Italian, we invented circus.

Cowboy? Clearly Italian. My Cowboy idea is from this movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly which is clearly an italian movie.

Magician? Well come on he's italian don't you see that moustache? Who would sport a moustache like that if not italian?

Skater? Italian. A friend of mine is an italian skater.

Just kidding, no offence meant... but saying "that character can be from anywhere" you're not doing a list for nationality, just a list of "anywhere" repeated 160 times.

[Yooha]

ResIpsaLoquitur's list is pretty much the same as mine would be, so count me in. The many "could be from anywhere" is valid to me. Okay, maybe not "anywhere" but "many countries", because there are not too many Hockey Players in Somalia And they are definitely not repeated 160 times though

And uhm, according to wikipedia, Tyrol is an area in Austria and..oh, northern Italy! But no Germeny or Switzerland is mentioned.

(with your attitude, you would be torn into pieces on a Hungarian forum though, these guys here are so more patient!)

[Itaria No Shintaku]

ResIpsaLoquitur's list is pretty much the same as mine would be, so count me in. The many "could be from anywhere" is valid to me. Okay, maybe not "anywhere" but "many countries", because there are not too many Hockey Players in Somalia And they are definitely not repeated 160 times though

And uhm, according to wikipedia, Tyrol is an area in Austria and..oh, northern Italy! But no Germeny or Switzerland is mentioned.

(with your attitude, you would be torn into pieces on a Hungarian forum though, these guys here are so more patient!)

You're right about germany, not about switzerland, the guy represented with a pretzel can so be:

Italian, Austrian, Swiss or German.

Not just pretty german.

In my list I of course stated him German because it's clearly a bavarian, but most tyrolese dress that way too.

[TrumpetKing]

Just kidding, no offence meant... but saying "that character can be from anywhere" you're not doing a list for nationality, just a list of "anywhere" repeated 160 times.

I'm not. I will also have you know that this is proving the point that the figures are up to our imagination.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

I'm not. I will also have you know that this is proving the point that the figures are up to our imagination.

Yes, that's true indeed, if we use our immagination we can do anything.

You know, the whole matter started because a fellow american of yours stated that "the sad clown of series 10 is american".

I really felt insulted, that's an Italian heritage.

You know, without being racist, you americans have a great nationalist spirit, which can be sometimes a very good thing, and sometimes a very bad things, like when you "americanize" everything. It's not the matter of you in particoular, but when it comes to american, too often since US are one of the most powerful countries in the world, americans tend to be quite unaware of the rest of the world.

Likewise: you say "America", but America is a continent taking also Mexico, Canada, Brasil and so on. I bet when an US citizen says God Bless America he isn't wishing blessings to Chilean people too.

Or again: it's very difficult to find an american who speaks another language but english. In Europe or Asia, you will always have people speaking their own language AND english.

Take me, english is my third language, being the first italian and the second french, though if you want to communicate with the majority of the people you have to learn english.

I repeat, I don't want to offend american people or culture, since whatever one may think US are a great nation, but too often happens that US citizens are a bit selfish, you too admitted you have pro-american bias... you're not alone.

I believe, to increase cultural interchange, that americans should learn to dismiss their pro-american bias, as the greatness of their country always mislead them to think they're alone.

No offence meant, I repeat, I have a large esteem for US as a country, holding together so much different kinds of people is IMHO one of the best examples of the culture the world should share, the most multicultural possible.

[pillpod]

Simply repeating "no offense meant" doesn't help your cause. At this point, you are being annoying on purpose and trying to "get back at us" for giving you honest criticisms.

Your little tangent about the definition of America, how many languages people know, and pro-American bias is really uncalled for and quite off-topic. To be honest, I thought your original list had too many Americans, and I'm American myself. But you don't need to attack people personally for giving your list a criticism.

