# Whom does a land belong to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 7, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129 "2011-11-07T02:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Sheikh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Sheikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Sheikh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/1 "2011-11-07T02:26:32Z")
Simple question. And I don’t mean Whom it belongs to according to the current global laws. I mean whom it should belong to? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/2 "2011-11-07T02:48:55Z")
To whom do you think it should belong and why? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/3 "2011-11-07T02:54:16Z")
What do you mean by “a land”? And what do you mean by “belong”? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/4 "2011-11-07T03:02:25Z")
It should belong to teh joos. ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/5 "2011-11-07T03:06:26Z")
While on the subject, I’m setting up shop in [Bir Tawil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir_Tawil). Might have some openings for ambassadors, PM me if you’re interested. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/6 "2011-11-07T03:10:44Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > What do you mean by “a land”? And what do you mean by “belong”? Yes. Is “a land”: (1) a piece of real estate, such as a house site or a farm, or (2) a territory, such as a state or a province? Does “belong” mean: (1) able to use, e.g., as a house site or a farm, without interference from others, or (2) able to sell or lease the land to others for similar uses, or (3) able, along with others living on the land, to govern as a state or province? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/7 "2011-11-07T03:14:55Z")
Me. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/8 "2011-11-07T03:30:30Z")
All your lands are belong to us. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/9 "2011-11-07T03:35:26Z")
Way too big a question. You might as well ask, “What is good?” What is property? Go and visit a law library, and see thousands of volumes dealing with the subject! “GUNPOWDER: A black substance much employed in marking the boundary lines of nations.” Gideon Wurdz, “The Foolish Dictionary.” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/10 "2011-11-07T03:50:41Z")
Sometimes it is possible for a question to be \*t oo\* simple. Please give a “for instance”. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/11 "2011-11-07T03:53:52Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Me. This is so obviously bullshit. Land belongs to me. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/12 "2011-11-07T03:55:26Z")
_This_ land is your land, whereas _this_ land is my land. I can’t get into too many specifics on a message board, but relevant property lines include California, New York Island, the redwood forest and the gulf stream waters. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/13 "2011-11-07T03:57:57Z")
I think you’ll find that this is a joint-ownership situation. This land is your land, _and_ this land is my land. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/14 "2011-11-07T04:03:21Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > It should belong to teh joos. I’m glad jew think so. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/15 "2011-11-07T04:13:52Z")
> [@The\_Sheikh](#): > > Simple question. And I don’t mean Whom it belongs to according to the current global laws. I mean whom it should belong to? It probably should belong to whoever, by whatever means available, can keep others from taking it. That sentence extends from owning a condo all the way to a nation state. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Sheikh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Sheikh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Sheikh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/16 "2011-11-07T16:43:45Z")
Do you think jews have the right to be citezens in palestine just because their ancestors were? Do you think native americans and austrailians have the right to expel current citezens because its their land? Why should a country so small and rich in its resources keep these resources for a small population and not share them? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/17 "2011-11-07T16:47:08Z")
> [@The\_Sheikh](#): > > Do you think jews have the right to be citezens in palestine just because their ancestors were? What is “palestine”? > [@](#): > > Do you think native americans and austrailians have the right to expel current citezens because its their land? no. > [@](#): > > Why should a country so small and rich in its resources keep these resources for a small population and not share them? Because we don’t have a good system to determine how things should be “shared” and history has taught us that respect for property rights is much better than any other system invented yet. Unless you have a new system you would like to propose…? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/18 "2011-11-07T16:51:21Z")
> [@The\_Sheikh](#): > > Do you think jews have the right to be citezens in palestine just because their ancestors were? > Do you think native americans and austrailians have the right to expel current citezens because its their land? > Why should a country so small and rich in its resources keep these resources for a small population and not share them? Australia isn’t small and Israel/Palestine isn’t rich in resources. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/19 "2011-11-07T17:02:57Z")
Are rock-strewn lands a resource? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129/20 "2011-11-07T17:03:12Z")
> [@The\_Sheikh](#): > > Do you think jews have the right to be citezens in palestine just because their ancestors were? > Do you think native americans and austrailians have the right to expel current citezens because its their land? > Why should a country so small and rich in its resources keep these resources for a small population and not share them? Ah, now we get to it. So much for Qatar and Bahrain and Kuwait, and heck, Saudi, although it’s large in acreage it’s pretty small in terms of population. Thing is, Israel isn’t rich in resources. It doesn’t have any oil or minerals or rich farmland, unlike some other nearby countries. As to why we recognize international borders, it’s because borders were created back in the Neolithic era, when one tribe decided to fight anyone else who tried to farm in a particular river valley. And then the neighboring tribe said, “OK, you farm over there, we’ll farm over here, and that way we don’t have to be constantly fighting each other”. And that worked to keep warfare down to every couple of years, rather than every five minutes. So legal theories of land ownership aren’t handed down by God or Nature, they are a man-made attempt to keep violence to a minimum, so we don’t have to constantly fight each other over who has the right to sleep, walk, farm, build, and piss where. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whom-does-a-land-belong-to/602129.md?page=2)