NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been meaning to make a post on this subject for ages, and after a post in the I love Canada thread (*) I've finally decided to do it...

Has anybody noticed that many of the world's largest countries have very similar (culturally), smaller (population-wise), nicer (in the general opinion of the world's public) neighbouring countries?

For example:


Canada is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of the USA [EDIT: several of you seem to have missed the phrase smaller (population-wise) above - I know Canada has a much larger land area]
New Zealand is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Australia
Ireland is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Britain
Taiwan is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of China


Do you agree with this observation, and if so do you have any theories? I wonder if people just assume the smaller neighbour is nicer because by virtue of its smaller population it isn't involved in as many unfavourable news stories. That said, I am rather fond of Canada and New Zealand. [EDIT: several of you seem to have missed the phrase many of the world's largest countries above - I don't claim it applies to all large countries]

(*)Isn't Canada just mini-America?America, Jr. to be specific.

Mmmh... Russia is the smaller nicer neighbor of China... I think. India has Pakistan, but I don't know if that qualifies as nicer.

Mmmh... Russia is the smaller nicer neighbor of China... I think. India has Pakistan, but I don't know if that qualifies as nicer.
I believe Sri Lanka is more popular with tourists than India. Many of the Eastern European former Soviet states are preferred to Russia (although there's obviously more than one of them).

Smaller countries are sweeter. :)

Mmmh... Russia is the smaller nicer neighbor of China... I think. India has Pakistan, but I don't know if that qualifies as nicer.
I think India and Pakistan just have a bit of sibling rivalry

P: Look mommy! I can run a country all by myself
I: Me TOO! AND I can build a really big army!
P: Oh yeah?! Well, I can build bombs!
I:Yeah, but can you make them ATOMIC?!

P: Hey! That's MY Kashmir! You can't have it!
I: Oh yeah?! Who's gonna make me give it back?
P: I am!
I: You and what army?!
*India and Pakistan proceed to both grab opposite ends of Kashmir and pull at it untill it rips in half and both get sent to their rooms crying and without dessert*

Some, although not all, of the "smaller, nicer" countries live under the protective umberella of the "larger" countries, and thus have no need to be anything but "nice."

Hmm... guess I never really thought of Canada as 'small'.
I think your assertion is only valid up until a certain size of a country. After that the smaller neighbouring countries just get laughed at ;)

Some, although not all, of the "smaller, nicer" countries live under the protective umberella of the "larger" countries, and thus have no need to be anything but "nice."Perhaps, but the smaller countries also know that they aren't going to be big players, so they refrain from being bossy, know-it-all arseholes, which the big countries often end up being...

I've been meaning to make a post on this subject for ages, and after a post in the I love Canada thread (*) I've finally decided to do it...

Has anybody noticed that many of the world's largest countries have very similar (culturally), smaller (population-wise), nicer (in the general opinion of the world's public) neighbouring countries?

For example:


Canada is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of the USA
New Zealand is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Australia
Ireland is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Britain
Taiwan is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of China



Taiwan is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of China

i burst a lung laughing

I think India and Pakistan just have a bit of sibling rivalry

P: Look mommy! I can run a country all by myself
I: Me TOO! AND I can build a really big army!
P: Oh yeah?! Well, I can build bombs!
I:Yeah, but can you make them ATOMIC?!

P: Hey! That's MY Kashmir! You can't have it!
I: Oh yeah?! Who's gonna make me give it back?
P: I am!
I: You and what army?!
*India and Pakistan proceed to both grab opposite ends of Kashmir and pull at it untill it rips in half and both get sent to their rooms crying and without dessert*

siblings with radically differing religious views.

