The Eurovision Song Contest is a prime example. I suspect not many of my American readers have much interest in that TV tradition. On one of my sojourns in Ireland I first heard of the Eurovision Song Contest; I was surprised to see that people seemed to be glued to their TV sets for what seemed to be nothing more than an international or pan-European talent show. But it had a nationalistic element to it; everybody cheered for their country's entrant(s), and winning meant a big celebration.
Nowadays, of course, that just is not acceptable, because all the individual European countries are supposedly subsumed into the 'European Union' and nationalism or ethnopatriotism is so 20th century. Not to mention, a thoughtcrime.
This year's contest was held in that great European country, Azerbaijan. Yes, Azerbaijan.
The CNN article here admits that the contest is 'soft politics' -- and I suppose that fits with the 'soft totalitarianism', so-called, which is engulfing our former Christendom now.
In recent weeks, the Eurovision Song Contest finals, which take place Saturday, have inspired clashes on the streets of the capital, Baku, between Azerbaijani police and opposition activists, and accusations by state-controlled media in Azerbaijan that a German "conspiracy" was waging an "information war" against the hosts.''
A far cry from what the contest was at its inception. More and more countries are participating, Turkey, for instance. Though the contest officially bars any political content from the event, is it not political to bring non-European countries into the contest? 'Diversity' is a political notion. The idea that all and sundry must be brought in subverts the original idea of "European-ness."
"Host nations typically use the intermission between performances and the results announcement as an opportunity to "perform their 'European-ness' to one of the biggest television audiences of the year..."
Topping it all off, the winner was Sweden, but the 'Swedish' performer was a Moroccan Berber woman. Is that what 'European-ness' means in 2012?
All the meaning and content of nationality is being drained away when Berbers represent Sweden in a pan-European song contest. Repeat after me: We are all one. There is no such thing as nationality.
I saw a clip of the Turkish entry, and the music was like some kind of Middle-Eastern hip-hop hybrid. The whole look of the event was dark and sinister. Bring back the wholesome, bland Europop of the past; even Clodagh Rogers singing Jack-in-the-Box is far preferable to this sort of scifi Multicult circus which has replaced the old contest.
