I had an early warning that the ethnic tensions in Transylvania are increasing again when a former classmate told me that she’s going with her family in Szekely Country for December 1. I then learned that last year, a Romanian Hungarian may have been planning to detonate a bomb during the December 1 military parade. I told my friend to carry a handkerchief with the Hungarian flag and, if ever told “nem tudom” or “nem szobot”, to reply with “dreptate si fratie”, meaning “justice and brotherhood” - a greeting used by Romanian revolutionaries centuries ago in Transylvania. She didn’t, but brought them varicella instead.
The old Hungaro-Romanian conflict is being rejuvenated by idiots in both countries. This is somewhat to be expected, as December 1 is a “bad day” for Hungary for the very reason it’s a “good day” for Romania. Additionally, Orban seems on his way to “make Hungary Great again”.
- Within the context of Romanian bigotry and extreme religiosity, the recent “burial” of a Hungarian initiative at UNESCO (re: Csíksomlyó pilgrimage) silly and incongruent (hn-hunor).
- After Viktor Orban declared that governments that are not against migration will be erased, their Foreign Minister forbids Hungarian officials to attend celebrations in Romania (huto-hvg). Former president Basescu threatens Hungary, in retaliation, with another invasion and requests that the Hungarian ambassador is declared persona non grata.
- The anniversary parade was seriously affected by SPP and its security theater. The President did not bother inviting politicians with legal problems (a good thing) while a famous Romanian actress (she was Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson’s controversial movie) could not make it through security. Basescu criticized again Iohannis.
- A one-handed ethnic Hungarian marathonist, Polgar Levente Ioan, ran about 30 km with the Romanian flag in his one hand. (alba24)
- A poem from a poverty-porn TV show went viral and it’s just as dumb as my own creation – I just like mine more.
It looks like Basescu, much like Orban, is taking a page out of Trump’s populist book (except that Basescu has been at it for a long time). And he’s not the only one.
cheloo
After somebody had mentioned him in the comments to a previous article, I had a look in the news to see what’s he been up to.
It looks like there’s a line-up to take pages off Trump’s book.
whatIthink
My views on nationalism are simple. Like many other beliefs I have (and share with whomever reads this blog), I place a big emphasis on logical consistency. I want and need my views to not contradict themselves.
As an immigrant, I was generally welcomed in my adoptive country. It’s only natural that I do the same (and more) for other newcomers. Discriminating against entire groups of people who are connected by the color of their skin or ethnicity is incredibly dumb, as most people are not purely part of any such group, and they have not chosen it at birth. Not every Gypsy is a thief any more than every Romanian is a genius – and by the way, what if Gypsies see Romanians as thieves?
Nationalism can be defined as a bunch of monkeys building fences around a piece of land, killing other monkeys that tried to “trespass”, and passing on this sense of entitlement to that piece of land to future monkeys, often using various persuasion techniques, including arts, repetition and torture.
This was undoubtedly useful for monkeys that have become more or less sedentary, but migratory monkeys are bound to encounter nationalist monkeys and open-mind/border monkeys. They must decide whether to counter nationalism abroad with their own nationalism, or hold hands with the latter group and sing praise to the open border movement. Guess which position has less inherent contradictions?
usr
I found an interesting quote from a USR candidate, Dragos Ioan Coste (adv-coste), who was subjected to some kind of censure after it became public.
We are 300 years behind to the rest of the planet. We are a bunch of primitives, troglodytes. The Romanian is a retard, who still follows hundreds-year-old rules and mindsets, calling them "traditions and customs". He's a bipedal mammal for whom matter just the basic needs. A bigoted and greedy animal.
Even the few who have a spark of education and are not totally illiterate (as are 80 percent of university graduates – who should not have normally graduated high school) are from families where barbarisms like going to the priest and kissing relics, weddings, baptisms and funerals typical of stupid people, devoid of any taste and decency, listening to gipsy and ro-country music, wolfing down sausages and beer, domestic and physical violence, machismo and gross stupidity - are still found. Some promote these hereditary Romanian misgivings as "conservatism", assuring us of the credibility of a so-called Judeo-Christian European civic model. What cretinisms! What idiots lead us! We need to fundamentally change the legal system, particularly on the side of justice, education and economy. We need reintroducing the death penalty for aggravated tax evasion.
