The Still Not Worthy of the Name 2017: Pt.4

This should be read as a continuation of Part 3; http://watchitdie.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/the-still-not-worthy-of-name-2017-pt3.html

The Fight Against Islamist Terror: The 2017 contest took place in the northern or Shamali Province of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). So in a way it was all about Islamist terrorism.

However a handful of nations chose to look in detail at ISIL's traditional heartlands of Syria and Iraq and the terror threat to the wider world. Two nations that have shared a lot of recent Eurovision history on this topic are Israel and France.

This really began with the January 7th 2015 (7/1/15) Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, France. Or more specifically the Hypercacher Kosher supermarket attack on January 9th (9/1/15).

In the heat of an Israeli election campaign Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to France to attend a ceremony to repatriate the bodies of the five Jewish victims for burial in the Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem.

In his speech at the service Netanyahu called for France's Jews to return with him to Israel where they would be safe. This notion of Israel being a safe country free from the threat of Islamist terrorism caused a fair bit of amusement within Israel.

So at the 2015 Song Contest Israel was represented by Nadav Gudej who is a French born Jew who emigrated as a child to Israel. The song; "Golden Boy" was primarily a mockery of Netanyahu's call for Jews - as God's golden boys and girls - to move to Israel.

At the 2016 France responded by sending Amir with his song; "J'ai Cherche (I've Been Looking For You)." Like Nadav Gudej Amir is a French born Jew who emigrated to Israel at a young. However he returned to France. So the main message of the song was France begging its Jews to come back from Israel because it missed them.

Israel: This year they were represented by Imri with the song; "I Feel Alive."

Although it's hard for me to explain exactly why this song invoked the mental image of raindrops hammering on a window pane. The rain currently rattling Israel's windows is the complex and bloody war in their neighbour Syria.

I have frequently criticised former US President Barack Obama for completely failing to realise that Syria and Israel are right next to each other. Therefore the conflict in Syria has quite a lot of impact on Israel.

For example - on paper at least - the Palestinian group Hamas are officially allied with ISIL through Turkish President/Prime Minister/Emperor Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hezbollah the Lebanese group and informal ally of Hamas are currently fighting in Syria against ISIL on behalf of the Syrian government.

Israel itself is facing domestic pressure to intervene in Syria both from its Druze population who want to prevent a genocide of Syria's Druze and Zionists who want an excuse to occupy more of the Golan Heights.

If Obama realised at all that Israel and Syria are next to each other he certainly didn't see any of this having any impact on attempts to negotiate a peace between Israel and Palestine. So he kept repeatedly calling on particularly the Israelis to do more to achieve the so-called; "Two State Solution." This was driven entirely by Obama's ego rather than any reality on the ground.

However Obama was not alone in this bizarre behaviour. Now former French President Francois Hollande also aggressively pursued the Israel/Palestine peace process while being completely oblivious to the situation both Israel and Palestine find themselves in. That too was driven equally by ego.

Featuring lyrics like; "And I'm a Bit Fragile. And You Like Trouble." the song seemed to be reminding France of the reality of Israel's current situation. Reminding everyone of their shared history Imri was a backing singer for Nadav Gudej in 2015 and Hovi Star in 2016.

Much of the video in support of the song feature Imri sitting in a Tel Aviv nightclub while video of his past Eurovision performances play on the big screen behind him. This is a reference to a big story in Israel from 2015.

A video appeared on social media showing a very drunk woman having sex with multiple men in public in a Tel Aviv nightclub. This triggered wide public discussion over whether the woman had consented or had been gang-raped because she was too drunk to consent. Although it was eventually determined she'd not been raped the debate fuelled a protest movement against sexual violence.

That protest movement includes the so-called; "Slutwalk" the most recent example of which took place in Tel Aviv on Friday (12/5/17). The day before the Grand Final and the day on which the professional juries cast their votes.

However even this reference seemed like an attempt to attract tourists to Israel. Particularly gay tourists with the song being written by Penn Hazut and Dolev Ram who also wrote "Malkat Ha'shoshanim (Queen of the Roses)" which was the anthem of the 2015 Tel Aviv Gay Pride event.

