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The most ethnically diverse Eurovision yet!

Fluke

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Can we just take a moment to celebrate that even with a dozen countries yet to pick their entries, we have the most ethnically diverse Eurovision ever!

We got no less than FOUR performers of African descent (including Malta who has already chosen Destiny Chukunyere, though not revealed the song), one Filipino and anyone else i may have missed. And not coincidentally, we also have a wider variety of genres, plain unusual and highly creative entries since at least the late noughties.

Hopefully this will be a lasting change and not just a one off, but can you point to a specific reason for this sudden change? Perhaps Mahmood's 2nd place and John Lundvik's 5th had some to do with it, but it can also be that the ones in charge of the national selections all over Europe just felt that it was time. Either way, it's going to be one of the most exciting editions ever, and SHOULD, god forbid, the whole thing be cancelled for you-know-what, i would never have been so sorry any previous year!
 

Mainshow

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Sorry to be such an asshole right now but is having 4/5 people of colour participating in Eurovision really "more ethnically diverse" than having 40+ countries represented by 40+ different ethnicities?

The Eurovision Song Contest has always been "ethnically diverse" and I don't get this thread at all. I mean, it's great that people of colour get more involved in the contest since they have been part of our continent for so long and are part of our communities but mathematically speaking.. if you get a singer of African descent like Benny Cristo (who is Czech/Angolan) you might "lose" a Czech singer who is Czech/Slovak or whatever... so in terms of ethnicities it's 0+/- . They cancel each other out and neither being Angolan nor being Slovak is better than being X or Y. All ethnicities, countries, skin colours have the same value.. it should stay like this in Eurovision as well!

Also, I'm not a fan of "hoping it's an everlasting change"? - I don't care about race, skin colour, gender, sex in terms of Eurovision.. just give me interesting entries.... and if you look back at Eurovision, it has always been a place for everyone.
 

Mainshow

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Back in 2009, we had a very "ethnically diverse" year as well like every year.. but I guess you mean more like "non-traditionally-European" ethnicities, that's why I just state 2009 as an example. Maybe there's even more but that's just what I can remember.

:cz: Romani
:il: Yemeni + Arab
:rs: Serbian-Jewish
:az: Iranian
:de: American
:uk: Jamaican

= at least, THREE artists of ASIAN descent and TWO artists of AMERICAN descent and dunno how to count Romani and Serbian-Jewish, tbh.

+ 2008, we had at least FOUR artists of African descent as well.

So no, 2020 isn't "more ethnically dierse" than other years, not even according to your standard that only people of colour are adding "diversity".
 
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Mainshow

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Just have a quick look at 2007

:il: Tunisian, Moroccan, Bulgarian, Romanian, Syrian, Polish, Russian, Yemenite
:at: Indonesian
:ch: :it: (Italy didn't take part back then, so it's +1 more ethnicity)
:nl: Aruba, Curacao
:pl: South Africa, Russia
:hu: Serbian (a minority in Hungary)
:be: Pakistani, Polish, Vietnamese, Ukrainian)
:de: Romanian-German
 

yuya.rooo

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To me, Eurovision always is and always has been incredibly diverse. There are so many different cultures presenting so many different genres of music and a lot of the singers are of very mixed decent and that’s what’s so great about Eurovision! A guy from Slovenia can represent Germany, an American man can represent San Marino singing a duet with our queen Valentina etc etc. That to me is diversity. And I’m saying that as a so called “person of colour”. Eurovision IS always diverse, even in a year without a single person of colour.
Now, I get where you come from and what you’re trying to say with your post. It is great to have a lot of different backgrounds represented. But as long as everyone has an equal chance to represent their country, no matter their background and colour, it really doesn’t matter who ends up being on stage that year.
 

foldpaw

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The Eurovision Song Contest has always been a battle of diverse nationality and ethnicity, I hope they goal to promote love and inclusivity to all individuals around the world.
 

