4 minute read
Combatting closed minds in
[No]Place Like Home
Combatting closed minds in Eastern Europe
EASTERN EUROPE IS VIBRANT, WELCOMING, FULL OF ART AND HISTORY, AS A TOURIST ENJOYING YOUR TIME IS VERY MUCH GUARANTEED. IF YOU`RE FROM A WESTERN, RICHER COUNTRY YOU CAN HAVE A CHEAP BUT QUALITY HOLIDAY.
AS A PERSON FROM EASTERN EUROPE, HUNGARY TO BE SPECIFIC, I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE THINGS I HAVE ACCESS TO. THE COUNTRYSIDE, CITIES FULL OF HISTORY, ART NOUVEAU ALL AROUND BUDAPEST, THE LAKE IN MY HOMETOWN THAT SHAPED MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD, I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW THAT PLACE MADE ME WHO I AM AND HOW MUCH HAPPINESS I FEEL WHEN I THINK BACK TO THOSE TIMES. PLUS BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL AROUND MOST OF EUROPE WITHOUT TOO MUCH FUSS IS A GREAT THING. WHY IS IT THAT MOST OF THE EE CITIZENS ARE NOT PLANNING ON MOVING BACK HOME THEN? REPORTS SAY THAT NOWADAYS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR WORK AND BETTER MONEY IS INCREASING SO WHY MOST OF US FROM OUR GENERATION IS NOT KEEN ON MOVING BACK?
It`s hard to fit into a society where the head of the governments` mentality is outdated, agreeing with the actions, the corruption,the discrimination, the old school system where they try to educate children with propaganda is nearly impossible. Talking about Hungary specifically, health care is very neglected which doesn`t seem to change in the near future, unfortunately.
Mental health in Eastern Europe is not taken seriously at all, getting help, going to therapy, going to mental hospitals is still a big taboo and you`ll have more people turn their back on you than the ones supporting you because you`re just simply “being dramatic” and “wha people will think if I`m associated with this person”. Small village mentality on half of a continent really.
Low empathy and low emotional intelligence goes from generation to generation because mental health was always a stigma. Loads of children are often traumatised from a young age because of broken families, and that is neglected most of the time because most of our parents haven`t dealt with their traumas either and we can`t even blame them because mental health awerness was even worse in their generation.
Raging homophobia, misogyny, and violation of human rights are very real and frequent problems over there. In 2020 the Hungarian government ended the legal recognition of transgender and intersex people which means the sex recorded at birth cannot be amended. Transgender people will be denied the right to change their gender marker and identity. Being forced to carry around documents with gender markers that do not match the identity can be very dangerous for these people and will lead to further discrimination. How could young people trust a government that clearly doesn`t mind risking the safety of its people? In 2021 there was a small victory achieved tough, people who began changing their gender markers on legal documents before March 2020, (when the new ruling was brought in) can complete the process.
Poland`s abortion law is another thing that just brings tears to your eyes when you think about the women of the country. Abortion in Poland is only legal if the pregnancy was a result of a criminal act or if the woman`s health or life is at risk. Very sad to see that not only we`re going backwards but all these politicians tend to be very hypocritical while bringing all these laws in. For the extreme racism and the lack of solidarity, I don`t even have to go back far in time. EE has no trouble helping the white, Christian people during the war, and of course, there`s nothing wrong with that because we help the ones in need, right? The problem with this is that the attitude immediately changes towards middle eastern refugees who are in fact also looking for help and shelter from the terrible wars in their countries. We saw multiple videos of Ukrainians not letting black people board trains to flee the country. Sad to see that discrimination is still on people`s minds while being in the same country in the same horrible situation and it just shows that racism has no boundaries.
Dorina B., 22, Hungary
Our generation was born ready to fight against injustice, and the youth of Eastern Europe is becoming more and more aware of these problems. Our governments fail to give us opportunities in business and politics but it`s not for long, these old politicians will come and go for a while but it`s very much our time to make things change and see the positive effects. Words and design by: Alexandra Toth
