The West Has Lost Its Appeal

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán uttered these words during his weekly interview on one of the state-controlled radio stations the other day. Orbán elaborated on his statement by referring to the litany of sins and errors Western Europe had not only enthusiastically embraced, but was actively attempting to push onto Central Europe. Citing mass migration, the trans agenda, and almost everything in between, Orbán drove home his much belabored point that Western Europe has lost its way. Moreover, not only has it lost its way but, according to Orbán, it has also lost its appeal, which means countries in Central Europe no longer want to emulate wealthier countries such as Germany and France. 

I did not actively listen to the rest of the interview, which focused mostly on the birdemic in Hungary, but instead thought about Orbán's opinions concerning the West and its lost appeal. As I did so, I recalled that I had personally experienced this phenomenon roughly a decade ago. I can't remember the exact moment, but at some point I realized the West was gone. When I moved to Hungary five years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find the country and its society were not as far gone as the West. 

In this regard, Hungary and other Central European countries are more pleasing and interesting than their Western counterparts. These Central European countries do appear to be turning away from the West and could very well form their own distinct cultural block on the continent. At the same time, these same countries were all quick to adopt the knee-jerk global response to the dreaded birdemic and have extended this response into all areas of life, to the point that it would be hard to determine any differences in daily life between a Western European country such Germany and a Central European country such as Hungary. 

The West has lost its appeal; in this Orbán is correct. At the same time, he seems oblivious to the forces that are quickly fading the appeal of his own country and region.