The West Has Lost Its Appeal

9/5/2020

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán uttered these words during his weekly interview on one of the state-controlled radio stations the other day. Orbán elaborated on his statement by referring to the litany of sins and errors Western Europe had not only enthusiastically embraced, but was actively attempting to push onto Central Europe. Citing mass migration, the trans agenda, and almost everything in between, Orbán drove home his much belabored point that Western Europe has lost its way. Moreover, not only has it lost its way but, according to Orbán, it has also lost its appeal, which means countries in Central Europe no longer want to emulate wealthier countries such as Germany and France.

I did not actively listen to the rest of the interview, which focused mostly on the birdemic in Hungary, but instead thought about Orbán's opinions concerning the West and its lost appeal. As I did so, I recalled that I had personally experienced this phenomenon roughly a decade ago. I can't remember the exact moment, but at some point I realized the West was gone. When I moved to Hungary five years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find the country and its society were not as far gone as the West.

In this regard, Hungary and other Central European countries are more pleasing and interesting than their Western counterparts. These Central European countries do appear to be turning away from the West and could very well form their own distinct cultural block on the continent. At the same time, these same countries were all quick to adopt the knee-jerk global response to the dreaded birdemic and have extended this response into all areas of life, to the point that it would be hard to determine any differences in daily life between a Western European country such Germany and a Central European country such as Hungary.

The West has lost its appeal; in this Orbán is correct. At the same time, he seems oblivious to the forces that are quickly fading the appeal of his own country and region.

4 Comments

bruce charlton

9/5/2020 10:06:14

I don't take notice of what politicians or managers, or anyone else with power - says; but only what they fo. For them, as habitual and sytematic liars, words are merely manipulations. The same applies to mainstream Leftist whose passionate and profound commitment to diversity never extends to quitting their own jobs and handing them to favoured minorities.

Also, accurate (slbeit partial) diagnosis of our ills is common, but the radical, wholesale quality of any effective treatment means that matters stop there. Claimed ameliorations or moderations mean nothing.

Like the birdemic... Easing restrictions here and there mean zilch so.long as the assumption remains in place that we are dealing with a lethal plague that can - nonetheless -be prevented by LDSD. The assumptions drive the process, irresistibly.

Francis Berger

9/5/2020 19:02:55

@ Bruce - What's interesting is Central European countries did take actions that opposed the global elite in the past decade or so. The authenticity of these actions is debatable, but the actions certainly took place - hindering the QWERTY agenda in Poland, and the border fence against mass migration in Hungary are just two examples. However, the birdemic has changed all of that.

Just to be clear, Central European countries have not escaped the totalitarian coup. Contrary to many opinions on the so-called right, these countries have been subjugated in the same manner nearly all countries around the world have been subjugated. The initial and continuing response to the birdemic proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt. Here in Hungary, Orbán has always been very vocal about the globalist forces behind mass migration and other aspects of the leftist agenda; oddly enough, he hasn't uttered a peep about the possible forces behind the birdemic. No fiery accusations against Soros et. al. No criticism of the UN or the WHO. Nothing. Orbán has simply framed the birdemic as - as you state - a deadly plague that he must protect the great Hungarian nation from.

Countries like Poland and Hungary may claim to march to the beat of a different drum, but this is essentially hogwash. And how could it not be? Central Europe is deeply assimilated into the system. Here in Hungary, the bulk of employment, nay the bulk of the entire economy is completely dependent on international corporations. In addition to that, no Central European country dares turn its back on EU funding, and nearly all quietly support the existence of the EU as an entity.

Orbán is a master politician and has been on the scene here since the collapse of communism. When he first came to power, he was an extremely pro-Western, liberal politician, but the liberalism Hungary encountered after the fall of the Iron Curtain left a bad taste in the mouths of most Hungarians. By 2010, Hungarians were in a position where they welcomed the improvement in living standards, but rejected the agenda that came with it. Orbán seized on these conservative undercurrents when he returned to power in 2010 and has used them to keep himself in power ever since.

But the birdemic has revealed that Orbán's brand of populism is hollow at the core. He has quietly surrendered to the birdemic coup.

9/5/2020 19:31:49

About the concept of Central Europe - a while back (15 years or so?) I became interested by this idea of Europe as having Western, Central and Eastern parts - and in the versions I read Germany (the Greater Germany including Austria, Switzerland and the Germanic cities that outposted from this - Prague, Budapest, Riga and the Hanseatic places - was the leading part of Central Europe for several centuries up to 1945-ish.

Nowadays Germany seems part of the Western Europe axis - which suggests that the current concept (which seems to be Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Czech) may not be viable - may lack cultural depth and cohesion.

9/5/2020 21:16:22

@ Bruce - Yes, I think that's a valid conceptualization. Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Czech currently form what is referred to as the Visegrad 4. Geographical considerations aside, whatever cohesiveness they have stems from their shared history of communism and, previously, being a part of the Habsburg Empire (with the exception of most of Poland), but I agree, this cohesion lacks depth. The economies of the Visegrad 4 countries are extremely dependent on Germany. Conversely, Germany also depends on them, but the balance of economic power is clearly in Germany's favor. Orbán has recently claimed Poland will become Europe's new Germany economically. There might be something to this, but I have some deep reservations.

On a side note, there's a running joke that all former communist countries in Europe shun the Eastern Europe label. During the Cold War, Hungary was considered Eastern Europe. Today it insists it is a part of Central Europe, which suggests Ukraine is the beginning of Eastern Europe. But I imagine if we went to Ukraine, they would claim Eastern Europe starts somewhere in the vicinity of Armenia or Georgia.

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The West Has Lost Its Appeal

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