What is the world coming to, is the story in UK's The Sun newspaper, the one entitled "
Brits Holiday from Helmut" just more cr@p to get sales, or does it indicate a growing trend within the EU for little colonies of people who live and holiday in small communities where they speak their own language and never mix with the locals or each other?
Let me tell you what the situation is. Some idiot Brit bought a package holiday in the Greek island of Kos and was dismayed to find he was completely surrounded by German people, so much so he and his family couldn't participate in any activities, and the hotel TV channels were all in German. So what did this idiot do, he sued his travel agent for misrepresenting his holiday.
Of course the story would be picked up by "The Sun", those guardians of all things British, protectors of the peasant way of life, and with such a racist and inflammatory headline wouldn't you expect the Germans to get their noses out of joint as well? Well they did, and yesterday's Bild carried an equally provocative (although much funnier) response entitled "
Zu viele Deutsche im Hotel – Brite kriegt Schadenersatz!"
The Sun ran with photos of this hapless Brit and his family in Kos and frankly their reporting was pretty boring, really just trying to stir emotion in their continual let's bash the Germans and the EU tone, whereas Bild really went to town on their response using a picture of a couple of ugly Brit lobsters baking on the beach whilst contrasting it with a super sexy German girl wearing a German flag bikini and hat and waving the German flag.
Bild's story pretty much sums up my attitude, if you want a holiday, go anywhere so long as the Brits avoid the place. In fact they go so far as to advise German football fans to go ahead and book their championship holiday with complete satisfaction it will mostly be Tommy-free since none of the Brit football teams made it. LOL.
This story brings up a very interesting fact that within the EU people are choosing to live and holiday in other countries but within their own language groupings which I find really sad. The last time I was in Greece I had to carry a phrasebook so I could communicate in Greek with the locals. Living in Germany I needed to speak German, in France I had to speak French, in Spain we have to speak Spanish, and heaven help any foreigner who tries to speak German or French in the UK!
I realise that learning another language is actually impossible for the Brits, the few who do manage to master another language also tend to be the better Brits who leave the country, but why should anyone, Brit or German, expect their holiday within the EU to be exclusively in their language?
Surely a holiday should be as much about seeing something different that you can't get at home as much as having a great time as well? Am I being silly, should I just accept this as another example of peasants being catered to by their capitalist overlord whilst also keeping them in a perpetual state of modern serfdom? Am I really that unique because I choose to live by full immersion in another country and learn the language?
Lastly, my final word on the matter. I am disgusted with the BBC whose editors chose to cover this story with the headline "
German tabloid mocks UK tourists". Whatever happened to BBC impartiality and quality reporting?