..and the Romanian original..
Romania – o cumetrie generalizata. O tara care traieste inca in Evul Mediu, pe vremea boierilor, mosierilor. Suntem in urma cu 300 de ani fata de restul planetei. Suntem niste primitivi, niste trogloditi. Vai si amar. Si asta nu e doar in politica ci si in viata de zi cu zi. Romanul e o fiinta inapoiata, care traieste inca dupa regulile si mentalitatea de acum sute de ani, numindu-le „traditii si obiceiuri” si respectandu-le pana si in ziua de azi.
E un mamifer biped pentru care conteaza doar nevoile primare. Un animal habotnic si hulpav. Pana si putinii care au o sclipire de educatie si nu sunt total agramati (asa cum sunt 80 la suta dintre absolventii de studii „superioare” – care in mod normal nu ar fi trebuit sa ajunga nici macar la liceu) se „trag” tot din familii in care barbarismele de genul mersului la popa si pupatul moastelor, nuntile, botezurile si inmormantarile tipice de neam prost, lipsite de orice fel de bun-gust si decenta, ascultatul manelelor si popularei, infulecatul de mici si bere, preacurvitul si violenta fizica, macismul si prostia bruta – sunt inca regasite. Unii promoveaza aceste tare ereditare romanesti sub numele de „conservatorism”, asigurandu-ne de credibilitatea unui asa zis model civic iudeo-crestin european. Ce cretinisme !
Ce dobitoci ne conduc ! Avem nevoie de schimbarea din temelii a sistemului legislativ, indeosebi pe partea de justitie, educatie si economie. Avem nevoie reala de reintroducerea pedepsei cu moartea pentru evaziune fiscala in forma agravata. Ce-mi pasa mie de talentele si virtuozitatea unor neica-nimeni, fosti strungari, maistri si alte saracii care din fosti membri PCR au ajuns boieri pe plantatia de negri a Romaniei ? Ce-mi pasa mie, ca cetatean, de „interesele de partid” al unor curve si al unor frustrati bolnavi de Dunning-Kruger ? Vreti schimbare cu adevarat ?
Lasati centrismele care inseamna „va aburim in moderatie” si asumati-va brutalitatea curateniei generale. Nu va pricepeti cum sa spuneti ca intr-o lume civilizata si corecta dpdv politic nu puteti trimite in puscarie sau la moarte parlamentarii ? Reinstaurati securitatea, stati cu ochii pe ei ca pe butelie ! Ne-am saturat de inchisoare cu suspendarea, de pedepse de 2 ani de puscarie, de neconfiscarea averilor. Nu aveti dovezi ? Introduceti legea responsabilitatii parlamentare. Daca dupa 4 ani nu ai facut ce ai promis – la puscarie alti 4 ani. Redeschideti dosarul Revolutiei, analizati fiecare zi, luna si an postdecembriste, vedeti cine a furat. Bagat-i pe toti la munca silnica, construiti penitenciare noi, ca e nevoie, in tara unde toata lumea FURA si ulterior se scuza ca „salariile sunt mici”, „nu am parte de atentie daca nu dau spaga”, „nu am ce face ca imi mor copiii de foame”, „fur software pentru ca nu am variante mai bune”.
Explicati-i romanului, acestui orientat imputit si bun de nimic, ca daca doar cu forta si cu amenintarile se poate schimba situatia, sunteti dispusi sa o faceti. Poporul vrea sange, vrea responsabilitate, vrea miscari tectonice in politica, vrea oameni priceputi, curajosi, inteligenti si mai ales cu viziune si potential coagulator al maselor.
This had been posted on his Facebook account before he submitted his candidacy, but it’s been deleted. He was on to something before he got off the rail toward the end.
Sources / More info: pg-boca, huto-hvg, mf-base, hn-hunor, alba24, adv-cheloo, a3-ciolos, hn-attila, adv-coste