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marcus_holmestoday at 1:32 AM1 replyview on HN

The Western Roman Empire has nothing to do with "the West". I think it's fascinating that that's even suggested.

I lived in Germany for a while. Germany is definitely a part of "the West", have been the defining border with "the East" in the Cold War. Germans do not share a cultural viewpoint about liberty and security with the USA. So claiming that westerners "prefer liberty over security" while also including Germans (and others) in the definition of "the West" is absolutely erasing their culture.


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wredcolltoday at 7:49 AM

> The Western Roman Empire has nothing to do with "the West". I think it's fascinating that that's even suggested.

I got that bit from wikipedia, it amused me.

As for germans, if they do not share such a viewpoint (and now I want evidence either way), the claim about the west is merely wrong, not "cultural erasure".