Talk:Mongolia

So ... ?
Is there something a bit RW missional that can be added? Wikipedia does pretty well at being Wikipedia - David Gerard (talk) 13:29, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Eh, Mongolian has given us the title Dalai Lama? Well, you're right that's not much. Something on Genghis Khan probably, perhaps on his (for his time) relative tolerant religious policies, combined with some rather arcane laws, such as banning the washing of clothes or dishes in a thunderstorm? Or a section general Genghis Khan woo/pseudohistory/cult of personality in modern Mongolia?
 * To quote :
 * "They never wash clothes, for they say that God would be angered thereat, and that it would thunder if they hung them up to dry. They will even beat those they find washing them [J: they thrash anyone doing laundry and confiscate it]. Thunder they fear extraordinarily; and when it thunders they will turn out of their dwellings all strangers, wrap themselves in black felt, and thus hide themselves till it has passed away."
 * Okay, it makes sense not to be in a tent on a flat steppe during a thunderstorm (though I'm not sure that's what's implied here), but the idea that washing will attract thunder is classic folk woo (here is a more scholarly treatment of the subject).
 * Apropos of nothing, Genghis also proscribed the death penalty for merchants who went bankrupt for the third time - I wonder how he would have dealt with the Great Recession? ScepticWombat (talk) 13:41, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Przewadawhoha's horse might be worth a mention... Maybe. PacWalker 13:52, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Wut? Do you mean ? ScepticWombat (talk) 13:56, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Hmm... I've read books about Mongolia and its history, and I still can't find anything RWish to say about it. Send it to AFD. Bicycle  wheel silverbrain.png 14:03, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Skirting wikilawyering territory, the mission statement does allow for "articles that do not relate to the primary missions of RationalWiki providing that they are factually accurate and of interest to the community at large. These include articles on general science, historical events and important individuals throughout the world."
 * I guess the issues are: Is anyone interested, and does anybody want to write it? This stub is certainly axe-worthy as it stands. ScepticWombat (talk) 14:09, 27 April 2015 (UTC)


 * I'm sure there's plenty of myths/pseudohistory about the Mongolians that can be debunked, and with the various rulerships they've been under authoritarianism might come up too. Stalin seems to have orchestrated a bit of, for example. Speaking of which, documenting the history of religion in Mongolia could be interesting too. Really, I don't see why people are questioning the missionality here. 141.134.75.236 (talk) 14:55, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * ^. Herr FuzzyKatzenPotato (talk/stalk) 16:40, 27 April 2015 (UTC)
 * I agree, we could have a wonderful Mongolia page! But, so far it's a rather useless stub. I hope someone will improve it, but if not, we're probably better off by removing it. Carpetsmoker (talk) 01:12, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Delete, without prejudice. If the page does come back with more content, find a way to include a picture like this just for the coolness. MaillardFillmore (talk) 01:47, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Can I plead WIP for a brief while? PacWalker 01:50, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Fine by me. I see you working on it. MaillardFillmore (talk) 01:55, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks. PacWalker 02:06, 28 April 2015 (UTC)

Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
deserves a mention here (apparently at least some of the 'lurid stories' are true and 'respectable writers' refrain from going into detail).

There could also be a passing mention of Tannu Tuva - most notable for its half-vowelled capital Kyzyl and its diamond stamps, showing the non-existent railways and being one of the few cases where the franked versions are more valuable. 82.44.143.26 (talk) 15:21, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Well, Tannu Tuva isn't a part of present-day Mongolia, so I might think Russia would be a better place to discuss it if at all. PacWalker 15:52, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Inter-war Kyzyl was the most remote capital city in the world; post war Ulan Bator is. 82.44.143.26 (talk) 17:58, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * (ignoring questions about definition of remote for this purpose) Ok? So? PacWalker 18:56, 28 April 2015 (UTC)
 * As Mongolia was in the recent changes list - posting a 'useful factoids for the RW quiz' (Kyzyl also has claims to be at the centre of Asia) while mentioning the Mad Baron (who does belong here, despite his rather unpleasant activities). 82.44.143.26 (talk) 16:51, 29 April 2015 (UTC)