By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
In many European countries, distrust in the political and other societal elites is growing. Many accuse them of being detached from the common people, their aspirations, desires, and needs. These accusations are not without foundation. At times, it seems as though not only the political decision-makers, but also other influencers live in a kind of parallel world, out of touch with the realities faced by ordinary citizens. This situation is reminiscent of the aristocratic elite in France before the outbreak of the revolution (which ultimately swept them into the “dustbin of history”).
The gap in values is particularly striking. This was clearly manifested during the recent Eurovision Song Contest final, once a prestigious European entertainment event. In the end, the winner was the performer from Switzerland, despite not receiving the most viewer votes. The public awarded the most points to the Croatian representative, but it is very likely that the absolute majority of votes went to the Israeli representative (as she received the most votes from the largest European countries). However, the Swiss performer won thanks to the professional juries, who supported him in most countries.
Some might wonder why anyone would bother with a music competition. After all, is it not just about music, knowledge, and taste? But it is not that simple. These competitions are always influenced by values, sympathies, or antipathies that are not necessarily connected to music. It is common for people to vote for representatives of countries they feel close to (such as diaspora members voting for their home country).
This does not apply only to “ordinary” viewers but also to members of professional juries, the so-called music experts. For them, ideology often comes first. This was particularly evident this time when these “experts” massively supported the Swiss representative, even though the song and its performance were, to put it mildly, entirely average (it is likely this song will be forgotten within a year). However, this performer has a very strong ideological attribute. They are “non-binary”, which means it is impossible to determine if they are male or female (or possibly some other gender, it was a boy in appearance, who was hopping around the stage in a skirt). Perhaps even they do not know, or it might depend on their current mood. But the important thing is that they belong to one of the “oppressed” minorities that modern progressives place almost on a pedestal. And ideologies considered progressive find one of their main strongholds in the field of popular culture.
THIS KIND OF WOKENESS IS BASED ON THE MAXIM THAT “ANYTHING DIFFERENT IS GOOD”, EVEN IF IT IS PERVERSE. AND EUROVISION HAS BEEN AN EXPRESSION OF THIS FOR SOME TIME. ONCE AN ELITE MUSICAL EVENT, IT HAS IN RECENT YEARS TURNED INTO A FRAK SHOW, A GATHERING OF VARIOUS ODDBALLS WHERE THE QUALITY OF THE MUSIC IS OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE.
This kind of wokeness is based on the maxim that “everything different is good”, even if it is perverse. Eurovision has been an expression of this for some time. Once an elite musical event, in recent years it has turned into a freak show, a gathering of various oddballs where the quality of music is of secondary importance.
However, the citizens of Europe clearly do not follow this woke agenda, largely supported by left-wing political forces. On one hand, they gave relatively few votes to the “non-binary” Swiss performer, and on the other, they strongly supported the Israeli performer, despite her country being intensely demonised by leftist circles. This happened even in those countries where such an agenda is most intensely promoted. The “brainwashing” by the dominant media, which serves the elite’s interests by pushing the idea that everything and everyone must be accepted, still has its limits.
It seems that ordinary people, often looked down upon by the elite, have more common sense and a better sense of modernity than the elite themselves. They hold in their hands a weapon that can put an end to policies stemming from woke ideological delusions: their right to vote. They will have the opportunity to use it in the European elections in June. This opportunity simply cannot be missed.