In fact the whole video looked as though it had been produced by the Israeli tourist board. It actually seemed almost identical to the current campaign the Israeli tourist board have been running to attract visitors to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The only difference is that this video was set entirely in Tel Aviv and made clear that all the people involved loved Tel Aviv and only Tel Aviv.

So I think it's pretty clear what Israel's position on plans to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is.

France: This year they were represented by Alma with the song; "Requiem."

At the 2016 Song Contest a last minute plot was hatched to drive Shamali Province into the winners slot and Australia into second place. This seems to have been inspired by the song; "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" by the band Flogging Molly.

France's entry this year seems to have been inspired by another Flogging Molly song; "Requiem (For a Dying Song)." This features lyrics such as;

"There's a government whip
Cracked across your back
Where the order of the day
Is don't listen attack
See the blood run down
In your bushwhacked town
Revolution is the gimmick
Of a jokeless clown"

And;

"See the terror in the eye
Of a bloodshot child
With only rubble in his belly
And the promise of lies
Operation liberation, tell me you can decide"

This was published in 2009 so was clearly written for a different purpose. However it would serve almost perfectly as a protest song against Erdogan's current war on Syria. Under Hollande France has been a very passionate backing singer for Erdogan's war on Syria.

For example back in December 2016 the Syrians finally were able to liberate all of Aleppo City from the Al Qaeda-led, Erdogan-backed Army of Conquest/Jaish al-Fatah (JAF) coalition. France used it's seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to do everything in its power to try and make sure Aleppo City stayed under the Army of Conquest's control.

France knew that the morning after the 2017 contest their new President would be inaugurated. They also knew that President would be Emmanuel Macron because the election had been rigged to allow Macron to carry on the policies of Hollande despite those policies being rejected by voters.

The video in support of the French song features a pair of ballroom dancers performing in and around Paris landmarks. Apart from the fact their often shown dancing on the sides of buildings in defiance of the laws of physics the most notable thing about these dancers is that they are shown only in shadow. Thus making them Shadow Dancers.

There is a 2012 British TV Movie called; "Shadow Dancer." It is written by Tom Bradby who was born in Malta and is currently the main anchor of ITV's flagship "News at Ten." That is produced by Independent Television News (ITN).

Although is the BBC is the broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest Britain is represented within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) news pool by ITN. So whether he likes it or not Tom Bradby is part of the Eurovision family.

The movie Shadow Dancer is about attempts by Britain's Security Service MI5 to recruit an informant within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) during the Northern Irish Troubles. Apart from Brexit and the Northern Irish question France seem to be referencing it here to acknowledge Britain's superiority both in fighting and doing terrorism.

The song then attempts to look at some of the problems currently being faced by France's own security services.

Although I don't know the details of her background the singer Alma has skin just about dark enough to suggest she has North African, Arab heritage. This is further hinted at by the fact France are happy to tell you she has a sister named; "Amir" which is a name of North African, Arab origin. She works with Nazim Khaled who is a reasonably successful French producer who is of North African, Arab heritage.

France is extremely protective of its language. It even has a government department which sets quotas for the number of non-French language songs that can be played on TV and Radio. This is particularly frustrating for French rappers of North African heritage who can sort of slide between French and Arabic in a single song.

The song Requiem does not slide between French and Arabic but between French and English. The verses sung in French are a simple love song with lyrics like; "Kiss me, Tell me you love me, Make me smile." The chorus however is sung in English and features the main lyric; "Take Me to Paradise."

Imagine if you will that you are a member of the French security services listening into the conversations of a group of young French Muslim men of North African heritage who you are worried may be Islamist terrorists. They talk normally in French except for when they slip into Arabic to talk about going to this address to meet the person that's going to help them get to paradise.

Obviously that would make you a little worried that they were off to meet with a terror cell who'd help them reach paradise and the 72 virgins by becoming a suicide bomber.

However if they're merely talking about going to meet an attractive woman like Alma who they've found on Tinder for sex they're really not going to be happy if you intervene to arrest them before their big date. So not happy in fact that it may drive them to become a suicide bomber.  

