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I have read dozens if not hundreds of EU-critical articles in the "mainstream media" during the last few decades. Maybe you should just read more, if you're mis

I have read dozens if not hundreds of EU-critical articles in the "mainstream media" during the last few decades. Maybe you should just read more, if you're missing EU critique. (Why people who already dislike the EU so badly want to read more critique of it is another matter - maybe to feel better?)

nwellnhof 9y ago
My point is that for every article that exposes EU protectionism, there are ten articles praising the importance of so-called "free trade".
- JohnStrangeII 9y ago
  And what's the problem with that? People are entitled to their opinions, including journalists writing editorials. Besides, the whole EU critique is such an old hat. In the 80s and 90s there was overwhelming critique on the EU from the fringe left in many countries. Now it's also coming more from fringe right-wing parties. Apart from that, not much has changed. The same old story, using the EU as a scapegoat to get voters, while the majority does the right thing. Then, when those parties get to power, they usually change their mind in light of the facts. (Typical example: The Green party in Germany, which was, of course, very anti-EU in the 80s. Now it's the AfD from the right-wing with the same silly arguments.) Anyway, stop blaming journalists for not sharing your opinion. It's not their role to please you, and if you want to hear what you already believe, there are plenty of 'non-mainstream' media, i.e., personal blogs and politically coloured news aggregation sites, to confirm your opinions. The idea is patently absurd that people don't get enough choices in the media nowadays and therefore could be mislead.
  - nwellnhof 9y ago
    The problem is that the mainstream media are, for the most part, rationalizing an economic order that keeps poor countries poor. It's hard to deny that policies imposed by the IMF on third world countries play a role in ruining their agriculture and harming industrial development, to the benefit of the EU bloc and other rich countries. Why shouldn't I blame journalists for not informing the public about the actual reasons why millions of people are kept in poverty? These issues never make the mainstream media headlines, so there's nothing absurd about the claim that people are systematically mislead. Also, just because an argument is made by people from the far left or far right doesn't mean that it's wrong. Guilt by association is a cheap rhetorical device.
    - JohnStrangeII 9y ago
      You're wrong, I believe. The EU does not keep poor countries poor. They are poor because of structural weakness of their economy or because they are in a transition phase. As I've said, there will always be poorer and richer regions in Europe, and this has nothing to do with the EU.

nwellnhof 9y ago

My point is that for every article that exposes EU protectionism, there are ten articles praising the importance of so-called "free trade".

JohnStrangeII 9y ago
And what's the problem with that? People are entitled to their opinions, including journalists writing editorials. Besides, the whole EU critique is such an old hat. In the 80s and 90s there was overwhelming critique on the EU from the fringe left in many countries. Now it's also coming more from fringe right-wing parties. Apart from that, not much has changed. The same old story, using the EU as a scapegoat to get voters, while the majority does the right thing. Then, when those parties get to power, they usually change their mind in light of the facts. (Typical example: The Green party in Germany, which was, of course, very anti-EU in the 80s. Now it's the AfD from the right-wing with the same silly arguments.) Anyway, stop blaming journalists for not sharing your opinion. It's not their role to please you, and if you want to hear what you already believe, there are plenty of 'non-mainstream' media, i.e., personal blogs and politically coloured news aggregation sites, to confirm your opinions. The idea is patently absurd that people don't get enough choices in the media nowadays and therefore could be mislead.
- nwellnhof 9y ago
  The problem is that the mainstream media are, for the most part, rationalizing an economic order that keeps poor countries poor. It's hard to deny that policies imposed by the IMF on third world countries play a role in ruining their agriculture and harming industrial development, to the benefit of the EU bloc and other rich countries. Why shouldn't I blame journalists for not informing the public about the actual reasons why millions of people are kept in poverty? These issues never make the mainstream media headlines, so there's nothing absurd about the claim that people are systematically mislead. Also, just because an argument is made by people from the far left or far right doesn't mean that it's wrong. Guilt by association is a cheap rhetorical device.
  - JohnStrangeII 9y ago
    You're wrong, I believe. The EU does not keep poor countries poor. They are poor because of structural weakness of their economy or because they are in a transition phase. As I've said, there will always be poorer and richer regions in Europe, and this has nothing to do with the EU.