nzeeman said:
...........- how then you started to make so many jokes in your countries. every movie , every historical tv show - you always make fun of east europe, russia, and even germany. if there is someone who is untolerant to other countries its britain and its people. if you think of us eastern people as equal to you -why do i have to be strapped to my underwear if i come to your countries. you people treat us like animals - i have to wait for visas for days just to get out of country. please dont sell me that sweet talk when you know the truth - 99% of people in your country will tell that russian cameras and cars are crap........
Hi folks.
I must say that after spending several months both in London and Paris, I was personally subject of rascist attitudes, not for being Jewish but for being foreigner. This happened to me both at common daily life, and with the authorities at the Hitro airport, some 20 years ago. One day, in different circumstances, we may laugh all together upon the small stories I got there.
In order to maintain my own equilibrium towards life, in which optimism is a central element, I use to differentiate between The People and The Political Regime. According to formal democracy, one is the product of the other. According to my experience it is true, but in the opposite direction. Political regimes are the instigators of the worst instincts among the common people, instead of fighting those instincts. This is done more bluntly or more elegantly and subtle according to the Regime in question, but this is the source - not the other way around. Regimes play with people minds. All regimes. And for wealth, of course.
As a personal experience I would like to tell that since being a kid I always asked myself, how could it be possible for the systematic extermination of Jews to take place. Is the human being that bad ? Of course racist people are everywhere
and many of my fellow Israelis are not a bad actual example. But from here to systematic extermination there is a long long way. So how was it possible ?
Now I could give an academic type answer but I will not. I will just mention that at the entrance to the new wing of the Jerusalem Holocaust Museum there is a kind of TV, replaying unusual documentaries filmed at the 30's, showing Hitler and Co. arousing the unprecedent wave of hate and fanatism, on which the rided to Power and WWII. The documentary film is very good in letting you
feel it. Once you see it, you feel it, then it becomes very simple and frightening.
Ruling a country is an extremely complex game, of the worst moral level (I am using my best moderated language), light years far from the good sammaritan going to vote once each four or five years.
So I have had my share of seeing by myself racists of several nationalities and within my family too. But let us not confuse ourselves about who is the wagon and who is the horse.
Cheers,
Ruben
PS
I will leave to the German fellows of good will to criticize the past. I will leave to the English good fellows to criticize their less good folks with which they happen to have the bad luck to live with, etc, etc.
My problem is not having got a beat from a stupid officer at Hitro. twenty years ago, but the daily beating
My country is inflicting around, and having to live with the blind folks here supporting it. Fortunately, humans are different one from the other.