Belgium: France's partially French speaking neighbour where represented by Blanche with the song; "City of Light's." France's capital city Paris is famously known as; The City of Lights 

Featuring lyrics such as; "All alone in the danger zone Are you ready to take my hand?" and "The storm in your eyes, The storm in your bright eyes" this is Belgium giving France a big hard kick over France's support Erdogan's war on Syria.

The video in support of the song features concrete buildings of the Brutalist-syle of Oscar Niemeyer that was so popular in the 1960's a 1970's. From certain angles some of these buildings resemble the notorious; "H-Blocks" of Northern Ireland's infamous Maze Prison.

After it became clear that it couldn't help the Army of Conquest cling on to Aleppo City France then through its diplomatic weight behind Erdogan's plan to forcibly transfer civilians to neighbouring Idlib province. From there Erdogan wanted to establish Turkish camps within Syria. 

Although they've yet to be established these proposed Turkish camps have been designated; "Long Kesh." The original name for the Maze Prison when it was an internment camp.   

From certain other angles - particularly when they intersect with bridges and roads - these buildings also resemble the Nazi Swastika symbol. So Belgium don't seem keen on any of ISIL's provinces - north, south, east or west.

At around 17:10 on 15/5/17 (UK date) I have so much more of this to add after dinner.

Edited at around 19:00 on 15/5/17 (UK date) to add;

France's language ban was much talked about at the 2016 Song Contest. It was seen as excluding in particular French Muslims of North African origin for mainstream society. Thus making them more vulnerable to radicalisation by terrorists.

On May 7th (7/5/17) - the opening day of the contest - the Israeli cabinet approved the nation state bill. This downgrades the status of Arabic as an official language within Israel. They're not even attempting to disguise the fact that the purpose of the bill is to preserve Israel as a state only for Jewish people. Having been approved by ministers the bill will now go to the Parliament for debate.

Turkey: On May 9th (9/5/17) Turkish President/Prime Minister/Emperor urged Muslims to visit Jerusalem in order to protect it for Islam against the threat of Israeli tourist board's Tel Aviv/Jerusalem campaign. Erdogan went on to condemn Israel's language bill.

However Erdogan maintains that the Eurovision Song Contest is not important so there's no reason for Turkish citizens to be exposed to it. So once again Turkey chose not to participate.

Italy: This year they were represented by Francesco Gabbani with the song; "Occidentalis Karma (Westerner's Karma)."

This is inspired by the famous quote by British journalist Alex Hamilton that is often mis-attributed to US President Alexander Hamilton; "Those Who Stand For Nothing Fall For Anything."

Even as recently as up to the 1990's spirituality within Europe was dominated by Christianity which in the case of Italy means Catholicism. However now organised religion has fallen out of favour more and more people are using a mixture of spiritual beliefs cropped from a variety or religions and popular science.

This is almost like people picking food from an ideological buffet.

So for example someone will do a bit of yoga from Hinduism and a bit of meditation from Buddhism. They'll also take inspiration from ethologists like Desmond Morris who wrote the 1967 book; "The Naked Ape." All on a microbiotic, gluten-free diet.

Despite taking knowledge from a variety of sources these people have no real depth to their knowledge making them ultimately quite foolish.

However I should point out that rather than trying to promote Christianity this song is just complaining about modern life.

One religion has become extremely fashionable amongst western liberals of late: Islam.

So for example today US President Trump's travel ban is back in Court. As always this is accompanied by millions of Americans who have never met a Muslim and likely will never meet a Muslim. However they're all opposed to the travel ban because they don't want to be seen as Islamaphobic.

Another good example of what I term the; "One Muslim Friend Brigade" is the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, UK in the spring of 2016.  People who live in London didn't care about this because in London being Muslim isn't a particular exotic rarity. However liberals in other parts of the UK and as far afield as the US were falling over themselves to say how amazing and progressive it was.

Of course if you asked any of these people is Sadiq Khan was a Sunni Muslim or a Shia Muslim, whether he followed a Salafist or Sufi interpretation, whether he was an Islamist who viewed religion as merely a political tool or whether he was a Secularist who considers religion and politics to be separate they would then stare at you blankly.

As they tried to work out what those words mean and whether the fact you've taken the trouble to learn that earth's 1.7bn Muslim aren't in fact the same person makes you more or less racist.

