Movies like "The Missing Star" and "Letters from the Sahara" and "Fallen" depicted contemporary Europe as run-down, burned-out, aimlessly hedonistic, lifeless, and without purpose, meaning, or joy. Yes, these are just movies. But what artists choose to reflect about their societies does offer some insight into the culture - at least insofar as the artists see that culture.
Again, this is a snapshot, not a deep study.
In my discussions with fellow jurors (I was the only American), I was struck by their socialist/multiculti outlook. They did not want to be thought of as white Europeans. They must have considered me - with my screaming eagle US flag tee shirts - as the living embodiment of the Ugly American.
My trip around Europe this year was shocking to me in that I expected far more from Europe. What I saw was an old culture that created magnificant structures being lived in by a culture that had no identity in itself and has no dreams beyond todays gratification. The facade is old, the buildings worn and not well maintained, and head scarves everywhere on Islamics.
Europe seemed more like a third world country than I expected, and Muslims were everywhere in great numbers. In Austria, where the air reeks of pride and predudice, Arabic grafitti is on the walls along with the rest of the hate the world stuff.
It is like Muslims are ignored, a problem to great to face. This situation is explosive, a people with no identity in the face of multi-culturalism that embrace liberalism and peace at any cost, with an invasion force of a people that have an Iron tight view of their place as the destroyer to come.
Tired? No, braced on the edge of a death bed, sipping a glass of wine with the executioner.