# Who would win a war between Comma countries and Dot countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962 "2012-12-23T22:10:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheCrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TheCrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCrow)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/1 "2012-12-23T22:10:27Z")
Partly silly partly serious thread 😃 Who would win a war between Comma countries and Dot countries? I am talking about a real war! 😃 [What is comma country? And what is dot country?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_point) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:) DecimalSeparator.svg Full Stop “.” – Blue countries (Ally powers) Comma “,” – Green countries (Central powers) Eastern Arabic numerals – Red countries (Neutral) Data unavailable – Grey (Neutral) ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/2 "2012-12-23T22:29:41Z")
You’ve put Russia and the US on opposite sides of a global thermonuclear war? Are you mad, man? The only way to win is not to play. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/3 "2012-12-23T23:07:16Z")
You realize you have consigned Canada to a civil war, don’t you? Are you taking Evil Overlord lessons from **Skald**? Canada uses the dot in English and the comma in French. When the Albertan and Quebecois armies meet in the gutted skyscrapers of Toronto, I will look up from the ruins of my apartment building and curse your name… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/4 "2012-12-24T04:27:49Z")
Did you separate high-comma and low-comma countries properly? Just reading the OP it seems as if you’re not even aware of the issue. There are many countries (Spain and its former colonies, France, Andorra, Italy, Greece and Cyprus at the very least) where the marker is supposed to be a “high comma” or apostrophe, but which nowadays tend to use a “low comma” or comma because computer programs made in dot countries do not include the appropriate option (computer programs made locally do include it). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/5 "2012-12-24T04:57:42Z")
7 of the 9 nuclear powers (counting N Korea) are dot countries. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/6 "2012-12-24T05:40:17Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > You realize you have consigned Canada to a civil war, don’t you? Are you taking Evil Overlord lessons from **Skald**? > > Canada uses the dot in English and the comma in French. When the Albertan and Quebecois armies meet in the gutted skyscrapers of Toronto, I will look up from the ruins of my apartment building and curse your name… Alberta? Really? I think Manitoba would totally win in an all out fight. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/7 "2012-12-24T09:09:12Z")
The U.S. on the same side with North _and_ South Korea, India _and_ Pakistan, China, Australia, New Zealand, most of Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Against the rest of Europe, Russia, South America and South Africa. I’d go with the Allied Powers. The US and UK make a fantastic team, and with China, India, Pakistan and Unified Korea all on the same page, I think we’d have the advantage just in terms of pure economic power-- not to mention, as previously mentioned, The Bomb. I don’t think anyone would be crazy enough to actually drop The Bomb, though, even India, Pakistan or North Korea. One thing’s for sure, though; we’re in this war with a buncha loose cannons for allies. Even if we _do_ win World War III, if we’re not careful India/Pakistan and North/South Korea will go right back to shit-kicking each other afterwards, and World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/8 "2012-12-24T13:27:31Z")
A slight tangent… do the comma countries say “comma” when reading numbers? For example, do they say “two comma five” instead of “two point five”? ---
**Author:** ![grama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@grama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grama)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/9 "2012-12-24T13:47:42Z")
yes ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/10 "2012-12-24T14:40:37Z")
France is on the “comma,” team. Game, set and match “dot.” 😛 (Also, Israel is on Team Dot, and I’d rather be on the winning side :D) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/11 "2012-12-24T15:09:45Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > (Also, Israel is on Team Dot, and I’d rather be on the winning side :D) You are allied with Pakistan, N Korea, Malaysia and Nigeria. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/12 "2012-12-24T15:18:31Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > You are allied with Pakistan, N Korea, Malaysia and Nigeria. Every team has its second-stringers (“DNP, coach’s decision”) … 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/13 "2012-12-24T15:30:31Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Did you separate high-comma and low-comma countries properly? Just reading the OP it seems as if you’re not even aware of the issue. There are many countries (Spain and its former colonies, France, Andorra, Italy, Greece and Cyprus at the very least) where the marker is supposed to be a “high comma” or apostrophe, but which nowadays tend to use a “low comma” or comma because computer programs made in dot countries do not include the appropriate option (computer programs made locally do include it). Rivers of blood were spilled to lower that comma! It’s one of the lesser-known reasons Franco won the civil war. ---
**Author:** ![Crawlspace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/14 "2012-12-24T19:04:57Z")
Wait, the Comma Countries have the Vietnamese? I’m definitely fighting with the Comma Countries if they’ve got the Vietnamese. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/15 "2012-12-24T19:33:35Z")
I don’t see how this is even close. Sure, the commas have Russia, France, Germany, Turkey, Italy, but the US, UK and China coudl easily take them all on and that doesn’t even account for India, both Koreas, Japan, Candana, Australia, etc. The dots just have WAY more money and WAY more manpower, not to mention the largest advantage of using the superior notation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-war-between-comma-countries-and-dot-countries/644962/16 "2012-12-24T21:00:06Z")
But, the dot countries suffer from a Trojan horse: a mix of imperial and SI units. At least the comma countries are all SI, being able to coordinate a coherent attack.