• lugal@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I never got this semitic discussion. I can discover a cabin in a forest or a store in a city but Columbus can’t discover a continent because he wasn’t the first one who discovered it?

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      As far as I care, “discovered” is in relation to cartography, at which point most societies know of it and its location.

      Anything else is just pathetic semantics that could go back through evolution and the chronology of Earth’s continents and geography. No one wants that except a couple of Actually Guys.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOPM
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        1 year ago

        As far as I care, “discovered” is in relation to cartography, at which point most societies know of it and its location.

        Well then you can’t go with Columbus. Basically no one in Asia or Africa knew what he did, let alone both of the Americas and Australia. So unless you define Europe as the only place with societies, Columbus doesn’t even come close.

        • lugal@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          most societies

          I would change this to “a society” so Columbus discovered America for the European society while other societies already knew it or still didn’t

    • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      This would have more merit if he ever set foot in North America. He landed in the Bahamas. It’s technically part of the North American tectonic plate, but so is part of Iceland.

          • lugal@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            And there is no causal relation between the discovery of these

            Edit: Also: the meme is about potatoes and tomatoes which come from around central America. They aren’t USA exports. The meme is about the discovery of America as in the Americas

            • pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe
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              1 year ago

              And it doesn’t matter, because what is up for dispute is what people mean when they say America. Which is North America, regardless of the actual facts. That’s what colloquial means

              Pay attention to what is actually being discussed before running your mouth to make yourself sound smart.

              • lugal@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                Context matters. When it’s about the discovery of America, it’s the double continent since north and south America were not discovered separately. They are one landmass

                Edit: Also you were the one saying “actually America is Nort America so Columbus didn’t discover the real America”. Think about the context before trying to sound smart

                • pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe
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                  1 year ago

                  Not in the real world where U.S.-centric dumbasses live in their own reality and force everyone else to go along with it with guns and nukes.

                  You and I both know the term America applies to both continents, but to the NPCs, it doesn’t. That’s literally what colloquialism is – what NPCs say, and that is what was up for dispute. Not the actual facts of the matter.

                  Edit: Also you were the one saying “actually America is Nort America so Columbus didn’t discover the real America”. Think about the context before trying to sound smart

                  No, no, you’re clearly confusing me with the other guy because you are angry I called you out on trying and failing to sound smart. Breathe in through your nose, hold 4 seconds, breathe out with your mouth, and read the screen names again.

                  • lugal@lemmy.ml
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                    1 year ago

                    To be clear: in most cases I too use America synonym with USA but to say “Columbus discovered the USA”, well, …