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Simple way to eliminate language barriers is to introduce English as main language of schooling, thus making all next generation bilingual. It's done by middle and upper classes anyway so idk why commoners are intentionally left in the dust by the System.

Let's face it: our culture (all across the EU), is American, anyway. It's stupid to pretend otherwise.



> idk why commoners are intentionally left in the dust by the System.

There's extreme wealth inequalities between EU countries (we're talking about one order of magnitude in the extreme cases), language barriers are the main things holding back the demographic crisis that would come from mass economic immigration within the EU.

> Let's face it: our culture (all across the EU), is American, anyway. It's stupid to pretend otherwise.

EU is a big place (and so is the US). Perhaps you've mainly visited major urban centers of both and so don't see the rather unique cultures both hold.


>There's extreme wealth inequalities between EU countries (we're talking about one order of magnitude in the extreme cases), language barriers are the main things holding back the demographic crisis that would come from mass economic immigration within the EU.

But that was the whole point of EU's existence: to make it easy for people to move countries. Do you claim that removing extra point of friction will make things somehow worse?


> Do you claim that removing extra point of friction will make things somehow worse?

Yes, did you not read my comment?

The peripheries of the EU (Portugal, Spain, Southern Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, etc) already see massive youth immigration and brain drain to the richer areas of the EU.

Make the majority of EU citizens fluent in English, and you can imagine how that would quickly massively increase this issue and destroy local economies and create massive political issues.


If that was true, it means whole idea of EU was wrong and people should have been forced to stay in their countries? How about building a wall huh?


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Part of their identity is shockingly low TFR (Total Fertility Rate).

In Japan, it's 1.26 live births/woman. In Singapore, it's an astounding 1.04. Both are worse than Europe (1.46) and the US (1.66).


That’s super unfortunate and I’m well aware, but it’s a separate issue.


I don't see how it can be separated from the culture as a whole. After all, what causes such differences, if not differences in cultures?


Since this inverse correlation with birth rates and GDP is observed everywhere in the world, I'm certain we're not speaking of a cultural issue.


It's not a terribly good correlation; there's a lot of variance that could well be cultural. Unless you think it's explained by genetics?


> Let's face it: our culture (all across the EU), is American, anyway.

No, it isn't. At most you could say that a part of our culture is American, but even amongst each other, EU countries differ quite a bit in terms of culture.


> At most you could say that a part of our culture is American

Don't forget that American culture mostly comes from Europe. The influence goes both ways.


I hate that you are right regarding the cultural aspect. I wish we were better at preserving our respective identities. That's why I like going to small movie theatres; they tend to play local films. And you do stumble on gems from time to time.


> introduce English as main language of schooling

Good idea - wrong language. English would make EU less European. German would be a better choice, or French or <inset an actual EU language>. Not that I believe in the idea.


English was European before the EU existed and will still be after it is gone

the EU tries very hard to conflate itself with "Europe", but it is not Europe

it is a political entity that happens to be based in Europe, and one that does not even represent a majority of the European population

it does not get to decide what is and what is not European


English is still the most widely spoken foreign language in the EU. And with UK out, it would be an almost neutral choice for a common language.


English is the language spoken by the broadest base of people in the EU, and since Brexit lacks the kind of partisan status that e.g. French or German would have.


Ireland beg to differ.


There are 5mn people in Ireland, English is now effectively a neutral language in the EU.


After Brexit, English is as neutral of a national language for the EU as Esperanto but starts with 10,000x better adoption.


Well it should be English or Mandarin Chinese depending on which superpower they want to hitch their wagon to and trade the most with

I would even go as far as to say that whichever superpower language they pick should also be used additionally for legal contracts and government work


How many people in the EU speak English, and how many speak Mandarin??


At least in the wealthier western European countries, English is already a mandatory subject from a young age. It of course varies by country, but for example Danes are learning English by age 10, followed by German/French/Spanish by age 13.


English is taught in Norway from the the first year at school at age five or six.




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