this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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TranscriptA threads post saying "There has never been another nation ever that has existed much beyond 250 years. Not a single one. America's 250th year is 2025. The next 4 years are gonna be pretty interesting considering everything that's already been said." It has a reply saying "My local pub is older than your country".

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[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What they really mean is that the US has the oldest still active Constitution in the world. The UK has existed in a continuous government for far longer, but they don’t have a written Constitution like the US does.

Even if that is what they meant, and even if the UK doesn't count for whatever reason, this would still be incorrect. The constitution of San Marino dates from 1600.

[–] oyo@lemm.ee -3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yeah, but does San Marino have a population of more than seven?

[–] Tja@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] oyo@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's the weirdest to get pushback on little joke comments, but of course it's relevant. The US Constitution needs some serious updates but there is no denying it is the oldest for a country with significant population and diversity. San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world, has a population ~10,000 times less than the US, and is almost entirely monocultural.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 2 points 23 hours ago

The point is that under no measure is it true. If you go for nation as people's identity, Japan, Egypt or China are millenia old. If by the current form of constitution then us constitution was amended in 1992 (IIRC). If we go by geographical borders, Hawaii and Alaska are 1960s additions. If we go by form of government, the UK is about a hundred years older. If we go by the base form of the constitution, ammendments be damned, either UK or San Marino are older.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

More importantly, is your IQ more than seven?

[–] oyo@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago

Don't put your finger near your mouth, you may bite it.