[lit-ideas] Re: Eurovision Politics
- From: Teemu Pyyluoma <teme17@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 10:03:11 -0700 (PDT)
----- Original Message ----
From: David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[...]According to the Scotsman today (
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=742472007) Europe is currently
divided into two, the postmodern, ironic audience which watches because
the show is so awful, and the other half, which believes there are good
reasons to win. I quote:
Adrian Monck, a media analyst, said: "In the west, we're interested in
Eurovision for post-modern ironic reasons. The eastern Europeans have
yet to go through the ironic stage - there is a certain cheese factor
with Eurovision that doesn't play there."
[...]
Nice, but just doesn't fit.
Brits, from what I gather, approach it as camp, gay, eurotrash event. Which it
is. Swedes, historically very succesful in the competition, with less irony,
but still light-heartedly and tongue in cheek. And the press in both countries
complains loudly about politics when their entry doesn't get votes. Which is
fascinating: it is crap, but it is our crap! And I very much doubt Eastern
Europeans have such a different take on it. Only ones to take it seriously are
the Italians, and they pulled out precisely because it was too embarrassing.
I started to get it, when somebody compared the competition to other things
pan-European. History: glorious yes, but full of wars and misery. Politics:
Franco-American barbs are minor compared to infighting here. EU: fish quotas,
farm subsidies, and a draft constitution the size of a telephone book... And
then there is one night of cross-continent silliness.
It is like folk dances. Ridiculous dance routines, horrible dresses, weird
songs... only way to sustain it is call is to call it a tradition. I never
thought I say this, but I kind of like it.
Cheers,
Teemu
Helsinki, Finland
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