UK: You boys get your own room!
P & I: Yay!!!
[years later]
UK: Hey! What was that!?!
I: Nothing. . .
P: Mom! India's making fun of me!
I: Was not!
P: Was too
I: Not!
P: Too!
UK: That's it! Separate rooms!
[more later]
UK: Alright kids, Mommy's leaving. India, Pakistan, you are in charge of yourselves.
P & I: Why?!?!?!?!
UK: Because Mommy cant protect or pay for you anymore. Oh, and don't get into any trouble with the neighbors!
P & I: OK!
I: Pakistan.
P: India.
I: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
P: Grrrrrrrrr
I: GrrrRRRRRrrrr
P: Grrrrrrrr
I: GrrrrRRRRUFFFF!
[constant growling and barking and occasional scratch]

Canada is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of the USA
Smaller?

It looks funny but it is wrong. Until 1940 there was no call for a seperate country. The landed and salaried aristocracy of muslims were afraid of the noises of land reforms and real democracy that the congress leaders were making. They wanted a place where they can rule over the people. Britain wanted a rentier state to "contain" a "Gaullist" India. Plus the spite that Churchill had for India. He was the architect of the partition.

This is more like it

1940 - H & M still united in struggle against O.

British Outsider: You two are seperate. (divide and rule)
Hindu&Muslim: We are?
BO tells M: If you stay with your brother H, he gets to decide what you have to do. H is always bad to M.
M tells H: I want seperate electorate.
H tells M: Full democracy. One man one vote.
BO to M: See, what did I tell you. You need a seperate place.
M to H: Islam is in danger !

Partition.

BO has contributed in no small part to the Kashmir dispute. The British commander of the Indian army refused to move against the Pakistani tribal raiders of Kashmir. The army command had to be restructured with Indian commanders and the army finally moved into Kashmir.

And when the army was winning, Mountbatten (still the Governor general of India) pressurized Nehru to go to UN, promising that it would be solved fairly.

A case can be made that the creation of the dispute is part of the containment or balance of powers policy. By locking two powers into a struggle, they waste their resources fighting against each other. A united independant India would have been a world beater today.

No sweat though. Pakistan is everybody's problem now. Britain is paying for its crimes through the descendants of the country they midwifed (7/7).

Perhaps, but the smaller countries also know that they aren't going to be big players, so they refrain from being bossy, know-it-all arseholes, which the big countries often end up being...

True, and sometimes they are like that little snotty kid, who hangs out with the bully because that's the only way he can pick on the normal kids.

It all depends.

They all have inferiority complexes in relation to the bigger country too.

New Zealand is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Australia
Hmm. Yes, I guess this is true. Still hate most Aussies though :)

Hm.

France -> Belgium
Germany -> Austria
Spain -> Portugal
Japan -> South Korea

Maybe...

Hmm. Yes, I guess this is true. Still hate most Aussies though :)

Aw, why? We like you guys. Really, we do. Well, I do anyway.

I <3 Australia.

Never been to New Zealand. They have fun Rugby chants, though.

Aw, why? We like you guys. Really, we do. Well, I do anyway.

I like some, definatly. I refuse to forgive the under-arm bowling incident, thats all lol. Nah, Aussies are a good bunch most of the time.

Smaller?

Hey, what's 200,000 square miles between friends?

They all have inferiority complexes in relation to the bigger country too.

Ireland?

I like some, definatly. I refuse to forgive the under-arm bowling incident that's all lol. Nah, Aussies are a good bunch most of the time.

Hehehe. I don't get the whole rivalry. We're so similar culturally. :p

Good point: also think Indonesia vs. Papua-New Guinea.

I gues for mine its... hm. Ukraine is bigger, and, no, not nicer. Moldova is way small, but gangsters shoot businessmen every single day. Hungary is polite, but not to us. Serbia-Montenegro ignores us and has post traumatic syndrome. Bulgaria... yeah, that's it. It's the only country to still be intimidated by us. I mean, it's like we're this shady loser with several watches on his hand, who visits his cousin in the countryside - the latter will suspect something, but he wants to learn more about the city he has never visited. Or like: we are Top Cat, and they're the gang.

Mmmh... Russia is the smaller nicer neighbor of China... I think. India has Pakistan, but I don't know if that qualifies as nicer.
Russia smaller? I quess you mean by population.
Finland is definitely the smaller nicer neighbour of Russia but I'm not sure we are any nicer than Sweden. Well, we are not that much smaller either.

