Im not talking about countries historic cultures, they're obviously extremely diverse. Im talking about their everyday cultures, the way people go about the lives, the cafes they go to, the shops they shop at, the music they listen to, the films they watch, the tv they like, etc. I could work around Switzerland, Spain or Germany and I could just as well be in the UK, Sweden or the USA. Apart from the obvious differences (linguistic, climate, architecture), Western Europe is under the cultural dominance of the United States, whether you choose to call that Anglo-Saxon culture or whatever that's up to you. But it's true. The United Kingdom is in a bit of a different position because of the fact that British-American culture is virtually the same with just a few differences but we are still under the influence of the US and would be even more so if we did not have their culture already as our own.
So just because we are under influence Eurovision should not be open to some alternative? It has to turn into some American wannabe contest? Anglovision? Sorry but I just don't agree with that. Eventhough countries are getting more and more alike, there are still things worth keeping and encourage.
Eastern Europe is slightly different yes, but the reason for that is a legacy of the Cold War. The generation of Eastern Europeans my age are following a similar pattern as Western Europe and so English is becoming much more widely known. I dont know where you get the fourth of fifth language from, German is spoken by more Europeans than English as a first language yes but not in total. For most countries, except in a few circumstances, English is the second language and is the most taught foreign language in education. And in countries like the UK with English as the first language, it is French which is the second language, not German. And Russian is much less known in Western Europe than English is in Eastern Europe.
As someone with a background in Eastern Europe and been traveling around there and having relatives I can assure you English is not yet even second language in many parts, German is still the second most known language in countries like for instance Poland, Czech Republic and others.
Anyways, to me Eurovision was never about the "superior" to show of, but rather all diversities being shown. It was this concept that made it unique and exceptional.
Why are you trying to make things up like that? I've never said anything of the sort, I've stated fact. Im not asking anybody to obey and as far as Im aware, the UK delegation hasnt asked anybody to obey them at Eurovision either! In fact, countries are making the choice of their own, and you are asking them to obey your opinion by forcing them to sing in a particular language
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As I said I'm not pro-forcing, but I do see problems with what's happening to the contest today. I think all voices that are pro "Americanization" or "Anglofication" of the contest are indeed spreading a view that that's "superior" and therefor "better", and I simply don''t agree with this view because that was never what Eurovision was about in the first place.
The EU is breaking down borders and trying to take away sovereignty and culture, but they're not trying to replace it with AngloSaxon culture! They hate us!
They're trying to turn it Franco-German. What EBU is in fact doing is giving countries the free choice of which language they want to sing in, if the countries themselves choose to sing in English, then that is not the problem of the EBU's, is it?
I am not sure exactly what EU is trying to do, but my point is still that they try to erase national characteristics in favor of something else, and Eurovision is also heading in that direction and in the case of Eurovision it's clear that that "something else" means an Anglo-saxic/American approach generally.
Exactly, so why do you think it's such a big deal if countries sing in English or not?
I think my opinion is quite clear on this. The bid deal is that it's killing European diversity which to me is what made this contest unique in the first place.
The whole concept was to bring Europe together, to unite people through music after some terrible years and to try and lighten the mood for one day a year (the 1950's were extremely tough for people, it's not like the war just ended and it was all rosy). The concept was shown once again when Russia joined but I feel that the concept is being challenged now by other reasons and factors, the use of English not being one of them.
Exactly! So how come bringing a continent together mean a whole continent adopting just one language and cultural approach? That to me is not bringing together.
If you believe in a language rule then you are talking about forcing countries to sing in certain languages. Nobody's suggested English superiority, it may be a preference but it is a preference established by native countries themselves (Sweden for example nearly always sings in English, that doesnt mean your entries are any better or any worse than if they were in Swedish, it just means that your broadcaster made a choice about which language they preferred).
As I stated I am not pro-forcing native language use, but I think the juries should have this in mind in their voting and encourage it atleast. As for Sweden I always said I wanted us to send something Swedish, but also it does reflect pretty well other Swedish issues and I doubt we'll ever see an entry in Swedish and it's sad.
I dont think so, that has been the general trend of world culture in the global village. I think the erosion of individual cultures is very sad (I know the way Welsh culture used to be treated here for example, Im glad that it is now on the rebound) but singing in English is not eroding one's culture, as I said earlier, the style of music has a much stronger link with culture than the language of the lyrics.
But I am not just discussing the languages, I discuss style aswell. Juries are biased AGAINST local-styled entries aswell, this is what I mean with the contest turning "Anglo-saxic".
Europe is Paki, Europe is Indian, Europe is American, Europe is European.