On the topic of knowing only one language: the US is a very large piece of land and English is the predominant language. Europe, on the other hand, is a lot of smaller countries bordering each other. This makes it more reasonable for people to learn multiple languages. Neither is right nor wrong; it's just how it is. If each state in the US had it's own language, you would see more people in the US learning new languages. There's no need to get on a soap box and preach about knowing three languages and bashing a nation for calling itself something. America doesn't have one definition. It can be a continental term or a term to describe the US; that's just how it's come to be known. Call it a colloquialism, perhaps.

At this point, this thread isn't really doing much for the forum. And you are also being difficult for the sake of being difficult.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Simply repeating "no offense meant" doesn't help your cause. At this point, you are being annoying on purpose and trying to "get back at us" for giving you honest criticisms.

Actually, that's not me who started to be annoying, at least you can reckon this.

On the topic of knowing only one language: the US is a very large piece of land and English is the predominant language. Europe, on the other hand, is a lot of smaller countries bordering each other. This makes it more reasonable for people to learn multiple languages. Neither is right nor wrong; it's just how it is. If each state in the US had it's own language, you would see more people in the US learning new languages. There's no need to get on a soap box and preach about knowing three languages and bashing a nation for calling itself something. America doesn't have one definition. It can be a continental term or a term to describe the US; that's just how it's come to be known. Call it a colloquialism, perhaps.

I hate to say that, but you completely missed the point here.

Europeans know more than a language, because many european know their language + English.

In fact I stated that also asian know more than a language, usually. Take Japanese. 95% Japanese know english. And they live in islands without borders...

Sorry, but your reasons are not right.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Itaria No Shintaku

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Well, this stopped being fun awhile ago. A few closing thoughts:

1) I used "Bavaria" in the broad sense because I didn't know it was an actual state. So, the Lederhosen guy could be from a broad range of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc. I really just meant "that part of Europe."

2) Even if the Hollywood Actress is Canadian or British, her occupational title is in the USA, so I'd call her American.

3) I think that "could be anywhere" is a totally valid answer, since I'm not using the "country where the occupation came from" standard. I mean, if we tried to figure out "Minifigures by Religion," we'd have a lot of unknowns. Sure, the Roman and Greek characters would probably worship their pantheons, and I think I'd have a good argument that Santa is Catholic, but most of the characters would be really indeterminate.

Anyway, this thread stopped being fun a few pages back. Instead of fair discussion, there's too much complaining about whose criteria is valid. Lego is fun; this is no longer fun. I recommend a mod closing the thread at this point...

[TrumpetKing]

At this point, I'd rather have it closed. I don't think I'll have time soon to finish my list anyhow, but you can get the gist of what I'm trying to say. While what you say is true, I recognize that, but I think a lot of people don't tend to think of South America when "America" is spoken. I personally think of North America first. Your views on the Sad Clown being Italian is probably likely, but it is just a matter of opinion. Honestly, I had a slight gut feeling that this topicwould lead to some offense to people from different countries. And I would say that the Hollywood Starlet would be USA, since she is a pretty clear Marilyn Monroe reference.

[Itaria No Shintaku]

Your views on the Sad Clown being Italian is probably likely, but it is just a matter of opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot

While I can live with the fact that not everybody in the world knows that he's a popular italian figure, I really find it HIGHLY offensive that though I've told here otherwise there are people who still argue that this is an opinion.

Not if I believe that 1+1=3 it becomes an opinion.

Opinions are crushed by facts.

I think that I created this topic for fun, but I was largely hurt by the behaviour of many users who really acted rudely and unrespectfully towards me.

For those who do not recognize this I always say "Remember, when you hit someone, he's just HIM knowing wheter it hurt or not."

Not always when you try to do something fun and different people welcome you.

I started replying irritated just because many people replied nonsense things (real nonsense, not opinions) or in a totally unmannered fashion, with a strong negative attitude.

Luckily enough, I have the whole argument supporting what I'm saying, just looking at the first reply I got is a good index of how my post was welcomed.

I agree on locking over this topic, but for completely different reasons from yours.