It's a trend.. it's all interconnected.. This is going to be one huge string of gross generalisations, but here's my theory: We feel threatened by our immigrant neighbours because they did not integrate into our society. Instead of fitting in, they desperately clung to their own culture and now form a quite seperate group that's only part of our society in a small way. Because of this, our country is loosing its national identity, the 'native' people feel they're loosing their national identity. Because, if half the people in a country are of a different religious persuasion, and have very different, almost irreconcilable cultural habits, that collide with the religion and culture that were originally in a country, what =is= the national identity? And in comes Europe, with it's new and unifying constitution. Uniting all these different countries, making them one.. well, metaphorically speaking anyway.. cos Europe becoming one? With the French and the Germans and the Brits? Never in a million years. But still, just the idea of "making Europe one" is terrifying for a country that feels like it's lost its national identity..
So they vote no.. and put the EU back 20 years.. and ensure that the US will be the biggest world power for a long long time.. And that's =really= scary.. and one of many reasons why I voted yes..
Sorry about the rant.. I think I may have to link to it on my own LJ ;-)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2005-06-01 08:56 pm (UTC)This is going to be one huge string of gross generalisations, but here's my theory:
We feel threatened by our immigrant neighbours because they did not integrate into our society. Instead of fitting in, they desperately clung to their own culture and now form a quite seperate group that's only part of our society in a small way.
Because of this, our country is loosing its national identity, the 'native' people feel they're loosing their national identity. Because, if half the people in a country are of a different religious persuasion, and have very different, almost irreconcilable cultural habits, that collide with the religion and culture that were originally in a country, what =is= the national identity?
And in comes Europe, with it's new and unifying constitution. Uniting all these different countries, making them one.. well, metaphorically speaking anyway.. cos Europe becoming one? With the French and the Germans and the Brits? Never in a million years.
But still, just the idea of "making Europe one" is terrifying for a country that feels like it's lost its national identity..
So they vote no.. and put the EU back 20 years.. and ensure that the US will be the biggest world power for a long long time..
And that's =really= scary.. and one of many reasons why I voted yes..
Sorry about the rant.. I think I may have to link to it on my own LJ ;-)