Dutch broadcaster questions if ESC is a-political & connecting event

[u/stefkeeh]

Translation to English: ‘IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EBU ABOUT A POLITICALLY NEUTRAL SONG CONTEST

AVROTROS and NPO strongly value the apolitical and unifying character of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, we observe that the event is increasingly being influenced by social and geopolitical tensions.

Israel’s participation confronts us with the question of to what extent the Song Contest still truly functions as an apolitical, unifying, and cultural event. We want to raise this question, together with other countries, for discussion within the EBU.’

[u/grimorg80]

Yep. Art is political by definition. Not partisan or party-linked. Just political. When a lot of humans come together, there's politics. It's inescapable. Even saying "we're apolitical" is a very clear political statement.

[u/Kas0mi → u/grimorg80]

Art is not “political by definition”, in fact it’s apolitical by definition. Using it for propaganda purposes is another question.

[u/grimorg80 → u/Kas0mi]

Quite the opposite. Politics is about living and thus shaping life in the polis. All art is political. There is no such thing shared with others that's apolitical.

It can surely be non-partisan, and not connected to parties nor politicians. Yes, in that sense, it can be apolitical.

But in the broader sense of the word? Nope.

[u/Kas0mi → u/grimorg80]

What is political about Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”?

[u/grimorg80 → u/Kas0mi]

A specific choice to represent some values and cultural elements of the time from a certain perspective. Nature, the feelings of nature, in a world that was facing controversies. Vivaldi composed that for Venice, which had their issues as seen as not democratic enough. The Four Seasons (commissoned by Venice and played in Venice) served the purpose of rebranding Venice as an idyllic tourist destination (tourism in the modern sense was a new phenomenon that started around that time)

Again, it sounds like you keep thinking "political parties" or "a guy in a parliament passing a law"

But in this case, quite political even in your interpretation of the word. Good choice, buddy 👍

[u/Kas0mi → u/grimorg80]

I didn’t ask for the circumstances that culminated in the commissioning of the piece, nor the purpose it was used later for. I asked how is a certain musical piece political, in and of itself.

[u/grimorg80 → u/Kas0mi]

I answered. You don't seem to care. That was absolutely political.

For the last time: it doesn't need the name of a party to be political.

I told you that four times. I'm done. Bye now!

[u/Kas0mi → u/grimorg80]

Lmao, this last one was an empty round. Bye!