Daybreak

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Well, on one hand we in Europe shouldn't really take this simplistic approach to ethnicity that Americans have, just grouping people into "white" and "black", and maybe "Asian". Every Eurovision is already very diverse since so many different ethnic groups/countries are taking part. That being said, Europeans of non-European ethnic backgrounds aren't usually all that well-represented so it's clearly commendable that they seem more visible this year. :)
 

yuya.rooo

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I agree, visibility is always great. I guess I’m just weirded out by certain people reacting to new songs and almost hyperventilating cause the singer is of African, Asian etc decent. I mean it’s nice, undoubtedly, but no need to exaggerate and almost forget about the song cause of the diversity.
 

Uto

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I am very happy that I don't have to chime in with a scathing piece on how dividing people into groups basically based on phenotypes (skin colour) is pretty offensive to me, as others have done so eloquently. I'm sure Fluke didn't mean any harm, but his point is ill-conceived. The point actually seems to be that the argument about racism holding people of dark complexion back in ESC no longer has the traction it probably once had. That seems to be correct.
 

Nemo89

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The important thing is that the singers (also with other origins) were born and raised in Europe. Only in this way, these singers, can be called European (they have had the opportunity to absorb our culture). If we then want to open the contest all over the world, we no longer call this show "Eurovision Song Contest" but "Worldvision Son Contest".

I would make, if I were in charge of the ESC, a modification with an alternative:

-) Cancel the stay of Australia and guarantee every year, if the "guest nation" has not entered "Top 10", a "guest pass" to every nation in the world.

Or...

-) I would create other contests all over the world: Eurovision, Asiavision, Africavision, Americavision ... and after the continental contest, qualify the "Top 10" of each contest at the "Worldvision Song Contest". A very intriguing idea, with a broad cultural scope and great media attention.
 
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HayashiM

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If you get a singer of African descent like Benny Cristo (who is Czech/Angolan) you might "lose" a Czech singer who is Czech/Slovak or whatever... so in terms of ethnicities it's 0+/- . They cancel each other out and neither being Angolan nor being Slovak is better than being X or Y.

Don't take this personally, I just have to throw this in because so many Czech and foreign people alike are bitching about "Benny is taking place of someone else! ... :cz: aren't sending a Czech person!" (which is not what you had on your mind I am pretty sure, but I really must express my frustration at people's stupidity anyway):

Benny is Czech.
He is a native spaker, he has the Czech passport, he is of Czech descent, he has lived in Czechia for the bigger part of his life, certainly longer than many of the other Czechs throwing insults at him have.

Benny is Czech. Period.
 
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HayashiM

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Otherwise I agree, the most important thing is that everyone has the same chances to represent their own country, based purely on their skills and song, but not on their skin colour.

I am only happy for Benny, because as I have said elsewhere, this wouldn't have been possible 10 years ago in :cz:, not without an internal selection. For other european countries, where racism isn't (maybe that much of) an issue, I don't care as much, because I hope those equal chances are already present there.
 

Mainshow

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Don't take this personally, I just have to throw this in because so many Czech and foreign people alike are bitching about "Benny is taking place of someone else! ... :cz: aren't sending a Czech person!" (which is not what you had on your mind I am pretty sure, but I really must express my frustration at people's stupidity anyway):

Benny is Czech.
He is a native spaker, he has the Czech passport, he is of Czech descent, he has lived in Czechia for the bigger part of his live, certainly longer than many of the other Czechs throwing insults at him have.

Benny is Czech. Period.
Oh, I completely agree with you.

Actually, I tried to say that it's not "more diverse" to have a Czech singer of Angolan descent than a Czech singer of Slovak descent or whatever.

I know that no one in this thread meant it like that but I dislike the ambition to highlight people of colour and value it as "more ethnically diverse" than, for example, facing traditionally European Caucasian ethnicities.
 

LastDreamer

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I'm against this type of diversity.

P.S : You can hate me after it and dislike this post.
 

DenizESC

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I can't believe people are actually trying to form an opposition to this positive thread (it being urgent was unnecessary though) like I can tell some are feeling threatened the 'whites' will be out of fashion from now on LMAO y'all crazy. Some of these countries literally have like 10-30% ethnic minorities that almost never get represented anywhere ever in the media or anywhere else. I like to see an ethnic contest like this one showing us finally that you don't need to be white to be a 1st class citizen of a European country 👍

Representation is key, especially for young kids growing up.
 
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