This - I wanted to say; "Sainted" - status that Muslims seem to enjoy amongst western liberals has caused a lot of problems when it comes to Islamist terrorism. For example many western liberals seem to believe that because they say they're Muslims it is impossible for groups like ISIL and the Army of Conquest to lie. So any attempt to accuse them of lying or inhibit their 'right' to slaughter people is deemed racist.

It is that attitude that has allowed Islamist terror groups to carry out atrocities like the 2015 Paris Massacres and the 2016 Bastille Day attack. As the saying goes; "Karma's a Bitch."

One aspect of both the Hindu and Buddhist religions that has come into common usage of late is the mystical place of; "Shangri-La." This is the designation for the vast 15,000kmsq (9,000milesq) de facto Safe-Haven that has been established by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF/QSD) in north-eastern Syria.

The SDF are primarily a Guerrilla force. Francesco Gabbani was accompanied in the video and on stage by many, many Gorillas.

As such Italy's main message was to throw their full support behind the formal designation of Shangri-La as and SDF controlled Safe-Haven.

Italy were the red hot favourites to win both before and during the early part of the contest. It is rare that they early favourite actually goes on to win. The tend to fall victim to their own hype with everyone getting sick of talking about them by weeks end.

However I was expecting Italy to do well finishing at least in the top three. Rather than a lack of support for their message there seems to be a variety of reasons for the upset.

One may well be me. In protest I've been boycotting this year's contest by refusing to officially recognise it and making a point of not watching either of the semi-finals nor the performance section of the grand final. I've certainly not been hyping it up on Twitter.

It is possible that people have responded to this snub by snubbing something that is seen as important to me. After all that is a very Eurovision sort of thing to do.

Also Erdogan has a reputation for wanton and extreme violence. Although under Hollande France have continually denied it it's widely accepted that Turkey's contribution to the 2016 Song Contest was the bombing of Egyptair flight MS804 from Paris, France to Cairo, Egypt. That killed 66 people.

In the last week of April Erdogan used the Turkish Air Force to conduct repeated attacks against the SDF in Shangri-La. He has since threatened to attack US troops deployed alongside the SDF and during Saturday's (23/5/17) he again shelled the SDF.

There is little point to the Song Contest making a big statement in support of the SDF if no-one talks about it the next day because NATO has just gone to war with itself.

Finally on Friday (12/5/17) the US popstar Katy Perry released the video in support of the song; "Bon Appetit." Katy Perry's song; "Roar" featured the lyric; "I stood for nothing so I fell for everything."

So I really hope that wasn't a Taylor Swift (2015) type US attempt to muscle in on the Song Contest.

The message of Bon Appetit is quite simple. Katy Perry has just gone through a bad break-up and wants someone, anyone to perform oral sex on her. The video director seems to have gone; "Yikes! I suppose we could try to cover it up with some stuff about vegans protesting the meat industry." The video features Katy Perry being used as a human buffet table for men to eat off/out.

I actually have a bit of a history with Katy Perry. Years ago I vaguely knew her ex-husband Russell Brand. So even before she'd met him I thought her ex-husband was a bit of an idiot. Also I got way too involved with her friend Rihanna while Rihanna was finally breaking up with her ex Chris Brown during the 2013 Diamonds World Tour.

So although I've never actually met her I sort of consider Katy Perry to be something of friend. So news that she's having a bit of a rough time of it doesn't make me happy. Even if though her support for Hillary Clinton means we've clearly had a difference of opinion over politics.

"Diamond" comes from the Greek word; "Adámas" meaning; "Untamed" or less correctly; "Unapologetic." As a result diamonds have featured this year in reference to Shamali Province's persistent rule breaking.

As a result of all this Katy Perry releasing Bon Appetit gives everyone a bit of a headache. The sort of headache that discourages people from starting yet another conversation about Italy's entry.

That said Italy did seem to do consistently well with the jury vote picking up medium points from most people. So maybe they were hoping the public vote would push it over the edge into the top three.

The problem is that the voters are the type of people that the song's insulting.

20:35 on 15/5/17 (UK date).