India has also Myanmar (Burma) and Nepal as smaller neighbours but...nicer? hardly.

Turkey has Syria
Iran has Iraq
Greece has Albania
USA has Mexico...

:D

Hehehe. I don't get the whole rivalry. We're so similar culturally. :p

...they got the Lord of the Rings made in their country. The Lord of the Rings!! *runs off crying, and plotting to have New Zealand destroyed by a wave of under-arm bowlers*

Seriously, though. I hate most Australians. I hate most New Zealanders. I hate most Americans. I hate most Indians. I hate most ..UKians. I mean, most of us hate the stupid people of the world. And they make up the majority.

On that note, I hate those goddamn Luxembourgians. Living in luxury off their goddamn porn industry! GRAAAGH! (:P)

I think it depends on "who's bigger", because there's several countries (India and Pakistan among them) who have smaller neighbours who aren't exactly cordial with each other. Plus, it's obvious the really small countries- like Luxembourg, Liechtenstien, Lesotho, Marshall Islands, etc.- don't have terribly bad international reputations because, well, they don't do much internationally and thus aren't well known. It also depends on what's being compared- Britain may be loathed by the Irish but compare them to the US and they're the more favourable of the two. Same could also be said of Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, all within Canada itself- opinions on them are quite mixed outside of those provinces.

I'd also like to say having been to the US and having dealt with Americans (as a Canadian myself) I'd like to say that there's really no differences at all between our peoples, really. In fact, American people seem to be nicer than the Canadians I've dealt with, but that could be because I've never dealt with big-city Americans and I've dealt with big-city Canadians (living in Toronto). So, really, this whole theory depends on what's being looked at.

In all honesty, though, you're not really breaking any new ground...it's an obvious observation that's not exactly well-grounded.

Good point: also think Indonesia vs. Papua-New Guinea.

I gues for mine its... hm. Ukraine is bigger, and, no, not nicer. Moldova is way small, but gangsters shoot businessmen every single day. Hungary is polite, but not to us. Serbia-Montenegro ignores us and has post traumatic syndrome. Bulgaria... yeah, that's it. It's the only country to still be intimidated by us. I mean, it's like we're this shady loser with several watches on his hand, who visits his cousin in the countryside - the latter will suspect something, but he wants to learn more about the city he has never visited. Or like: we are Top Cat, and they're the gang.

Romania?

Canada is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of the USA
New Zealand is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Australia
Ireland is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of Britain
Taiwan is the 'smaller, nicer neighbour' of China


1. Canada is not smaller than the US, it's in fact, larger.
2. Ireland may be smaller but i can assure you the conflicts they've waged (depending on which Ireland we're referring to were not nice).
3. Taiwan is much smaller than China, but historically speaking they are not nice in really any way. Though today, they are now being "bullied" but they have a large military with US military support, no ones nicer there...

I like the concept, but it simply is not true. I mean who's next to India, Pakistan...are they nicer? No, they are smaller but thats about all they can say for themselves. Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world and they boarder Venezuela. You can argue wheather they are nice or not, but i'm just letting you know your idea is not correct...

This concept doesn't work, because then every country must have "smaller, nicer, neighbouring countries".

This also due to the fact that Canada isn't "America Jr." Canada, is in fact, the loft [where the beer is kept] above a really great party. However, that is only true for the more Northern states. The South has Mexico. Which is actually better. Especially if one is thrifty and enjoys getting a tan.

Now, looking at the Nordic countries, who has a smaller nicer neighbor? It doesn't work. What about Africa? South America? No, it doesn't work. Due to a lack of "smallness" (in relation to the country in question, whether we are speaking population or size in a square unit of measure is debateable), "niceness", or even "neighbors".

Cute concept, but doesn't work.

1. Canada is not smaller than the US, it's in fact, larger.
Like many people, you seemed to miss this key phrase in the original post:

smaller (population-wise)