Europe then and now

American Thinker ^ | 25 Apr, 2025 | Thomas Fix

[MtnClimber]

When I was in my mid-20s, more than 40 years ago, I backpacked throughout Europe, for two months. I hitchhiked and rode trains across 13 countries, staying in youth hostels with their daily required chores, fully immersing myself into city and rural life. It left a deep impression that I'll never forget. Back then, each country had border controls, so the flow between nations was slowed, keeping the cultures and behaviors unique.

One common trait across all nations was their habit of entering a nearly empty rail car to sit next to you. From this, I was immersed into countless stories, across many nations. The urban people that I encountered were generally friendly, usually mentally sharp, often able to converse in multiple languages, and seemed much more educated and civilized than myself (which is somewhat of a low bar). In Geneva, I was surprised by an elderly man who walked rapidly toward me. He stopped, then asked me with deep concern in English "Are you lost?" Oddly, everywhere that I went, everyone seemed to instantly recognized me as American. I replied "Yes, but that's alright… I don't have to be anywhere." Being Swiss, this didn't make him happy. Germany was very orderly then. Switzerland was psychotically orderly. He insisted on driving me where I wanted to go.

SNIP

Today, I've seen almost no trace of that old Europe in the countries where I've recently returned. A conversation with a young Danish gal in her 20s partly summarized it. In her place of work, everyone spoke English. Even her large friend circle speaks mostly English. She learned it properly in school, but mostly by watching movies in English. She grew up with Danish, but now speaks it mostly to her older relatives. Yet, it's not just the loss of their language.

---

TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS:

[MtnClimber]

This is what the left tries to do. They want to erase cultures and heritage. Now they are doing it with uncontrolled immigration.

[BobL]

“A conversation with a young Danish gal in her 20s partly summarized it. In her place of work, everyone spoke English. Even her large friend circle speaks mostly English.”

I wouldn’t complain too much about English since Arabic will be the ONLY national language in Europe in a generation or two.

[Leaning Right]

> This is what the left tries to do. They want to erase cultures and heritage. <

But only some cultures and heritage.

Should the Navaho be allowed to keep their culture and heritage?
Leftist: “Of course.”

Should the Dutch be allowed to keep their culture and heritage?
Leftist: “You’re a filthy racist for asking that.”

[rfreedom4u]

I was in Europe last year (Italy, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, France, Spain and Portugal). My worst experience was in Naples. The stench was horrible as there were “migrants” everywhere and it smelled of urine, BO and hashish.

Albania was nice and slow paced but not super clean. Montenegro and Croatia were awesome!

France was nice but I avoided the big cities. Spain was (as usual) amazing! And Portugal was very nice.

[nathanbedford]

Judging from memory if I am not mistaken, the photograph looks as though it depicts Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a magical place and one of the most charming Dorfs in Germany, and therefore one of the most visited tourist destinations.

It is not surprising that the enterprising burghers of destination tourist resorts learn to speak the international language as part of their livelihood. I live in a tourist destination in Germany, but one frequented by German-speaking terrorists so the English-speaking population here is very limited indeed. If one ventures only a few kilometers from here into the country one discoverers few people of any age who speak English apart from the most basic English bit they acquired years ago in high school, which they are eager to demonstrate as they tell you as best they can that they have a cousin in Chicago.

Yet the author is correct in one respect, Germany at least is overrun with foreigners of all descriptions and that accounts, no doubt, for the burgeoning popularity of the upstart AFD political party whose platform echoes, Word for Word, that of Donald Trump. In fact, AFD has been endorsed by Trump.

Not surprisingly, the establishment in Germany has reacted against AFD on parallel lines to that which the establishment America has done to Donald Trump.

[MtnClimber]

I have been following the growth of AfD and the resistance coming from the left. I wish them well.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

That article seemed to end rather unexpectedly. Like European culure?

[posterchild]

I thought so as well. It seemed he was setting the stage for a deeper insight and then just ended it.

[exinnj]

Unified economy requires unified language, so English becomes a common language. Elections (decisions) have consequences.

[logi_cal869]

I noticed that as well.

I’m rather shocked that Lifson posted it. He’s had much higher standards for articles. It’s more akin to a ramble.

[JewishRighter]

Article is a little weird in its conclusion: he seems more upset about the fact that a lot of English is now spoken in European countries than the fact that the horrific cultural transformation from uncontrolled immigration has wrecked many cities in Europe and threatens to overthrow the host countries.

[rktman]

Yup. I have no desire to go back any more.

[posterchild]

If i were to finish it I’d probably take notice of how the differences between various countries are diminished and there is less geographic diversity of distinct cultures and less trust.

My sampling is limited so this is just a grain of salt but..
There seems to be a Bowling Alone theme were people mingle with strangers less and society is less interactive. With the homogenization across large distances (migration, more people consuming the same media, etc)

Also many parts of Europe seem to be of reduced trust compared to some decades ago (as with the US). I recently read a book ‘A Time of Gifts’ about a traveller on foot going from Holland to Hungary in the 1930s (follow on editions gets him to Istanbul) and he would often be offered free accomodations, food, advice, connections with people in the next city, etc. It sounded like a glorious time except for the ominous signs of the future he saw.

[posterchild]

Even in my post above i talk about ‘Europe’ but there are parts resisting the shift better than others. The visigrad countries are still worth visiting among others. I don’t have any desire to visit big cities in the western countries outside of perhaps Lisbon.

[LizzieD]

Just returned from three days in Paris and was shocked at how much English is everywhere. There was a time when the French fought for the purity of the French language, but it looks like they’ve given up.

[dfwgator]

Refugees, who know English, don’t want to learn the local language, so they have to accomodate there.

In Poland, you would be beaten up for speaking Russian, but now that there are so many Ukrainians there, who still speak Russian as their first language, that’s changed.

[Menes]

True. If leftists didn’t have any double standards, they wouldn’t have any standards at all.

P.S.:
With apologies to the Freeper who once had this tagline. I didn’t want to infringe upon his copyright.

[Menes]

Thank you very much, Gentlemen 🙂👍🏻

Your sympathy with our plight is deeply appreciated 👏🏻😀

P.S.: Dear Mr. Nathanbedford,
could it be possible that you meant „German-speaking tourists“ instead of „German-speaking terrorists“? Autocorrect might have been acting up once again…🙂

[Menes]

Yes, that’s what I also noticed, though it seems to me that it was just the first part of Mr. Fix‘s essay, in which he introduces the subject and tells the reader a few of his observations.

I would have expected a second, longer part to his essay in which he elaborates further on the subject, followed by a summary and conclusion. It seemed like a pity to me, because the „first part“ was very good…

Maybe there is just a banal, electronic reason: there might have been a fault in the computer system.
Thus, only the introduction to Mr Fix’s essay might have been uploaded to the website, and the second and third parts might have gone missing. If tis was the case, hopefully, this glitch will be rectified soon, so we all might be able read the whole essay 🙂