I posted this on Facebook on 19 May 2019 – the day after Eurovision 2019.

I always enjoy watching the Eurovision Songfestival. I especially enjoy, and  at times am amused,  at watching the performances of the contestants from various European countries. There is a lot of diversity, reflective of the cultural diversity Europe has.

This morning I woke up still a bit euphoric of last night’s Eurovision Songfestival, when Duncan Laurence of the Netherlands won with his number ‘Arcade’. Yes, I am always rooting fot the Netherlands, the country which has become my country too, and my home.

While still in bed I went through Facebook and ‘liked’ the many posts of friends about the victory of the Netherlands in last night’s Eurovision Songfestival.
Posts of some leftist friends criticizing the Eurovision Songfestival however also caught my attention. Since the Eurovision Songfestival this year was held in Israel, there was a call from various leftist organizations to boycot it, Israel having occupied Palestine and persecuted (to say the least) the Palestinian people for decades. Like my leftist friends I too am disgusted with the fact that Israel  continues to get away with all this.

So having seen the posts of my leftist friends condemning the Eurovision Songfestival being held in Israel prompted me to question myself why I did not feel the same way. I still consider myself a leftist (though I think it is too simplistic to put things in the left-right spectrum, but this is another discussion), and I abhor what Israel continues to do towards the Palestinian people. But nevertheless I enjoyed watching the Eurovision Songfestival the previous night, and was even euphoric when the Netherlands won.

What has happened to my ‘political correctness’? I told Carlo “I guess I have turned a reformist.” To which he jokingly replied “Oh no, worse, you have turned a revisionist.”

But seriously, what do I really think and feel about this matter? I understand very well the call of some leftist organizations to condemn and boycot the Eurovision Songfestival being held in Israel. But my feelings tell me something else.

The Eurovision Songfestival is an initiative of the ‘musical community’. And music to me is a  medium where people can connect with each other. While watching the Eurovision Songfestival I saw and felt the connectedness of people all over Europe. I saw people from various countries expressing and sending their messages of hope, love, acceptance to each other and to the world, through their songs and music. The Eurovision Songfestival is an activity of the people, this including the Israeli people who organized it this year. When I said I abhor what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people, I refer to the Israeli government and its institutions, not the Israeli people.

So why fight against something which is good and positive, such as the Eurovision Songfestival? Why fight against something which has the power to connect us with each other; and to bring our messages of love, hope and acceptance to each other and to the world?

Something evil need not always be fought against ‘head on’. It is also important to promote the positive alternatives to evil – love, hope, acceptance, friendship and just having fun together.  This helps transform society for the better.