REFREPs, ROMMONs and the others

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 28, 2009 – These terms describe the behaviour of those who have grown up in "ROManist" or "REFormist" societies, and in "MONarchies" or in "REPublics." A person from Roman Catholic and Republican France would be a ROMREP, but someone from Protestant and Monarchical Britain, would be a REFMON.

Behaviour is dictated by religious and political values: Catholicism was violently shaken by the Reformation, introducing more pragmatism among the Northern Europeans; feudal monarchy, which survived in Europe until the Great War, crumbled under the sledgehammer blow of the French Revolution leaving many nations to Republicanism. Europeans can't get away from two millennia of Roman Catholicism, one of feudal monarchy, half a millennium of Reformation and a quarter a millennium of Republican Revolution.

Two ROMREPs understand each other, where a ROMREP and a REFMON might not: the Portuguese and the Poles seem to get along quite well with the French; all are ROMREPs; but they're less at home with the REFMON English, who feel more comfortable with the REFMON Scandinavians and Dutch.

Many have written about these beliefs, but none as well as Machiavelli about Monarchy; nor as Rousseau about the Republic; nor as Weber about Protestantism, its Work Ethic, its view of money and the birth of Capitalism; nor as the Church fathers and the Roman Catechism about Catholicism.

Mapping political and religious values throws national behaviour into contrast; European countries cluster around each other to show common national caricatures; the map helps a Finn to predict how a Spaniard might react, or a Norwegian what to expect from an Italian.

Is it important? It is! Very! More Europeans have perished in wars of religion and politics than in any other kind of war; cultural insensitivity has destroyed peace treaties and business contracts; well-meant behaviour has actually insulted others; the heads of monarchs have tumbled; and today some think we can forget all that and create a federal Europe in two shakes of Lamb's tail!



Bob Gillespie is  author of "Machiavelli and The Mayflower, How to understand the Europeans."