A cursory watching of the Eurovision Song Contest has brought to light the fact that this contemporary ‘entertainment’ event, despite the wishes of the organisers, has become nothing more than a display of talentless performances promoting several political agendas and sexualisation through the wearing of revealing clothing or heavy makeup.
Research tells us that the Eurovision Song Contest began way back in 1956 as a technical experiment in television broadcasting to an international audience. It was hosted in the Swiss-Italian lakeside city of Lugano, and seven nations took part: the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and Italy.
Today, contestants come from across the world, with 37 different countries taking part this year which was reduced to 26 for the final, including Australia.
Many watched with eager enthusiasm in those early years when it was a popular, albeit uneventful, with anodyne songs and down-to-Earth contestants, all dressed in evening wear and shiny shoes. Who can forget ABBA? No other Eurovision winner has come close to matching the success of ABBA, who since winning the contest in 1974 have sold 385 million records and become one of the most successful bands of all time.
Overall, the word ‘virtuous’ comes to mind, and, until recently, that’s been pretty much what Eurovision was all about. A jolly and undemanding evening, showcasing European solidarity. Genuine non-biased entertainment.
Fast forward to 2024, and a rather different picture emerges with the majority of competitors seeming scantily clad and rather ‘raunchy’ – admiringly described by the BBC as ‘magical and moving and weird’. There’s the usual menu of meaningless love songs but we are now subjected to performances that go way beyond. The UK entry, unbelievably set in a ‘post-apocalyptic boxing gym aboard a spaceship hurtling towards Earth’, has a support group of exclusively male dancers who energetically gyrate around singer Olly Alexander in a celebration of gay love.
Then we had Ireland’s ideological entry. Performed by a non-binary singer with the unlikely name of Bambie Thug – self-described as a ‘goth gremlin goblin witch’ – it features what’s been labelled a candlelit séance. Until instructed to remove them, Bambie also had the words ‘Ceasefire!’ and ‘Free Palestine!’ written across face and body in Ogham, an ancient Irish alphabet.
Despite making attempts to preserve the non-political nature of the competition, the event this year was a far cry from Eurovision’s original vision of an apolitical and wholesome songfest that would transcend political differences and draw the nations together. And the whole sorry affair has, without question, been made infinitely worse by the protests of pro-Palestinian supporters demanding Israel be removed because of the continuing conflict in Gaza. Never mind that this was a murderous conflict started by Hamas – which could be ended overnight if the terrorist group would only return the hostages and agree to cease hostilities – pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been unremitting in their call for Israel to be barred.
The sad truth is that many feel Eurovision has become a showpiece of our fractured, decadent, and increasingly pagan society, all cloaked in glitz, glamour, and sequins. It is a vehicle for interest groups to pound home their political message, whether that be sexual libertarianism, good old-fashioned anarchy, or the promotion of political socialism.
Mums and Dads have had enough of the misplaced attempts to rebrand world culture and score political and ideological points in the guise of entertainment, and instead are hoping to find traditional entertainment with music and having a good time.
Many households will, if not already, withdraw their viewing support for Eurovision. God willing, Eurovision is heading to obscurity. Dum spiro spero.
Greg Bondar, National Director of Christian Voice Australia
