Outrageous! I read it and I still can’t cope with it!
Let’s turn the clock backwards to the starting point. The places where I go to have a cappuccino and to spend a few peaceful hours usually offer a variety of magazines for the customers to read. Today I chose the July’s edition of Bulgaria’s English monthly VAGABOND. The name speaks for itself-it’s a magazine for the foreigners visiting or living in Bulgaria and, as far as I understand, its purpose is to help them adapt to Bulgarian customs. It is also a forum for foreigners to share their experience and views of Bulgarian lifestyle. Now, I do realize that to someone coming from a far more developed country Bulgaria (not might but surely) will seem chaotic, outdated and even barbarian but to read the statement that *quote* “Bulgarians are a nation of racists with a burning hatred towards the Roma population and the Turks. Racism starts at an early age in Bulgaria” *end of quote* is too much of a bite for me to swallow. I don’t mean to show some phoney patriotism but such a statement is too extreme and simply not true to my account. Everybody is entitled of a personal opinion but to put it in a magazine that targets mostly foreigners and thus to create a misleading impression is a completely different story. Is that how foreigners really see us?! I doubt it. There will (hopefully) always be cultural differences but it should be clear to everyone that a racist sign sprayed on a wall is a work of a single sick mind and should not be taken as the voice of the nation. Even I am irritated by my fellow-countrymen and their lack of enthusiasm to put some efforts into making their own country a better place but labeling Bulgaria as a “nation of racists” is a harmful exaggeration. That article made me feel like a tourist in my own country. This isn’t Bulgaria as I know it.
P.S. When I was growing up our neighbours were Turks. Their eldest son taught me to ride a bicycle. They were the sweetest people.
Why are people so obsessed with nationality?!
2 Comments:
Well Vera, come to London and speak to ANY Bulgarian here. There are three things they hate the most:
1) the current Bulgarian government
2) the staff at the Bulgarian embassy/consulate in London
3) the gypsars back in the homeland.
I'm not joking, Vera.
I’m sure that each Bulgarian individual living abroad has his/hers good reasons and I don’t intend to question them. Everybody’s free to choose one’s path in life.
The whole article implied that racism in Bulgaria is a governmental policy. I didn’t say that life in Bulgaria was perfect. There’s awfully a lot that needs improving. But it was the malicious tone of the article that startled me. It was implying that there is peace and harmony everywhere but in my country when it is not how it is. Unfortunately there are racist assholes all over the world.
Sorry to be so late with the reply-first I didn’t know what to say, then I had no time to write it down and later on it slipped my mind. I hope you’re having terrific time at Sinemoretz :))
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