That's entertainment... (Score 2, Interesting)

So what exactly makes this any worse than the endless hash-rehash froth of the "dream factory" ?
It's a chance to watch something different on TV, a break from other 364 days of fake reality shows and marketing-written soaps.

Some take the contest more seriously than others of course, but if you don't love it, you love to hate it.

I actually have a couple of points to offer:

• The contest is the focuspoint of Eurovision parties all over...if you are not invited to a Eurovision Party, you are a social dud. And if you don't like the music, you can always go the way of more alcohol. It's all about having fun, so lighten up.
  
• The contest is one of few opportunities TV-viewers (young europeans) seem to take an interest in which contries actually are in Europe and which aren't. (Believe me, why Israel participates is always a popular topic)
  
• It's cultural promotion...of course the entries do not always reflect national cultures, but sometimes they do, and combined with the host country's presentations and info-bites, this actually exposes viewers to other cultures in Europe (as far as it goes of course...this isn't the Discovery Channel)
  
• It's a party opportunity
  
• How ridiculous is this really compared with other entertainment (e.g. watching 72 mind-numbing loops of Formula 1)?
  
• ...did I mention the parties...?