I should stop reading the papers. Emotional contents outweigh informational value. I came across an interview with a Romanian band. Let me give you some of the statements these guys make about one piece on their new album called ‘Message for Europe’, and the journalist point out to them that due to their vile attack against gypsies [word used in the text, see also my post on Giovanna Reggiani for more on vocabulary] and gays, a lot of people think that they are racist and homophobic.
My comments to their entire answer are in [square brackets] and I reproduce the entire bit of text, the rhetoric jumps are not my addition:
[?] = I can’t believe they printed this
[sic] = hard to believe hm?
[repetition] = absolute lack of logical reasonableness
”Why are we not allowed to say what we believe? Why do we need to protect the ideas of a minority as much as we do? Why, if you say a thing that annoys you, are you catalogued as racist? We do not have a problem with the colour of their skin. For us, everything is reduced to culture and attitude [culture here in line with the civilisation thinking so widespread in this part of the world I would guess]. Racism is a new thing, invented 50 years ago [sic]. And now those who open their mouths and say something that should not be said are considered right-down racist and xenophobe. It is a global rule [sic] for the moment. Why are we not allowed to say something against gypsies without being labelled racist [repetition]? We refer strictly to what is happening in Europe, where [sic] Romanians are looked upon as gypsies. We don’t like this. Does this transform me into a racist [repetition]? It disturbs me that Romanians who speak three languages receive offers to carry the garbage in Amsterdam [?]. We have entered Europe on our knees and now we need to suck their ****s to be their brothers [?]. So they want to integrate gypsies[?]. We have reached age 30 and we respect ourselves. We are honest [?]. Would I need to get down to their level and live in a tent and go stealing in Europe that I would not be considered racist? I can also put the problem in this way. And I am not ashamed, this is my favourite piece on the album.”
About homosexuals, and believe me, this is a very widespread opinion here, going right across the board:
“I do not want to raise my children among men who kiss in their presence. It is my right to say that…We have a problem with homosexuals who go onto the street and shout out what they do [?]. What they do at home is their business.”
And:
“We are not stupid [I beg to differ obviously]. It is very simple: why do I need to see two transvestites [sic] who ostentatiously kiss on the street? And this really happens. For me, as part of the sexual [-orientation] majority, it is not obligatory to accept this. From my point of view I am under attack. My rights as part of the majority are no longer respected from the moment in which it is imposed upon me to respect the wishes of a sexual [-orientation] or any other minority.”
Maybe I should just ignore stupid opinions of people that show, by every further word they utter, how low their rhetoric, how little their understanding, how common their arguments. But I cannot. They get to me. I think they are indicative of some of the problems here (but not only here, I’d venture to add), including an overemphasis on personal rights, and convenient forgetting of various truths (e.g. since when was racism invented 50 years ago?), the true meaning of tolerance ignored, and essentially, bigotry all the way down. Yes, Romanians have an image problem, but you certainly do not help to improve it. No, you cannot say anything you want just because you want to. Yes, politeness is part of the message. I thought those two last points had been made to all of us by the time we reached age nine…
Yours furiously, rage-shell, and, though fuming, hopefully a moderate voice…
5 comments:
I have read more or less the very same arguments somewhere else. Unfortunately, in quite a few other places. Everyone from the extreme right seems to adopt this "Majority rights" rhetoric, in which, all of a sudden, the survival of a majority seems threatened by one, several, or rather, all, minorities. It's true that Romanians are given a lot of bad press (at least in some parts of Western Europe) but not usually because they are seen as "gypsies", but rather because of 1. corruption that is perceived to be rampant (I don't know, I haven't even been there), 2. because of brainless and spineless right-wing retards like these rappers whose band is called - perhaps tellingly - Parazitii (I think I understand what that means). Some people - also from the right politically, although further left geographically, will again use this to argue that it was a mistake to take the Romanians into the EU. I don't think so. It's a learning process for everyone involved and just making your anger heard at having a bad name abroad (or thinking you do) is not going to change anything for the better.
scary scary - that people can hate so much what is different from them. We could sy let them be with their sad hate not being able to embrace and enjoy diversity, ultimately not being able to embrace the true beauty of human beings. But yet, it is like a creepy disease which crawls onto us, more and more this hatred seems to be adhered to...
What's sad is that I am sure their albums will sell very well. They'd make a killing if they came here - change the background music to something country/western and our scumbag rednecks will eat it up.
i think i need to follow up this post with one on corruption. not a word easily used around here...
and the average romanian is pretty much feeling helpless with regards to corruption, and self-perception is that not this is getting so much bad press in europe, but as i said, gypsies (of course filtreed through the romanian press).
learning process in the best case... things are relatively grim from here though
also i just noticed that i had copy-pasted a bit too much there... from my notes... so i undertook some editing. forgive, i was distracted while posting (as usual)...
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