French are right to defend their culture

Caught in a pincer movement driven by static economic growth and the seemingly unstoppable rise of the East, Europe and America are trying to reconcile trade, cultural and philosophical differences to their, and hopefully our, mutual benefit.

Never the most comfortable of bedfellows, capitalism’s near-death experience, unsustainable unemployment figures and the prospect of growing social disharmony — if not unrest — mean that two seemingly natural allies must overcome persistent differences and be more accommodating towards each other. With that in mind the European Union is trying to agree a common position to open, one more time, trade talks with America. The difficulties involved in resolving even those internal European differences should not be underestimated, a point illustrated by the increasingly fraught positioning by countries who feel cheated or threatened by the opportunities presented to multinational corporations by conflicting national tax regimes. When that issue is discussed between Europe and America the potential for division is unfortunately of an entirely different order.

Despite the implications for Europe’s farmers and hi-tech companies on either side of the Atlantic, France has dug its heels in over its determination to protect its film and television industries through government subsidies. Television and film are not the primary issues but rather the fact that they are a conduit, the oxygen and stage for much of French culture, that wonderful mix of the earthy and the esoteric, the sublime and the bombastic.

The French almost uniquely have the cultural confidence and solidarity to go to such lengths to protect their own version of our shared world. In an increasingly globalised and anonymous world they are to be encouraged and maybe even seen as an example to follow.

Their defiance prompts obvious questions and challenges for us and how we regard or value our own culture and what we are prepared to do to make sure it is robust enough to withstand the destructive blandness of international commercialism.

This is a great challenge as anyone who has seen city after city become and seem the same, each and every city centre dominated and dulled by the same international retailers. That sameness has come to dominate so much of our cultural life too. After all, the recent and highly acclaimed Irish TV series, Love/Hate, was, and this is not meant to be disparaging, little more than a top o’ the morning version of the Sopranos. The internationalisation of food is another process pushing that which was once local or national towards a stifling sameness.

Of course this is a terribly nuanced issue and its importance may seem trifling until it is too late to do anything to celebrate or even protect the very traits that make us Irish or European.

Unfortunately, we can be our own worst enemies in this area too often enthusiastically embracing some of the less substantial offerings of international culture. Crass innovations like the Certificate of Irishness swizz foisted on any passing celebrity who might have once bet on an Irish horse demean the whole concept. Equally the more cloying aspects of the Gathering all suggest that we are at least as happy to exploit our heritage as we are to honour it.

Recognising the value of what we are and what we stand for is not xenophobic, insular or silly but, as the French have shown, a declaration of self-worth. We should do it more often because we, despite everything, are worth it.