Thoughts about the European Union.

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Lief Erikson

I have a question.

Globalization is drawing all the world, with all cultures and customs, closer and closer together all the time. Everything and everyone is becoming more and more connected. Doesn't the fight to preserve cultural distinctiveness seem like rather a lost cause, therefore, in the long run?

Perhaps you are right. As a matter of fact, allready I don't really know what my own cultural is exactly. What I meant to say was that I do not want the Netherlands, our language and values, to get lost in the bigger whole. The EU is a cooperation, not a nation or whatever and I would like to more or less keep it that way.
Also, I think globalization is more like a "guided natural" system of change and integration, whereas becoming the EU is more forcefull. We want to have the latest technology, fashion etc and we want to know what is going on in the world. We don't even think about the fact that Coca Cola is originally not from the Netherlands, because if you have a problem, you write to an office in the Netherlands. You probably don't think "Hey this beer is Dutch!" when you drink Heineken. Globalization is chosen for and embraced (or not) by the people, but the EU is something the governments came up with. As long as it does not clearly effect the daily lives of people and gives them a change to embrace or reject it, the new imported values and cultures etc. will remain foreign.
That is a big difference.

@ The Gaffer: Really? In the Netherlands we always complain about the Germans not being able to meet the quota's and stuff. I didn't know the French are actually worse. Allthough our impression of France isn't always very nice either (no offense to whomever might take offense )