The Evil European

1st January 2007 will see Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. There will be the usual talk....of joining 'Europe' as if they have been living on the moon for the last five decades, of 'floods' of poor people looking for work, the lose of culture and identity and other general pessimistic talk. But take a step back from the usual bellyaching and you see something that is incredible.

The last five decades have seen a stunning transformation, especially when you look back another 5. From Empire and colonisation, though the two most bloody wars in human history and a bankrupt and destroyed continent. The West rebuilt with the help and support of the USA, the East by the USSR, the divide forming the epicentre of the Cold War and mutually assured destruction. The dictators have been swept aside and, the wars are gone, old enemies no more. Its almost if we have come to our senses...accepting that we have more to gain working together than tearing chunks of each other.

What has been created is far from perfect, but what is? What can be said with out a shadow of a doubt is that it is infinitely better than what came before.

I came across this in the Observer, and while it is by a Labour MP, I will let it pass.

"Europe has its own speeds and rhythms. They are much slower than its hyperactive leaders think. Six months is a jolt of the second hand on the European clock. Since 2000 the EU has been chasing its tail with the search for a European finality embodied in a constitution. This notion is a false one. Europe is process, not product; a journey, not a destination."

Europe is process, not product; a journey, not a destination....people talk about the EU as a trade zone, as a fortress, as burden or benefit to people and business. Such views are in their own way true, but seen through the lens of human history, interactions and society, it is something entirely different.

It might be hyperbole, brought on by the coming new year, but what happens in Europe, within the EU, has the potential to re-shape human society. We live in an ever more interconnected and interdependent world. Global challenges are upon us, and the only way though them will be to work together.

Wanna go for a ride?

An interesting post on Patriot Boy/Jesus General.

"A principal problem is the attitude of Americans, but I don’t mean an attitude of arrogance, racism, superiority, or that sort of thing (though it can often play an important role). The principal issue is probably much more tragic: Americans tend to operate from a naive premise of ethical purity, assuming that since their intentions are always good, they will always be welcomed.

This leads to shock when Americans or American actions are resented or opposed in any fashion, and consequently produces significant arrogance towards those they wanted to help: they are ungrateful, unworthy of help, and perhaps unworthy of the gifts of democracy and liberty which we want to bestow upon them. The problem can’t be us, after all, since we are good and what we bring is good. If there is resistance, then there must be something wrong with the recipients."

Jesus General

While the article is taken from an American perspective, I feel the argument can be applied to the West in general. Because we believe that EVERYTHING we do is right, we only question the motives of the other and never ourselves.
Very rarley do nations or individuals act out of pure non-self interest. At best it is enlightened self-interest (such as the Marshell Plan). Its Realpolitick.
We should acknowledge this, but that would require that we face up to the fact that humans are basically shits. It is far easier to blame others for OUR short comings than for us to look in the mirror. There seems to be a huge amount of displacement going on.
This is not a call to do nothing, but a call for greater self-reflection. To question our motives before we look at others.

Its not just full moons that make people go fucking loony bin ape shit crazy.

While reading a a) very badly research b) badly humoured c) both, article in Engadget (now shit-listed), I came across some very interesting comments. Most related to the GROSS factual errors in the article, but what really got my attention was some of the bizarre ranting that were included in some comments.

Given that the rasion d'etre of this blog is Europe and a European focus, the comments that got my attention were related to Europe and the European Union in particular. The first part of the comments made sense before degenerating into a nonsensical rant against Europe and Europeans (I am guessing the person was European, as in British, but that is an issue for another post). It did not make sense from any perspective.....and this is something I find more and more with people regarding a range of issues.

People seem to confuse democracy, freedom of speech and the right of opinion with being able to say what they want and have it just as 'respected' (if that’s the right word, as anyone else’s comments. This is regardless of the fact that what is being presented is nothing but pure horse shit. If you correct people on the factual information, as in the European Union is not being run by Hitler’s re-animated corpse which seeks to force evil communist-fascist agenda like making all British people drive on the left side of the road or only eat straight bananas, you are being an arrogant snob and elitist liberal blah blah blah.

The degree of ignorance that even well educated people have on the European Union is nearly as shocking as the tripe that spews forth. I tend to spend more time educating people about what is and is not the European Union than actually discussing its merits.

I am sure there is an issue surrounding freedom of speech and the right to talk bollocks. What really worries me is that the bat shit crazy brigade are in the majority and that, in these intellectually lazy days, being popular is the same as being correct.

It aint.


PS trying something different. I have been very bad at posting so I am 'training' myself to blog everyday, and so I am writing these blogs in 15 minutes. No links, back to basics, get it down style!