anyone can have a "discussion" on anything I suppose,........ but IMO that doesn't mean the " discussion" will be done by ppl equally experienced and well versed(or with similar backgrounds thus able to speak in an educated manner) on the subject at hand.
Depending on the subject.....it may or may not be available to read about any subject on the internet, depending on many factors (for instance time / space) or interest in the subject and availability of reading matter.
For instance who here can discuss in detail the method of using the M&O subway in Fort Worth TX in the 1950s of boarding the subway, exiting the subway, the subway cost and method of construction without having lived in the era when it was in use? Who here can discuss in detail the smell of air, of the Ft. Worth "West Freeway" near Summit Street in the mid 1950s, due to both time and space, not having lived here during that era?
Yes perhaps a person in New Zealand may be able to read online or in books about the 3 branches of US govt and get a good understanding of that, or of the US 2nd amendment, or the British prime minister, but get into a person's life experiences.....it is virtually impossible to know all of another person's experiences that shape their background beliefs. If a person has been stabbed during a robbery by a criminal, that changes their life forever. If a person has had cancer and almost dies, or has lost a spouse to death via ethnic cleansing or disease, the lifelong effects on that person will be enormous and change their views on many things, forever.
that was and is still my meaning by "distance" which in fact also means miles/ km distance = nation state = background = cultural experience= 4,000 miles away= geographic location.
